Home Workout Plan - Chest
Part 3 of the home workout plan series covers the second most trained body part for men, the chest. Using body weight exercise to workout the chest really comes down to one basic move done in different ways - the push up. Changing your hand positions will work different regions of the chest muscles I will break this down into two separate articles, one with beginner exercises and one for more advanced users.
The first series of exercises are for beginners as it covers the basic forms of push ups that can be used. There is no need to do them really fast. Using an average speed of one every 1-2 seconds is just fine. All variations of a push up do have characteristics in common:
- keep your abs tight to stabilize your body
- your body needs to be straight, no sticking your butt up into the air
- breathe in when going down, exhale when going up
1. Inner
These are also called diamond push ups because of the shape your fingers form when they are placed together. As the name implies, your hands are next to each other with your thumbs touching and your index fingers touching to create the diamond. Your hands should be under your lower chest, not near your shoulders. These will work your triceps more than the regular form.
Do 15 reps
2. Regular Width
This is the basic form with hands at shoulder width apart and at shoulder level, not mid chest. Hand positions can be varied as you do these exercises more often.
Do 15 reps.
3. Outer
Wider push ups work your chest more than your triceps. You will find that this will mean that being exhausted from previous push ups does not really affect the fatigue level as you change variations. These are done with your hands 12 inches further out than a regular push up.
Do 15 reps.
4. Spider Walk
These are pretty cool but take some getting used to in order to get it right without wasting time changing position. Your hands in this case are in two different spots - one is just beyond your head, the other near your lower chest. Do a push up then change hand positions by adjusting your feet to "walk" your body forward so your higher hand stays in contact with the floor and becomes your lower hand. Running out of room is pretty easy so walk forward two moves then walk backwards two to cut down the length you need.
Do 15 reps.
5. Hindu
Each home workout plan needs a tough section... Start with your butt way up in the air, come down to a push up position then continue through placing your hips near the floor and your head as high as possible. Reverse the move to go back to the start.
Do 15 reps.
6. Clap
This is the same as a basic push up except you push hard to force your body off the floor and clap your hands in front of your chest.
Do 15 reps.
7. Seven Second
As the name implies, do the basic form but take seven seconds to go down and seven seconds to go back up. This will burn your muscles pretty good!
Overview:
Chest
Inner
15
Regular
15
Outer
15
Spider Walk
15
Hindu
15
Clap
15
7s down, 7 s up
15
Regular
failure
Rest time is 30 - 60 seconds.
Do 4 - 8 sets depending on your fitness level.
This home workout plan is for beginners. Do what you can for reps and increase them as you get stronger.
My name is Jacques Delorme and I run a youth nutrition blog at http://visportsnutrition.ca where you can get information on nutrition, exercise and motivation for youth athletes. Visit my site and feel free to leave comments and questions if you need more information.
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