When it comes to building a muscular chest, you may think you have to go to the gym. Yes, you certainly have to work out. However, that doesn't mean you have to work out in the gym!
In fact, many people prefer at-home workouts for their convenience and flexibility. Plus, not all of us are able to make it to the gym because of time constraints, location, and more. The good news is that you can get a great chest workout without fancy machines or equipment.
You may also think that you can't build muscle at home without dumbbells. This isn't true, either. Bodyweight exercises can provide an incredible chest workout with little to no equipment.
In this article, I’ll share my top 8 bodyweight chest exercises that you can do at home to build strength and muscle. Plus, I’ll walk you through two complete chest workouts that you can try anytime, whether you have equipment or not.
Remember: Muscle growth takes time and consistency. It’s not about how much weight you lift but how effectively you engage your muscles and push your limits.
So, whether you're working out at home for convenience or because you don’t have access to gym equipment ... you can definitely see results with the right routine and mindset.
First, there are a few important things you need to know before you get started.
Don’t Forget to Warm Up For Your At-Home Chest Workouts
Before jumping into any workout, it's crucial to warm up, and your at-home chest workout is no exception. Warming up has been shown to reduce the risk of injury by preparing your muscles and joints for the movements ahead.
Skipping this step can leave you vulnerable to strains, sprains, and other injuries. So, just make sure you take time to properly warm up your body.
Warming up isn’t just about static stretches that you hold for long periods. These are best saved for after your workout when your muscles are fully warmed up.
Instead, focus on dynamic movements that activate your joints and get blood flowing to the muscles you'll be using. These exercises will enhance your range of motion and improve the effectiveness of your workout. This will ultimately help support muscle growth and reduce your risk of injury.
Try these dynamic warm-up exercises to get your body ready for your at-home chest workout:
1. Seal Jacks
2. Push-Ups with Shoulder Taps
3. Bear Crawls
4. Arm Circles with Push-Up Plank Hold
1. Seal Jacks
Seal jacks are a great warmup and can get your heart rate up fairly quickly. Plus, they're very easy to do, like normal jumping jacks.
Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart and your arms held out in front of your body. Do a small jump, moving your legs out to either side of your body. At the same time, swing your arms out to either side of your body. Do another small jump to bring your arms and legs back to center, clapping your hands in front of your chest. Repeat this for reps in a fluid motion.
2. Push-Ups with Shoulder Taps
Push-ups are a fantastic chest exercise, and adding a shoulder tap variation can help engage your chest even more while also activating your core. Start in a high plank position with your hands shoulder-width apart and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
Perform a regular push-up, then, as you push back up, tap your left shoulder with your right hand. Tap your right shoulder with your left hand after the next push-up. This move engages your chest and core while improving shoulder stability.
Do 10-12 reps for a full-body warm-up that targets your chest and stabilizes muscles.
3. Bear Crawls
This is just another great movement to get ready for your at-home chest workout. Assume a high plank on the ground as if you're about to do a push-up and you're ready to go.
Bring your knees toward the ground without letting them touch. Now, step forward with one leg and your opposite arm simultaneously. Next, step forward with your other arm and leg, moving past your opposite arm and leg. Keep your body close to the ground as you "crawl" like a bear for a set distance.
At the end of the distance, reverse the movement, going backward. This is where your chest will get activated even more to help warm up for your at-home chest workout.
4. Arm Circles with Push-Up Plank Hold
This is a great exercise to target the chest while also warming up the shoulders. Start in a high plank position with your body in a straight line. Hold this plank for about 15-20 seconds, then extend one arm out in front of you while holding the plank position.
Start making small arm circles in one direction for about 10-15 seconds, then switch directions. This move not only helps warm up the chest but also activates the shoulder joints and muscles, which are critical for a successful chest workout.
Don’t Forget to Train Muscles on Both Sides of Your Joints
When training your chest, you’re building up the muscle on the front side of your shoulders. This leaves an imbalance with the muscles on the rear side of your shoulders.
Neglecting these opposing muscle groups can lead to an imbalance around your shoulder joints. This could result in poor posture, discomfort, and even joint issues over time.
Here are a few reasons why balanced training is crucial:
Imbalance Leads to Poor Posture
Neglecting the muscles of the back and rear shoulders can cause your chest muscles to overcompensate. This can lead to rounded shoulders and internal rotation of the arms.
Shoulder Joint Stability
Strengthening the rotator cuff and rear deltoids ensures that your shoulder joints remain stable and functional, reducing the risk of injury.
Increased Risk of Discomfort
Over time, muscle imbalance can lead to pain, discomfort, and even more serious injuries, especially in the shoulders and back.
Now that you know the importance of a balanced approach to training, let’s dive into my top 8 at-home chest exercises. Read through them because I'll also give you a couple of full at-home chest workouts you can do today!
Top 8 At-Home Chest Exercises
While this is an at-home workout, you can still do this at the gym if you’d like.
Some of these will require dumbbells and a bench, and some will need resistance bands. Don’t worry though, I’ve included some bodyweight exercises too.
Just be sure to set your shoulders properly for any of the exercises using dumbbells. To do this, pull your shoulders down and pinch your shoulder blades together. This will help to isolate the chest a bit more, and keep your shoulders in a more stable position.
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
This is a classic and will always be one of my favorite exercises!
Target Area: Upper Chest
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. Set the angle of your adjustable bench between 30 and 45 degrees. Grab a set of dumbbells, sit down on the bench, and place the dumbbells on your knees.
2. Use your knees to push the weights into position above your shoulders. Create a slight arch in your upper back by puffing out your chest. This is the starting position.
3. To begin, engage the muscles in your chest and your triceps to press the weight directly above your chest. Squeeze your chest at the top for a second, and slowly return back to the starting position.
4. Repeat this for reps.
Bodyweight Variation
If you don’t have dumbbells, you can work the same muscles by doing a decline push-up. All you need to do is elevate your feet above your head and do push-ups. For added resistance, put on a backpack!
Banded Push-Up
This is a lesser-known exercise, but really targets your chest well! It’s also really simple and easy to add to your at-home chest workouts.
There are multiple types of resistance bands out there, and any will work if it's long enough. The resistance band I’m referring to here has no handles and resembles a large rubber band.
Target Area: Full Chest (Focus on the upper chest with the band)
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. Put one of your arms through the band. With the hanging part of the band, twist it 180 degrees so the band crosses over itself, making an “x”.
2. Take the bottom loop you just created below the “x” behind your back and put your other arm through it. It should almost feel like you’re wearing the resistance band like a backpack.
3. From here, grab the part of the resistance band that wraps around the front of your shoulders with each hand. Lie down on your stomach with each hand flat on the ground by your chest. The band should be between your hands and the floor.
4. To begin, engage your chest and triceps to press against the floor and push yourself up. The resistance band should stretch the more you go up. Keep going until your arms are fully straight, forming a high plank with your body.
5. Squeeze your chest at the top for a second, then slowly return to the starting position. Repeat this for reps.
Bodyweight Variation
Without a resistance band, you just have to do push-ups on flat ground. For added resistance, you can put on a backpack or place something with added weight on your upper back.
Hip Bridge Decline Pec Fly
This is a great exercise that targets not only your pecs but your lower body too! On top of that, you really don't need heavy weights, making it a great at-home chest exercise.
Target Area: Upper Chest & Core
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. To get set up, grab a pair of dumbbells and lay back on the floor with your knees bent. You should feel like you’re in a sit-up position but holding dumbbells.
2. Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes to form a hip bridge. Your upper back will still be on the floor. Be sure to keep your core engaged, and try not to arch your back. Your shoulders, hips, and knees should all be in line together.
3. Press the dumbbells up directly over your chest and rotate your palms to face each other. Create a slight bend in your elbows. This is the starting position.
4. From here, allow both of your arms to slowly open up and lower to each side of your body. Keep lowering until you feel a stretch in your chest or until you’ve reached a comfortable end range of motion.
5. Keeping the same bend in your elbows, squeeze your chest to pull your arms back to the starting position.
6. Squeeze your chest muscles at the top, and repeat this for reps.
Bodyweight Variation
The closest variation you can do for this exercise with your body weight is an incline push-up. This is no different than a normal push-up, except your hands will be elevated higher than your feet. So you can put your hands on a coffee table and your feet on the ground to achieve this. For added resistance, wear a weighted vest or a backpack.
Modified Handstand Push-Up
This can be a tough exercise to do alone, but it really targets the upper chest and shoulders well. All you'll need is an elevated surface for your feet, like a couch or a coffee table.
Target Area: Upper Chest & Shoulders
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. Get a pillow and place it roughly a foot away from the side of your elevated surface (couch, coffee table, etc). Stand between the pillow and the elevated surface, facing the pillow.
2. Place your hands on either side of the pillow and step your legs up behind you onto the elevated surface. Straighten your legs and arms, forming an "A" shape with your upper and lower body. Your head should be above the pillow. This is the starting position.
3. Slowly bend your elbows and lower your head toward the pillow.
4. When your head reaches the pillow, push through your shoulders, upper chest, and triceps to straighten your arms and lift your head from the pillow.
6. Fully straighten your arms and squeeze your muscles at the top to hold for a second. Repeat this for reps.
Easier Modification
If this exercise is too difficult to do right away, no worries. Instead, start with shoulder presses. Simply grab a pair of dumbbells and hold them at either side of your body at shoulder height. Press the dumbbells overhead, squeezing your shoulders and upper chest at the top. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to either side to complete a rep.
Assisted Single Arm Push-Up
This is not the most well-known exercise, but you’d be surprised how effective it is! It’s not as difficult as it sounds either, and over time, these will help you do real single-arm push-ups.
This does require a little equipment, but nothing you don’t already have. You could use a medicine ball, a chair, or even a stack of books 1 foot off the ground.
Target Area: Full Chest
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. This is just for your opposite hand to balance on. For the sake of this explanation, I’ll use a medicine ball.
2. Get into a push-up position with a medicine ball in line with your hands but about an arm’s length out to the side. Let’s start with the medicine ball outside your left hand for the first rep.
3. Take your left hand off the ground and place it on top of the medicine ball. Your left arm should be fully straight and out to your side. Your right hand will still be beneath your right shoulder.
4. This is the starting position. Your feet can be wide or narrow, but the more narrow they are, the harder it will be to balance.
5. To begin, unlock your right elbow and begin lowering your chest toward the ground. Your left arm should stay straight and is just for stability.
6. Once your chest is close to the ground, press through your right hand using your chest and triceps to drive yourself up to the starting position.
7. Squeeze your chest for a second at the top, and repeat for reps. Be sure to do an equal amount of reps on both sides.
Easier Modification
If this exercise is too difficult to do right away, try doing it on your knees. This reduces the amount of resistance in the push-up and will also help you nail the form as you get stronger.
Hip Bridge Floor Press
This is similar to a decline bench press, but you’re on the ground instead of on a bench. The setup is the same as the hip bridge decline pec fly.
Target Area: Full Chest & Core (Focus on inner chest)
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. To get set up, grab a pair of dumbbells and lay back on the floor with your knees bent. You should feel like you’re in a sit-up position, but holding dumbbells.
2. Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes to do a hip bridge. Be sure to keep your core engaged, and try not to arch your back. Your shoulders, hips, and knees should all be in line together.
3. Keep your elbows at either side of your body on the floor. Your upper arm should form a 45-degree angle with your upper body. You should also be holding the dumbbells up toward the ceiling.
4. To begin, engage your chest and triceps to press the dumbbells directly above your chest. Squeeze your chest for a second at the top, then slowly return back to the starting position.
5. Repeat this for reps.
Bodyweight Variation
The closest variation you can do for this exercise with body weight only is an incline push-up. This is no different than a normal push-up, except your hands will be elevated higher than your feet. So you can put your hands on a table, and your feet on the ground to achieve this. For added resistance, wear a weighted vest or a backpack.
Glider Single-Arm Push-Ups
This is similar to the assisted single-arm push-ups but with a little more movement. If you don’t have a glider, you just need something that will slide on a hard surface, like a hand towel.
Target Area: Full Chest (Great for core activation too)
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. Start in a push-up position with your left hand on top of a glider. Begin slowly lowering yourself toward the ground with your right arm.
2. As you do this, keep your left arm straight as you slide the glider forward as far as you can. Be sure to keep most of your weight over your right hand.
3. When you can't go down further, your left arm should be straight and overhead while your right elbow is bent. Your right hand should be outside your chest, just as it would be in a regular push-up.
4. Press into the ground with your right hand as you slide your left hand back to the starting position simultaneously.
5. Squeeze your chest for a second at the top and repeat this for reps. Be sure to do an equal amount of reps on both sides.
Easier Modification
If this exercise is too difficult to do right away, try doing it on your knees. This reduces the amount of resistance in the push-up, and will also help you nail the form as you get stronger.
Svend Press
This is an exercise that doesn’t require too much weight to be effective. It also doesn’t look like it would do much, but you’ll feel the burn, trust me! It's one of my personal favorites to add in as a burnout for at-home chest workouts.
Traditionally, this requires 2 weight plates, but if you don’t have any, don’t worry. You can use pretty much anything with some weight to it. In fact, 2 books can work great.
Target Area: Inner Chest
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. If you have weight plates, you only need two 5-10 lb plates. You don’t need to go super heavy here.
2. Stand upright, grab one weight plate in each hand, and press them together at your chest. Be sure not to wrap your fingers around them for grip. Squeezing them with flat hands and no extra leverage will make you work your chest harder. This is the starting position.
3. To begin, continue squeezing the plates together as you slowly extend your arms out in front of your chest as far as you can. When your arms are fully extended, squeeze the muscles in your chest for a second.
4. Slowly return your hands back toward your chest to complete a rep.
5. Repeat this for reps.
Alternative Without Weights
If you have no weights of any kind, you can still do this with a towel and a backpack. Loop the towel through the top handle of your backpack, and fill it with your desired amount of weight. With the backpack hanging, press the two sides of the towel together and perform the instructions above. You can also grab a couple of heavy books and do the same.
Full At-Home Chest Workouts
Ready for some full workouts to do at home? I took the workouts from above and made them into a couple of effective workouts.
You can also switch it up anytime by subbing exercises, adding sets, adding weight, or turning them into supersets.
At-Home Chest Workout #1
| Exercise | Reps | Sets |
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 8-12 | 4 |
| Hip Bridge Decline Pec Fly | 8-12 | 4 |
| Assisted Single-Arm Push-Up | 10 Each Arm | 4 |
| Svend Press | 8-12 | 4 |
| Push-Ups (Burnout) | As Many Reps As Possible | 4 |
Progression Tips:
• Start with the recommended reps and increase the sets as you get stronger.
• To progress, try adding more weight or increasing the difficulty of the push-ups (e.g., elevate feet or add a backpack).
At-Home Chest Workout #2
| Exercise | Reps | Sets |
| Modified Handstand Push-Up | 8-12 | 4 |
| Hip Bridge Floor Press | 8-12 | 4 |
| Banded Push-Ups | 12-15 | 4 |
| Glider Single-Arm Push-Ups | 8-12 | 4 |
| Push-Ups (Burnout) | As Many Reps As Possible | 4 |
Progression Tips:
• To increase difficulty, reduce rest time between sets or incorporate supersets.
• If you find the handstand push-up variation too tough, try doing regular shoulder presses with dumbbells to build up strength.
Building Your Chest With At-Home Chest Workouts
If your goal is to build muscle in your chest at home, these exercises can surely help you do that.
However, building muscle requires more than just doing the right exercises. It also requires pushing your body to adapt. The key to continuous progress is gradually increasing the stress on your muscles.
This can be done by increasing weight, doing more reps, adding sets, or shortening rest periods. That's how you’ll keep seeing results and continue building muscle.
But while your workouts are crucial, nutrition and recovery play just as important a role. There's no way around it. The hard part for most people is knowing what to eat and how much to eat.
If you don’t consume enough protein and calories, your body won’t have the fuel to repair and grow your muscles.
Additionally, getting quality sleep and allowing for proper recovery between workouts is key for muscle repair and growth.
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References:
(1) "Does Warming Up Prevent Injury in Sport? The Evidence from Randomised Controlled Trials." Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, vol. 9, no. 3, Jun. 2006, pp. 214-220.
