You get up, flex in the mirror, and puff out your chest like a bodybuilder.
But instead of feeling proud, you’re super disappointed with what you see staring back at you.
And that’s because your chest falls embarrassingly short of what you want it to be.
There’s not really much definition to it…or size.
And when you really start to think about it, you hate how your pecs don’t even fill out your t-shirts.
So a bigger, more well-developed chest is definitely an aspiration of yours.
But what if you don’t have a gym membership or any equipment?
That gets you thinking…
Can you really build a big chest without weights?
Call me Santa Clause because I’m bringing all the gifts with this one.
Building a sculpted chest without weights is 100% possible.
And by the time you’re done reading this post, you’ll have everything you need for the ultimate no equipment chest workout from home.
Ready to build a set of pecs that would make Arnold Schwarzenegger ask what your secret is?
Let’s get it.
A strong chest is about more than aesthetics
Yeah, having a strong chest is aesthetically pleasing.
But your pecs are also functional.
Think about when you’re moving into a new house and pushing big ol’ boxes around all day long.
That requires a lot of chest strength (not to mention endurance).
Or, if you have kids…
You get in from a long day of work and as they run into your arms, you scoop them up and lift them above your head.
You recruit your chest muscles to help with that.
Play a sport like tennis?
Getting torque and power behind your swing also involves your chest.
Chest anatomy
Having knowledge of chest anatomy is key to building an impressive one.
Back in gym class when I was younger, our teacher would have us drum our chest and chant pectoraliiissss majooooor to help us remember our chest muscles.
Probably shouldn’t say “when I was younger” because I actually caught myself doing this the other day while writing this.
😭😭😭
Obviously, I wasn’t thinking about this back then.
But your chest actually has two primary muscles.
1. Pectoralis major
Your pectoralis major is the main muscle in your chest, located right on the surface of your thoracic rib cage.
It has three heads:
- Clavicular head (upper chest)
- Sternal head (middle chest)
- Abdominal head (lower chest)
The two main functions of your pectoralis are:
- Adduction (movement that brings a limb part closer to your body’s midline). For example, start with your arms raised and bringing them down by your side to your hips.
- Rotating your shoulder joint inward. I mentioned this a little ways up but think about swinging a tennis racket and the amount of power it takes to perform a speedy serve.
2. Pectoralis minor
Your pectoralis minor resembles a small triangle and can be found underneath the pectoralis major.
It plays a role in movements of your scapula (i.e. your shoulder blade).
How can I build my chest muscles at home?
You might be worried that if you don’t have any weights you won’t be able to get a good chest workout from home.
…That bench press, cable flyes, or using the pec deck machine at the gym are the only exercises to sculpt the perfect chest.
Newsflash:
Fancy gym equipment isn’t a prerequisite for super-sizing your chest.
We’re going to lean on the tried and true, always reliable…
And often extremely underrated…Push-up.
They’re a true measure of strength, muscular endurance, and they look cool.
I mean…
What’s more badass than being able to drop down and crank out a set of 50 push-ups real quick without even breaking a sweat?
Now that I think about it, I actually can’t remember the last chest workout I had where some variation of push-ups wasn’t involved.
Truth be told, whether you have equipment or not, you should probably start incorporating push-ups into your workout routine if you haven’t already.
The sweet thing about push-ups is there’s basically an infinite amount of variations you can do.
Once you master the more basic ones, there’s always something new to challenge yourself with and keep the ball rolling on your chest gains.
That’ll keep your no equipment chest workouts engaging.
And when you’re locked in and focused on your workouts, you get a lot more out of them.
Hop out of bed and crank out a few sets before work in the morning.
Traveling and don’t have access to a gym?
Push-ups are the ultimate no equipment chest workout.
As long as you have some floorspace, a solid chest workout is easily within reach.
What exercises build chest muscles without weights?
The best home chest workout without weights hits all heads of your pec—upper, middle, and lower.
Let’s run down some push-up variations to help you get a massive pump.
The best push-up exercises for chest
1. Classic push-ups
Ahhh, the classic push-up.
You have to master the basics first.
If you want a chest pump that’s out of this world, position your hands so that they’re a little outside of your shoulders.
This shifts the load from your triceps and places more of the load on your chest to supercharge the pump.
2. Incline push-ups
This is a great push-up variation for beginners, especially if you’re unable to do classic push-ups just yet.
Incline push-ups predominantly target your lower chest.
The higher the incline, the easier the push-ups will be.
So if you’re just starting out, it’s probably best to have a fairly high incline and gradually reduce it as you become more comfortable.
3. Decline push-ups
Want to hit your upper chest?
Start repping out decline push-ups.
They also work your core and anterior deltoid (front of your shoulders).
Since you’re basically fighting gravity doing push-ups on a decline, the higher you place your legs up, the harder these push-ups will be.
4. Ironman push-ups
This push-up variation blasts your chest, arms, and core all at the same time.
Start in the classic push-up position.
Lower one forearm so that it’s on the ground, then lower the other forearm so that now you’re in a plank position (both forearms should be flat on the ground).
Bracing your core, you’re going to lift one arm up straight, then the other. Once that motion is complete, perform one push-up.
Then repeat.
5. Explosive clap push-ups
Channel your inner Rocky Balboa and try this push-up variation for explosive power.
If you haven’t seen any of the Rocky movies—
- I don’t know if we can be friends (jussssst playin)!
- Please go watch right now for some INSTANT motivation.
6. Three-second negative push-ups
Lower yourself down slowly…Counting 3, 2,1 until you reach the bottom of the push up.
Then press up.
Three-second negative push-ups really hammer the eccentric portion of your lifts (i.e. the negative or lowering phase) and increases time under tension.
Time under tension refers to the amount of time your muscles are under stress during an exercise.
By slowing every rep down, your muscles remain under tension for longer.
And the longer you keep your muscles under tension, the greater your results will be.
Want the golden ticket for an effective no equipment chest workout?
- Focus on time under tension and then—
- Make sure you’re hitting all three heads of the chest
The ultimate home chest workout without equipment
Now, to the good stuff—a no equipment chest workout that you can do right from home.
Or wherever you have some floorspace really.
I’ve dubbed this the Crazy 8’s Workout.
If you want to challenge yourself and get a massive chest pump, then this one is for you.
But…
Fair warning—
Consider having the fire department on speed dial when attempting this one.
Because your chest, shoulders, and triceps will be burnt to an absolute CRISP.
I have some good news for you though:
This workout will only take you about 10-minutes to complete.
So you can squeeze it into your schedule no matter how busy you might be:
10-minute chest workout (no equipment)
- Decline push-ups
- Ironman push-ups
- Classic push-ups
- Incline push-ups
** Workout instructions: Perform each exercise in the circuit for 8 reps, resting as little as possible in between exercises. Once you get to the end of the circuit, rest between 30 seconds and 1 minute, then repeat the circuit for a total of 3-5 times through.
If you want this 10-minute home chest workout sent straight to your inbox, you can download a free PDF version below.
Build a strong chest from home with push-ups
No equipment?
By now you should know that’s not a problem for sculpting a powerful set of pecs.
Lean on the always dependable push-up (and its many variations) to create the ultimate no equipment chest workout.
The journey to a chest you can be proud of starts today!
Literally—
Slide away from your computer or put your smartphone down.
Don’t think about it.
Drop down on the floor and get a set of push-ups in today.
You’ll be glad you did.