The push-up is one of the best bodyweight exercises you can do, strengthening the chest, triceps and shoulders, as well as your core.
It’s the best way to work your pecs, in particular, without lifting weights using moves like the bench press. With almost any bodyweight chest workout you find, push-ups are likely to be involved.
In the case of this eight-minute workout from fitness trainer Chris Heria, there are eight kinds of push-ups he recommends, and none of them are the classic version of the move.
The chest workout is found on Heria's YouTube channel, THENX, and can be done without any equipment, though you might want to roll out one of the best yoga mats to provide a surface with a reliable grip to do your push-ups on.
Watch Chris Heria’s 8-minute chest workout
You do eight moves during the workout, working for 40 seconds and then resting for 20 seconds, though you can adjust these times based on your fitness level.
It’s a challenging session for anyone, especially if you do each of the advanced versions of the moves demonstrated by Heria. But he also shows a beginner-friendly version for each, so the workout is suitable for all fitness levels.
In general, the beginner version of each push-up variation involves elevating your hands, so if you plan to do those, ensure you’re near a surface that can support you for the exercises.
As Heria emphasizes, to get the most from the workout, focus on the quality of your reps rather than quantity.
While you’re only working for 40 seconds at a time, that’s still more than enough to exhaust the upper body, especially as you’re doing variations on push-ups throughout and engaging the same muscle groups.
Move slowly and with control to work your chest to the max during the workout and keep your muscles engaged through each set. This is more effective than rushing, maybe compromising your form and having to stop early in the set.
The variety of push-ups you do means that this workout targets all areas of your chest, including the upper and lower pecs, and you also do moves that target each side of your pecs individually.
Push-ups don’t just work the chest, of course — your arms and shoulders will get stronger, as will your core and some areas of your back.
Heria knows a lot of push-up variations and some of the most interesting ones you’ll try in this workout include the typewriter push-up, where you stay low and move to the side before pushing back up, and the scapula push-up, which is great for shoulder stability and strength.
Adding this session to your regular training routine will result in a stronger upper body without using weights, but if you also lift, then you’ll notice the benefits for improved performance on moves like the bench press.
If you have dumbbells to hand and want to use them for your session, try this three-move chest workout, and if you have a kettlebell, this seven-move routine works the whole upper body.
More from Tom's Guide
- Australian pull-ups for beginners: How to do them
- You just need 14 minutes to strengthen your back and improve your posture with this equipment-free workout
- I'm a personal trainer, the candlestick roll is the best bodyweight exercise for your barbell squats
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
