Chest Workout: Top 7 chest exercises without equipment or weights

Chest Workout! Are you looking for chest exercises without equipment or weights? You have come to the right article! We’re pretty sure a few of you have flipped through a fitness magazine or browsed bodybuilding sites, inevitably coming across images of men with bulging, sculpted chests. Having a strong, toned chest is essential for both men and women, and goes far beyond fitness aesthetics.

Your chest muscles are among the most powerful muscles in your upper body, and they play a key role in pushing movements. So we know how important it is to include exercises that target the chest in your workouts, so you can be sure you’ll be working those muscles effectively. The good news? There is no need for a gym membership: you can do it from home thanks to our 7 exercises for pecs without equipment explained in this article!

Why build your chest with no-hardware chest exercises?

The pectorals are used on a daily basis

The chest region is made up of two main muscles : the pectoralis major and the pectora minor. Together they are called the pecs. The pectoralis major is the larger of the two muscles. It extends across your upper chest with a fanlike appearance, attaching to your shoulder and sternum. The pectoralis minor is a small, thin, triangular muscle that sits just below the pectoralis major. So what exactly do these muscles do?

Well, they are quite important in controlling your arm movements, from pulling and rotating movements towards the center of your body to arm lifts. These muscles are therefore involved in your sporting gestures, but also your daily gestures: lifting a child, an object, etc.

Additionally, since these muscles take up most of the chest wall , working them speeds up your metabolism, which burns a considerable amount of energy . If you’re looking to lose weight and tone up, then no-hardware chest exercises are perfect for you!

Bodyweight exercises are good for your health

Still think weights are the only way to build strong, muscular chest ? Think about it again. You can increase the volume of your chest and your arms at the same time without lifting a single bar or dumbbell! Yes, you read that right, you can do a great chest workout at home with no-hardware chest exercises .

According to a recent study published in the Health & Fitness Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), high-intensity circuit training (HICT) helps lower your body fat levels and improve your insulin sensitivity. . The practicality of this kind of training , using body weight as resistance , makes this exercise program a viable option for anyone who says they don’t have time to exercise. Now you can stay active , build muscle , and reap all the health benefits of exercise !

What are the 7 best chest exercises without equipment?

wide grip pumps

This no-equipment chest exercise is a classic. This basic bodyweight move is great for beginners to get familiar with push-ups and arm strength . The position is that of a classic push-up, with the difference that your hands are wider than the width of your shoulders. This will work your chest muscles more and target your pectorals well. Ideally, aim for 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

Incline push-ups

If you find the first no-hardware chest exercise too difficult at first, you can start with incline push -ups . This movement is easier than the wide-grip push-ups, and allows you to progress to more difficult variations at your own pace. Stand up, and lean on a support lower than you (like a table) to tilt your body. The steeper the slope, the less body weight you will need to work on the thrust . Although less difficult, this is also a good exercise for targeting your lower chest .

Pumps in decline

What goes up must come down! Decline push-ups are a no-hardware chest exercise that specifically targets your upper chest and deltoid muscles . In the initial position, your feet are raised off the ground, resting on a support. Your hands are on the floor, and your body forms a straight line where the heaviest weight is your feet. You then have to support more of your body weight, which makes this movement more difficult than the previous two exercises. Control your movement well to target your chest when exercising.

Lateral push-ups

This chest exercise without equipment is a more dynamic version , to strengthen your endurance a little . Start in a classic push-up position. Move your right hand to the left until both of your hands are next to each other. Slide your left hand farther left until your hands are shoulder-width apart again. Perform a push-up and repeat moving to the right to return to the starting position. Do a classic push-up, then repeat the same on the other side.

Pumps in decline

What goes up must come down! Decline push-ups are a no-hardware chest exercise that specifically targets your upper chest and deltoid muscles . In the initial position, your feet are raised off the ground, resting on a support. Your hands are on the floor, and your body forms a straight line where the heaviest weight is your feet. You then have to support more of your body weight, which makes this movement more difficult than the previous two exercises. Control your movement well to target your chest when exercising.

For more information: How to do push-ups well? The complete guide

Lateral push-ups

This chest exercise without equipment is a more dynamic version , to strengthen your endurance a little . Start in a classic push-up position. Move your right hand to the left until both of your hands are next to each other. Slide your left hand farther left until your hands are shoulder-width apart again. Perform a push-up and repeat moving to the right to return to the starting position. Do a classic push-up, then repeat the same on the other side.

Pumps slowed down

Believe it or not, slowing down a movement considerably and paying attention to the form of your movement will give you excellent results : you will strengthen your muscle fibers in depth and improve your resistance to effort . By lowering yourself very slowly during a push-up and pushing back just as slowly to return to your starting position, you will increase your muscle mass . Who said you have to lift heavy weights to get more muscular ? Chest exercises without equipment are just as effective!

How can you combine these chest exercises without equipment?

As you can see, the classic push-ups and all the variations are one of the best exercises you can do to increase your chest strength . Varying your body position and the duration of the exercise will target different areas of your chest , for balanced upper body strength . If you want to create a complete workout from these no-hardware chest exercises, perform 3 sets of the following 8 movements:

• 10 classic push-ups;

• 60 seconds of jumping jack;

• 10 incline push-ups;

• 60 seconds of jumping jack;

• 10 declining push-ups;

• 60 seconds of jumping jack;

• 5 slow push-ups;

• 60 seconds of jumping jack;

• 10 diamond push-ups;

• 30 mountain climbers.

In summary: chest exercises without equipment or weights

Strengthening your chest with pectoral exercises without equipment/weights is therefore very beneficial, whether for your physical performance or your health . Bodyweight training in the form of circuits is one of the most effective ways to get stronger quickly , gain muscle mass and burn calories .

Among the 7 best exercises that we recommend, we find: wide push-ups, decline push-ups, incline push-ups, side push-ups, diamond push-ups, pilometric push-ups and slow push-ups. The ideal is to perform them in HICT , with for example the training described above. We hope you’ll be convinced that you don’t need to use machines or free weights to build chest muscles . Chest exercises without equipment are just as effective!