3 Push Up Exercises That Can Quickly Build Up Your Pectoral Muscles
Having a powerful and defined upper body is the number one goal in the minds of most weightlifters and gym rats. Having a great looking chest, arms and core is guaranteed to make you healthier (and a lot more attractive too). For those of you who can't make it to the gym, building muscle on your upper body can seem ridiculously hard. Fortunately, it is not that difficult at all! What follows are three of the best chest exercises that you can do at home with absolutely no equipment. Best of all, you'll be building up other muscle groups at the same time! Let's get started.
Wide Grip Push Ups
The bulk of your chest muscles will be built by focusing on the middle and outer sections of the pectoral muscle. When you do regular grip push ups (where your hands are placed shoulder width apart), you engage this part but not enough: the stress is spread around too much. By widening your grip out six inches with each hand you isolate the pectorals and give your chest a great workout. Doing 3 sets of 15 reps three times per week will increase strength fast. Every four weeks or so add 5 reps to each set to keep things challenging. Never allow your body to get used to your workout routine!
One Armed Push Ups
You've seen TV and movies make this out to be the epitome of a "strong man": someone who can do push ups with just one arm on the ground. Most of you can't do this; but you aren't going to be asked to so don't worry! Instead of balancing all of your weight on one arm you are simply going to find a way to elevate the other arm (a block, short stack of books, or something similar) it allows you to give the same focus and challenge to one muscle group without risking a fall or injury. Follow the same set/repetition outline mentioned above.
Diamond Grip Push Ups
These are going to be the most difficult push ups that you do starting out, because the exercise focuses on two often neglected muscle groups: the inner chest and the triceps. You might not be able to do 3 set of 15 at first, so it is OK to break it down into smaller sets to get into the swing of things. You should still end up doing 45 total reps during your workout though so make sure you don't compromise!
There you have it. These exercises are all very simple to perform; but they will not be easy. Don't worry, they aren't supposed to be (you build muscle by making your muscles fail after all). Make sure you perform these exercises 2-3 times per week and that you are putting the right food and supplements into your body to promote muscle growth. Do this and you'll have the body that you want in no time at all!
