Regular gym-goers might have already preached to you that building a well-defined chest without gym equipment is impossible and that you'll never get the same results with calisthenics. This same advice might come from someone who goes to the gym every day just to do the bench press.
That's just not true. It has been proven time and time again that calisthenics workouts are incredibly effective for building and isolating chest. Just look at some of the calisthenics experts, or the gymnasts who perform these sorts of exercises on a regular basis.
In fact, calisthenics will help you steer clear of the injuries that the repetitive movements in the gym can cause, plus, you'll get a much more natural-looking physique and chest. Of course, bodybuilding in the gym is clearly a good method of building your chest, but it's certainly not the only one. With calisthenics, you can do just that without having to pay the gym membership fee. You only need to know what exercises to do, which is what we're here for.
It's much easier to have more variety in your workouts than with gym bodybuilding. These workouts here are essentially just a guide to help you create the workouts, but you can always mix up and rotate the exercises to keep it more interesting.
Read on if you want to find out a great calisthenics chest workout for beginners, intermediate, and advanced calisthenics enthusiasts.
Our back and core workouts are a great supplement to the one offered below. Check them out if you're after a balanced physique. If you're looking for a complete guide on calisthenics training, check out our comprehensive review of online calisthenics courses.
Before you Start
We can't stress this enough: warming up is the most important part of the workout for injury prevention. Take 10 minutes before each workout, not just the chest workout, and warm up your joints and muscles throughout your whole body, regardless of what muscles you will be working. This is especially important for calisthenics as it tends to incorporate exercises that work more muscles together at the same time.
You'll want to perform stretching movements to prepare your joints, and start by performing static movements and then you can move on to some more intensive warm-up exercises to get you ready.
Start with the following stretches:
Arm cross-overs
Circular arm movements
Double arm behind the back
Elbow grip behind the back
Elbow and wrist warmup exercises.
After this, you can move on to some more intense warmup exercises, and you can even incorporate a bit of cardio into it. For example, jumping jacks can be an excellent warm-up exercise that will also get your heart pumping.
When you're doing a calisthenics chest workout, you will constantly stress out your shoulders, elbows, and even wrists, so make sure you get them ready to rock and roll. A thorough warm-up will help you get into it easier and more importantly, prevent injuries.
Also, you'll want to determine what your level of calisthenics is at the moment. For example, if you're a complete beginner, you'll want to follow the beginner program. If you are a bit out of shape but you have done this before, follow the intermediate program.
For those who are in tip-top shape or close to it, perform the advanced workout.
Let's take a look at the calisthenics chest workout for each level.
Beginner Calisthenics Chest Workout
Here's a sample calisthenics chest workout for beginners:
Kneeling push-ups/Regular push-ups - (2-3 sets of 8-12 reps)
Inclined push-ups - (2-3 sets of max reps)
Supported chest dips - (2-3 sets of max reps)
Wide push-ups - (1 set of max reps)
Kneeling Push-ups/Regular Push-ups (2-3 sets of 8-12 reps, or max reps)
The first exercise that a complete beginner can try is the standard push-ups. To start with, set your feet down and place yourself in a plank position, with your arms shoulder-distance apart, and lower yourself slowly until your chest touches the ground. Then, come back slowly all the way so that your arms are completely straight.
For beginners, learning the proper form is more important than how many reps you can do. So you'll want to achieve a full range of motion and work from there. Also, keep your back elevated and straight, and prevent your pelvis from sinking into the ground - keep it up.
For those who can't perform a push-up, a kneeling push-up is a good place to start and you can slowly work your way up to regular push-ups.
Here's the proper way to do push-ups:
Incline Push-ups (2-3 sets of 8-12 reps, or as many as you can manage)
Inclined push-ups are a perfect exercise to target the upper chest. For it, you'll need some sort of elevation, such as a bench, or a table, or something that allows you to have an incline - it can even be your bed, for example. Then, with your hands on the elevated platform and slightly wider than shoulder-distance, put yourself in a push-up position. Make sure your back is straight, so tighten your abs, and start lowering yourself down.
Don't forget to breathe; when you come up, breathe in, and when you come down, breathe out.
Do 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps or as many as you can manage. Once you are comfortable, increase the incline to make it more challenging. Here's a demonstration:
Supported Chest Dips (2-3 sets of max reps, if you can)
Perhaps regular dips will be too much for a beginner, so we've chosen supported chest dips instead. Dips are one of the best calisthenics chest exercises, so you should try to incorporate them from the start. An easier variation is to have your feet supported while you do dips.
If you don't have a dip stand, here's our recommendation.
For targeting your chest with dips, you'll need to make sure your body is leaning forward slightly, or you can target the tricep muscles if your body is leaning backward. Use a chair or some other platform to support your feet while you do dips.
Do 2-3 sets of your maximum reps when it comes to supported dips. The natural progression is to perform regular dips. (Note: these are regular dips, for supported dips, just place a platform beneath your legs to perform them easier.) Below is a demonstration:
Wide Push-Ups (1 set to failure)
The wide-grip push-ups are a perfect way to target your outer chest. While you may not be capable of performing them at first, you should definitely incorporate them once you are comfortable doing standard push-ups.
The wide push-ups are much like the regular ones, just that you place your arms slightly wider. The form stays the same: keep the pelvis and the back straight, don't sink into the ground.
Do 2-3 sets of these when you are comfortable.
Intermediate Calisthenics Chest Workout
Once you're comfortable with the beginner workout and you feel like you can progress, start performing exercises from the intermediate workout. You're not ready for planche push-ups yet, but you're also not someone who can only do kneeling push-ups anymore either. Here's a sample workout for you:
Regular Push-ups with Resistance Band - (2-3 sets of max reps)
Incline Push-ups - (2-3 sets of max reps)
Decline Push-ups - (2-3 sets of max reps)
Chest Dips - (2-3 sets of max reps)
Diamond Push-ups - (2-3 sets of max reps)
Pike Push-ups - (2 sets of max reps)
Dive bomber Push-ups - (1 set of max reps)
Standard Push-ups with a Resistance Band (2-3 sets max reps)
This exercise will require you to have a resistance band. If you don't have one, we recommend these bands made by Luyata. Another good alternative is to utilize a weight vest or have a bag with weights on your bag. But, resistance bands are very useful here, as they come in different resistances, plus they are better for your joints.
The way you do this is to wrap the band around your back to extend from hand to hand and hold it to the ground as you do the push-ups. Again, the form is incredibly important here. You'll find that this variant is slightly more challenging than regular push-ups.
Do 2-3 sets of maximum repetitions, but the reps should be flawless. Here is a demonstration.
Incline Push-ups (2-3 sets max reps)
Move on to incline push-ups. We already know how these work, and you can increase the incline this time to make it more challenging.
Decline Push-ups (2-3 sets max reps)
Next to incline push-ups, we also have decline push-ups. These two exercises are great in combination, and that's what we are trying to achieve here. They also build the upper chest, and you'll find this is a more advanced version of the standard push-ups. Because you are doing the push-ups from the declined position, you'll isolate the upper chest more.
Put your legs on an elevated position and start doing push-ups. The bigger the decline, the more you will target your shoulders, so you'll want to keep a balance there.
Chest Dips (2-3 sets of max reps)
This time, remove the support for your legs and perform regular chest dips. Refer to the above video for the correct form (under the supported chest dips section.) You'll want to maintain proper form by leaning your upper body forward slightly, and by not diving too dep
when you perform the dips. Do this for 2-3 sets of maximum repetitions before moving on.
Diamond Push-ups (2-3 sets max reps)
Next up are the diamond push-ups. These can prove to be the real diamond when it comes to building your chest as well as your arm muscles. To do it, you'll want to move your arms closer together by forming a diamond with your hand. Keep your back straight and pelvis elevated, and you should start to feel your tricep muscles working.
Pike Push-ups (2-3 sets max reps)
Another great push-up variation are the pike push-ups. This variation can help you build the upper chest as well as your shoulder muscles. You might find it slightly challenging at the start, but once you can manage it, you will see big results. The natural progression is the handstand push-ups.
The way you do it is to put your arms in the slightly wider than the normal push-up position, but you'll want to bring your legs closer to your arms and keep your upper body straight. The legs should also be slightly wider. Your body should be in an L-position when you perform the exercise. Here's how to do it.
Dive Bomber Push-ups (1 set of max reps)
To finish it off, we'll perform the ultimate variation of push-ups - the dive bomber push-ups. This exercise is fantastic - it helps you build everything from your whole chest to your shoulders and also your tricep muscles. You should do it slowly to feel the tension in your muscles.
Here's a visual representation:
Advanced Calisthenics Chest Workout
For more advanced calisthenics experts, there are also some great exercises to challenge your body, even if you think that you've done it all. This is just a sample workout you can do:
Clapping Push-ups (2-3 sets of max reps)
One-arm Push-ups (2-3 sets of max reps)
Planche Push-ups (2-3 sets of max reps)
Ring dips (2-3 sets of max reps)
Clapping Push-ups (2-3 sets of max reps)
The clapping push-ups are meant for explosivity as well as for building the entirety of your chest. The way you do it is that when you go down into a push-up, you shoot back up and perform a clap while you're in the air. You'll find that this exercise will not only work your chest but your whole body.
One-arm Push-ups (2-3 sets of max reps)
This exercise can only be done by those with advanced calisthenics skills and sufficient arm and chest strength.
Planche (2-3 sets max reps)
The planche is the ultimate challenge for calisthenics advanced users. The way it works is that you will want to have your feet raised from the ground when you perform the push-ups, so you'll require leg, chest, and core strength, as well as stability and arm strength.
Ring Dips (2-3 sets max reps)
Lastly, we have ring dips. These are performed just like normal dips but on rings, where you'll have to face the challenge of maintaining your balance as well as having enough strength to perform them. It takes enough strength from your whole body to do them. These are our favorite calisthenics rings on Amazon.
Additional Information and Rest Periods
Between the sets and exercises, you'll want to have some rest. At the start, this rest can be longer; between the sets, you can rest up to a minute, and up to two minutes between the exercises.
For intermediate and advanced builders, these rest periods can be reduced. The more comfortable you are with an exercise, the less rest you can have.
Also, once you conclude your workout, don't just take your shirt off and go to the shower. Instead, perform some stretching exercises to help stretch your muscles. It will reduce soreness and also reduce the chance of soreness and ease the joint pain and pressure they might have endured.