Creating Kings
The best chest workout for men at home is built on push-ups. Find the hardest push-up you can do for 6 to 12 good reps, train it two times a week, and move to a harder version each time it gets easy.
Below are 10 push-up steps from easy to hard, two chest sessions to rotate, a weekly plan and simple ways to add load with no weights.
Can you train your chest at home with no equipment?
Yes. Push-ups train your chest, along with the fronts of your shoulders and the backs of your arms. All you need is the floor, a wall, a table and a chair.
The catch is that a normal push-up gets easy. In a gym you would add weight. At home you change the push-up instead. You raise your feet, slow down, spread your hands, or shift more of your weight onto one arm. Each change makes the same move harder, so you keep getting stronger.
That is why this guide is built around steps. You do not need to guess what to do next. You just move up one step.
How do you do a push-up with good form?
Keep your body in one straight line and lower your chest all the way to just above the floor. Here is each part:
- Hands. Put them flat on the floor, a little wider than your shoulders, fingers pointing forward.
- Body. Squeeze your glutes and stomach so you are straight from head to heels. No sagging hips, no hips up in the air.
- Elbows. As you lower, let your elbows angle back toward your hips. Do not flare them straight out to the sides.
- Depth. Lower until your chest is about a fist from the floor.
- Push. Press the floor away until your arms are straight. Breathe out as you push.
Ten good push-ups beat twenty sloppy ones. If your form falls apart, end the set or drop back a step.
What are the best push-up variations for your chest?
Use them as a ladder. Start at the step where you can do 6 to 12 good reps. When you can do 3 sets of 12 to 15 with good form, move up one step.
| Step | Push-up | How to set it up |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wall push-up | Hands on a wall at chest height, feet a step back. |
| 2 | Table push-up | Hands on a sturdy table or kitchen bench. |
| 3 | Low incline push-up | Hands on a stair or a low, sturdy step. |
| 4 | Knee push-up | On the floor, knees down, body straight from head to knees. |
| 5 | Full push-up | On the floor, on your toes. |
| 6 | Wide push-up | Hands about a hand width wider on each side than a normal push-up. |
| 7 | Slow push-up | Three seconds down, a one second pause just above the floor, then push up. |
| 8 | Deficit push-up | Hands on two stacks of books, so your chest can go lower than your hands. |
| 9 | Decline push-up | Feet up on a chair or the couch, hands on the floor. |
| 10 | Archer push-up | Hands very wide. Lower toward one hand while the other arm stays almost straight. Switch sides each rep. |
Your main step is the hardest one you can do for 6 to 12 good reps. The step below it is your easy step. You will use both in the sessions below.
For deficit push-ups, make sure the books are stable and will not slide. For decline push-ups, push the chair against a wall first.
How do you warm up before a chest workout?
Take five minutes and work up from easy to harder:
- Ten big arm circles forward, then ten back.
- Ten wall push-ups, slow.
- Ten push-ups two steps below your main step.
- Twenty seconds in plank, squeezing your glutes and stomach.
What is the best chest workout for men at home?
Two short sessions that you swap between: session A for fewer, harder reps, and session B for more reps and a different angle. Each one takes about 20 to 25 minutes with the warm-up.
| Session | Move | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Main step | 4 | 6 to 12 | 90 seconds |
| A | Easy step | 2 | Stop two reps before you have to | 60 seconds |
| A | Bottom hold | 2 | 10 to 20 seconds | 60 seconds |
| B | Wide push-ups (or wide on your knees) | 3 | 8 to 15 | 60 seconds |
| B | Decline or table push-ups | 3 | 8 to 15 | 60 seconds |
| B | Towel flys | 3 | 6 to 12 | 60 seconds |
In session B, use decline push-ups if full push-ups are easy for you. If not, use table push-ups. Write down what you did in every set.
Bottom hold
Get into your main step. Lower until your chest is just above the floor, and hold there with your body straight. Breathe slowly. Push back up when time is up.
Towel flys
You need a smooth floor, like wood or tiles, and two small towels. Start on your knees with one hand on each towel, under your shoulders. Keep a small bend in your elbows and slowly slide your hands out to the sides as your chest lowers. Go only as wide as you can control. Then squeeze your hands back together. Start with small slides, and do them on your toes once that feels easy.
How do you make push-ups harder without weights?
Move up the ladder first. When you reach the top steps, or want more from the step you are on, try these:
- Slow down. Take three seconds to lower on every rep.
- Pause. Stop for two seconds just above the floor.
- Wear a backpack. Fill it with books, pull the straps tight so it sits high on your back, and do your push-ups as normal.
- Rest less. Cut 15 seconds from each rest.
- Add a set. Go from 4 sets of your main step to 5.
Change one thing at a time. When it feels easy for two sessions in a row, make the next change.
How often should you do a chest workout at home?
Two times a week, with two or three days between. Do session A early in the week and session B later. Train your back on the same days, so your upper body gets as much pulling as pushing.
| Day | What to do |
|---|---|
| Monday | Chest session A, then table rows or pull-ups |
| Tuesday | Legs and core |
| Wednesday | Walk or rest |
| Thursday | Chest session B, then table rows or pull-ups |
| Friday | Legs and core |
| Saturday | Walk, hike or play a sport |
| Sunday | Rest |
For the back work, 3 sets of table rows is enough to start. Our upper body workout for men at home shows how to do them. If you have a bar, our pull-up and push-up workout pairs the two for you. For leg days, the squats, lunges and glute bridges in our home workout for men are a good start.
Stop any move that causes sharp pain. If you have an injury or a health condition, talk to a doctor before you start a new workout.
The chest is one part of the plan. Sleep, food and daily walks matter just as much, and our body guides cover all three.