7 Calisthenic workouts for chest (fast and effective)

Calisthenics, the art of using your body weight for workouts, has gained immense popularity in the fitness world. There are many benefits when it comes to doing calisthenics workouts, these benefits include factors such as minimal to no equipment required, no gym memberships needed, convenience, and beginner-friendly workouts. 

Many believe that the only way to build strength and muscle in the chest area is to bench press or use crappy cable machines, but that’s simply not true. Calisthenic exercises can build your chest muscles to absolute perfection if done right, The reason you want to train in calisthenics is that it allows you to target several muscle groups with several simple exercises, But you may be wondering what are the best and most effective calisthenics workouts for your chest.

In this article, we will explore the 7 best Calisthenic workouts for your chest,  proven to enhance your strength and stability.

Table of Contents:

• Wide push-ups

• Diamond Push-Ups

• Ring Dips

• Chest Dips

• Standard Push-Ups

• Plyometric Push-Ups

• Decline push-ups

What are the best calisthenics chest workouts?

1) Wide Push-ups

Muscles Targeted: Triceps brachii, lower and upper pectoralis, Anterior deltoid 

Here’s how to do wide push-ups 

• Get into a regular push-up position 

• Separate your arms wide, while maintaining posture

• Elevate down deep for a full range of motion

Return to the starting position and repeat

This push-up exercise targets the overall chest area, the wider hand placement increases the range of motion during the exercise, leading to a greater stretch and contraction in the chest muscles, Wide push-ups also work the upper back.

2) Diamond Push-ups

Muscles Targeted: triceps brachii, biceps brachii, lower & upper pectoralis, deltoid

Here’s how to do Dimond Push-ups

• Start in a push-up position

• Form a diamond shape with your thumbs and index fingers under your chest.

• lower yourself by bending your elbows downwards, keep your body straight

• Push back up to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of reps

If you have done diamond push-ups before, you know that they are way harder than they look. Diamond push-ups require stability and control when performed, the close-hand positioning places greater pressure on the tricep muscles. If you have trouble performing diamond shape push-ups you can have your legs bent for an easier alternative.

3) Ring Dips

Muscles Targeted: Triceps brachii, pectoralis major, deltoids

Here’s how to do Ring Dips

• Grab the rings with palms facing each other, arms fully extended

• Lean a bit forward

• Go down until your shoulders are below your elbows

• Straighten your arms to go back up

Ring dips are a challenging bodyweight exercise performed using gymnastics rings. This movement primarily targets the triceps, chest, and shoulders, while also engaging the muscles of the core and upper back for stabilization. Unlike traditional parallel bar dips, ring dips are much more difficult due to the instability of the rings, making it that much more effective. Ring dips offer a full range of motion, allowing for a deeper stretch and contraction of the targeted muscles

4) Chest Dips

Muscles Targeted: Anterior Deltoid, Pectoralis major, Tricep brachii, Lats

Here’s how to do Chest Dips

• Hold bars with palms facing down

• Keep arms fully extended and slightly bend your upper body forward

• Bend your elbows in to lower your body

• Push back up by straightening your arms out

Chest dips involve leaning forward and keeping the elbows flared out to place more emphasis on the chest muscles. This forward-leaning position allows for a deeper stretch and contraction during the movement. Additionally, chest dips require significant stabilization from the core and upper back muscles to control the body’s movement, this amazing exercise works the upper body to its max.

5) Regular push-ups

Muscles Targeted: Tricep brachii, Pectoralis major 

Regular push ups are best for beginners if you are new to calisthenics but it can still be performed at an advanced level, make sure to push up until you get your arms straight.

6) Polymetric push-up

Muscles Targeted: Triceps brachii, pectoralis major, Core muscles, Deltoids 

Here’s how to do polymetric push-ups 

• Begin in a push-up position

• Lower yourself towards the ground and Push off with explosiveness

• While in mid-air, clap your hands together

• Land back on your arms carefully and perform the next rep immediately.

Plyometric push-ups, also known as explosive push-ups targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps while also engaging the core and stabilizing muscles. This is more of an advanced calisthenic workout so make sure you are at an intermittent level before you try performing this explosive calisthenic workout.

7) Decline Push-ups

Muscles Targeted: Upper chest, Triceps brachii, Deltoids

Here’s how to do Decline Push-ups

• Get your feet on an elevated surface such as a bench or a chair

• Push upwards by straightening your arms out in front of you

• Lower back down into a deep position for full range of motion

• Repeat for desired reps
  

The Decline push-up is a highly effective variation of the classic push-up exercise that targets the upper chest, shoulders, and triceps.

Conclusion:

Building strength and muscle in the chest doesn’t have to be complicated, making a workout routine with the 7 calisthenics workouts listed above will surely have a positive impact on your fitness goals. 

A reminder that you don’t need expensive equipment or a gym membership to get in shape, you can do it by practicing these chest exercises daily and being consistent over time. You also have to make sure you are eating the right foods for optimal muscle growth for long-term benefits, So make sure that when doing these exercises you are maintaining proper form and continue to stay consistent on your calisthenics journey.

In my experience with working out using calisthenics chest exercises , I was able to build a great amount of muscle mass in the upper body in a faster time period than expected, i even built a great amount of muscle in other areas such as my shoulders and back while never really involving any weight lifting. I did however use resistance bands as part of my chest workout routine so feel free to give that a try as well.