Pushups for Upper Chest – 5 Variations to Target

A great upper chest really brings your entire physique together because it makes your shoulders pop and your chest look bigger. Lucky for you, you can develop your upper chest pretty well using nothing but your bodyweight. Here is how you can use pushups for upper chest.

How to Target the Upper Chest?

Therefore, the upper chest muscle is used to perform 2 sets of movements:

1. Adduction- Moving the upper arm from the side to the front of the body.
2. Flexion- Moving the upper arm from the side upwards in front of you.

So by focusing on these movements we will be able to target upper chest with pushups.

Pushups for Upper Chest Development

Here are 5 pushup variations for upper chest development from easiest to hardest.

1. Modified Wide Pushups

You may know that this pushup variation is great for isolating the chest, but with some slight modifications, we will be able to target the upper chest with them.

How to do Modified Wide Pushups for Upper Chest?

1. Get down on all fours as if you were about to perform a pushup.
2. Place your hands just outside shoulder width apart.
3. Move your hands slightly forwards so they are in front of your shoulders.
4. Bend your arms at the elbows so that you lower your chest. Lean your chest forwards towards your hands as you descend.
5. Pause at the bottom.
6. Squeeze your upper chest muscles so that you push yourself up and backwards into the starting position. This is 1 repetition.

To do this effectively focus on the movement patterns of the upper chest. When you push up, focus on moving your upper arm upwards and squeeze your chest together.

2. Decline Pushups

The decline pushup modifies your body position so that you are pushing in a more upwards direction, which helps to engage the upper chest more.

To begin you’ll need to find a stable surface to place your feet. Note that the higher you place your feet, the more you will work your upper chest, but this also makes the exercise harder.

How to do Decline Pushups for Upper Chest?

1. Place your hands on the floor, shoulder width apart and under the level of your shoulders.
2. Lift your legs, one at a time, onto the stable surface behind you.
3. Engage your abs and glutes to keep your body straight.
4. Bend your arms at your elbows so that you lower your chest to just above the floor.
5. Pause at the bottom.
6. Squeeze your chest muscles and extend your arms at the elbows in order to return to the starting position. This is 1 repetition.

Focus on moving your upper arm forwards when you push up to engage your upper chest more.

3. Pike Pushups

The pike pushup is another great pushup for upper chest as it places your body in a position that allows you to push in a more upwards direction.

How to do Pike Pushups for Upper Chest?

1. Get down on all fours as if you were performing a regular pushup.
2. Make sure that your hands are shoulder width apart.
3. Move your hands backward and elevate your hips until your body is in an inverted ‘V’ or pike position.
4. Bend your arms at the elbows so that you lower your head to the floor.
5. Pause at the bottom.
6. Squeeze your chest muscles and extend your arms in order to raise yourself back into the pike position. This is 1 repetition.

Focus on bringing your upper arms together when you push up to squeeze your upper chest muscles.

4. Divebomb Pushups

Divebomb pushups combine the movements of a pike pushup with an incline pushup in order to fully stimulate the entire chest. It is a great pushup variation for developing the upper chest.

How to do Divebomb Pushups for Upper Chest?

1. Get into a pike position.
2. Bend your arms at the elbows so that you lower your head to the floor.
3. Move your head and chest past your hands.
4. Extend your arms to push your chest into the air.
5. Pause at the top.
6. Bend your arms at the elbows so that you lower your chest back towards the floor.
7. Move your head and chest past your hands.
8. Extend your arms and squeeze your chest muscles in order to return to the pike position. This is 1 repetition.

5. Handstand Pushups

The handstand pushup places your hands above, relative to your body, so that you are always moving your arms in an upwards direction. Hence, this is a great pushup for upper chest.

If you cannot do a handstand then you can simply support your feet against a wall.

How to do Handstand Pushups for Upper Chest?

1. Get into a handstand or support you feet against a wall.
2. Bend your arms at the elbows so that you lower your chest towards the floor.
3. Keep your entire body tight in order to to maintain balance.
4. Lean your chest upwards as you descend so that it becomes more parallel with the floor.
5. Pause at the bottom.
6. Squeeze your chest muscles and extend your arms in order to lift yourself back into the starting position. This is 1 repetition.

Try these 5 pushups for upper chest in your workouts and let the gains speak for itself. Check out this guide for everything you need to know to build muscle from pushups.

References:

Paul Pei-Hsi Chou, et al. Effect of Pushup Speed on Elbow Joint Loading. (2010). Journal Of Medical And Biological Engineering, 31(4), 289-293.

Cogley, Robert M ; Archambault, Teasha A ; Fibeger, Jon F ; Koverman, Mandy M ; et al . Comparison of Muscle Activation using Various Hand Positions during the Pushup Exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research ; Champaign  Volume 19, No. 3,  (Aug 2005): 628-33. DOI: 10.1519 / 00124278-200508000-00024

Ebben, W., Wurm, B., VanderZanden, T., Spadavecchia, M., Durocher, J., Bickham, C. and Petushek, E., 2011. Kinetic Analysis of Several Variations of Push-Ups. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 25(10), pp.2891-2894.