How To Get a Bigger Chest Without Weights

What if I told you that you could build a bigger chest AND increase your maximum number of Push-Ups in just 22 days?

And no, you don’t have to use steroids or some sketchy fitness product.

No tricks or gimmicks – Just hard work… and one of the best known bodyweight exercises: Push-Ups!

Pushups are still king of bodyweight chest workouts.

The key to this home chest workout is that it takes you through a series of Pushup variations while demanding that you improve on your rep counts along the way.

It consists of three weeks of testing and working set (non-testing) days that will quickly build up your chest while increasing the number of Pushups you can do in one set.

You’re going to see better chest gains than you’d ever expect, but how much better?

Fifty percent better! Guaranteed.

You’re also going to get some carryover effect into the rest of your upper body as you develop bigger triceps and shoulders. And it doesn’t matter where you’re starting from and how many Pushups you can do right now. This program is designed to work for all fitness levels and all body types.

When you want to build a muscular chest fast, you must attack your pecs with a plan.

Let’s first look closer at the anatomy of the chest then jump into the layout and breakdown of this home chest workout.

ANATOMY OF THE CHEST (PECTORAL MUSCLES)

There are three different sections of the chest or pectoral muscles.

Depending on which Push-up variation you’re doing, the starting position of that exercise can activate one part more than the others.

UPPER CHEST

The upper chest muscle begins at the clavicle and moves down toward the arm. It’s shaped like a fan and it’s primarily activated during a Decline Pushup on a bench.

MIDDLE CHEST

The middle chest muscle starts at the sternum and runs straight across the chest. The Classic or Standard Push-up primarily activates the middle pectoral muscle.

LOWER CHEST

The lower part of the chest muscle starts at the bottom of the sternum and runs diagonally down toward the center of the chest. The Incline Push-up on a bench or box is one of the most effective chest exercises to activate this part of the chest.

HOW TO GET A BIGGER CHEST: BREAKDOWN

Over the next three weeks, you will perform specific chest exercises on both of the following types of days:

• Testing Day
• Working Set Day (non-testing day)

TESTING DAYS

On testing days, you’re going to establish your maximum number of Pushups to failure in a set. From here, you rest two minutes and then you attempt to complete one and a half times this number.

How’s that possible?

You’re going to perform something that I call “Grinder Style.”

A Grinder Style Pushup means that you can get into a position that allows you to rest along the way.

But the catch is that you cannot put your knees on the ground, stand up, or lift more than one hand off the ground at any one time. However, you are able to drive your hips back and alternate shaking out your hands and arms.

WORKING SET (NON-TESTING) DAYS

After a testing day, you’ll start a series of three working set days or non-testing days.

Working set days are made up of the following:

• One set of a Push-Up variation (e.g., Plyometric Push-Ups, Clap Push-Ups, Diamond Push-Ups, etc.)
• Two minutes of rest
• One set of Standard Push-Up (Classic Push-Ups)

In these workouts, the goal is to perform a specific Pushup variation for the same number of reps that you did on your max Pushups from the most recent testing day.

So, for example, let’s say that you performed 30 Pushups on Day 1, your first testing day.

It’s now Day 2, your first working set day, and you have to do Diamond Pushups. Your goal is to perform 30 Diamond Pushups.

When you re-test on Day 5, the number of Push-Ups for the following working sets will be based on this new testing day number.

With the Standard Push-Up, you have to complete your maximum number of repetitions from the testing day PLUS the following:

• Ten percent on the first working set day in a block
• Twenty percent on the second working set day in a block
• Thirty percent on the third and final working set day in a block

So, as an example, let’s say that you completed 30 Classic Push-Ups on your testing day.

• On the first working set day, you would perform 33 Standard Push-Ups.
• On the second working set day, you would do 36 Standard Push-Ups.
• On the final working set day within a block, you would perform 39 Standard Push-Ups.

You do not have to perform these Pushups unbroken. You simply have to get them done.

More importantly, in this chest routine you are advised to stop a few reps short of total muscle failure.

This is to accommodate for the fact that you will be doing a lot of Pushups over the next three weeks and I don’t want you to incur excessive stress on your joints and muscles.

ONE CHEST WORKOUT ROUTINE – FIVE BLOCKS

These testing and working set (non-testing) chest training days fit together like a block. As mentioned above, there’s a testing day followed by three non-testing days.

This block pattern repeats five times throughout the 21 days. The blocks continue to progress and advance with each new testing day.

It’s crucial to re-test your maximum number of Standard Push-ups at the start of each new block.

Why?

You will likely be increasing your overall Pushup and chest strength, and this means that your number is going to increase. Most importantly, each block is based on the maximum number of Pushups that you are able to achieve on the test day that starts the block.

Without that number, you can’t progress.

FINAL TESTING DAY (AND SHOCKING RESULTS)

On that last day, Day 22, you’ll perform another Pushup test, and this is where I get to put my money where my mouth is.

Once you reach the end of the program, go back to your original max number of Pushups from Day 1 and attempt to complete one and a half times this number, unbroken.

The catch is that you can’t perform these Push-Ups in Grinder Style.

You will be amazed at how many more Pushups you can do now than you could just three short weeks ago. This is where you will see that you’ve increased the number of Pushups you could do in a single set by fifty percent (or more!).

Ready for the challenge?

Here’s a day-by-day breakdown of the entire home chest workout, including exercises, repetition count, etc.

HOME CHEST WORKOUT: BLOCK ONE

Everything starts on Day 1 with your first testing day.

This is where you determine the max number of Pushups you can do in a single set.

DAY 1: TESTING DAY

You get a chance to do as many reps as you can until you reach muscle failure. However, don’t forget that you need to maintain good form throughout the exercise.

You’re not allowed to do Grinder Style here. I want good, clean form and execution. Once your form gets sloppy, you’re done.

Guys, I know I’ve said it before but it’s worth saying again:

The maximum number of Pushups that you do on Day 1 becomes critically important to everything else you’re going to do over the course of the next 22 days.

So, do NOT skip Day 1.

Once you go to failure, write down the maximum number of Pushups you were able to do, then rest for two minutes.

After your rest break, it’s time to get back at those Push-Ups. But this time, you’re going to attempt to do one and a half times that original number.

Let’s say you did 50 as your max number of reps on your first attempt, now you’re trying to do 75. You’re probably thinking, “How can I do that if I just went to failure at 50?”

This is when you can perform the Pushups in the Grinder Style I talked about above. You can semi-rest by raising your body up into a pike position and shaking out one of your arms at a time.

For Grinder Style Push-ups, the rules are as follows:

• You cannot lift more than one hand off the ground at any one time.
• You cannot stand up.
• You cannot put your knees down on the ground.

Once you finish, write down that number.

Congratulations, you’re done with your first testing day.

DAY 2

From here, we move on to our first of many working set or non-testing days.

It’s important to remember two key points here:

1. Always stop two or three repetitions shy of failure.
2. We aren’t going to failure on non-testing day because we don’t want to overstrain the muscle and connective tissue.

Also, don’t forget to pause or rest until all of the repetitions have been completed.

Here’s your first workout for Day 2:

• Diamond Cutter Push-ups
• Rest 2 minutes
• Standard Push-Ups x Test Day Max + 10%

A quick reminder:

For the Diamond Cutter Pushups, I want you to do the same number as the maximum number of Standard Push-ups (NOT Grinder Style) that you did on Day 1.

After your rest break, you will perform the number of Standard Push-ups you did on your first testing day but you’re adding an additional 10% more Pushups.

You are allowed to rest or pause when you fatigue during the Standard Pushups.

DAY 3

On Day 3, you’ll perform a brand-new Push-up variation.

More importantly, after your two-minute break, you’ll jump back into Standard Push-ups, but you’ll be doing 20% more.

Again, this is based on the maximum number of Standard Pushups you did on Day 1.

• Pike Pushup
• Rest 2 minutes
• Standard Push-Ups x Test Day Max + 20%

DAY 4

Another day, another Pushup variation, and you’ll be increasing the number of Classic Push-ups you are doing by 30%.

• Opposite Knee-to-Elbow
• Rest 2 minutes
• Standard Push-Ups x Test Day Max + 30%

Congrats, you’ve completed your first block of this home chest workout.

HOME CHEST WORKOUT: BLOCK TWO

This all brings us back to yet another testing day where we get to establish a new maximum number of Standard Pushups.

This new maximum number will set the stage for all those working set days that follow.

You’ll continue this pattern of a testing day followed by three non-testing days until we’re done with all 21 days.

• Max Push-Ups to Failure x 1 set
• Rest 2 minutes
• 5 x Max Push-Ups (Grinder Style)

DAY 6

• Plank Walk-Ups
• Rest 2 minutes
• Standard Push-Ups x Test Day Max + 10%

DAY 7

• Rocking Horse
• Rest 2 minutes
• Standard Push-Ups x Test Day Max + 20%

DAY 8

• Crucifix Pushups
• Rest 2 minutes
• Standard Push-Ups x Test Day Max + 30%

HOME CHEST WORKOUT: BLOCK THREE

It’s time to establish your max number of pushups yet again.

Then you’ll use this number to determine your number of pushups for every other day in the block.

DAY 9

• Max Push-Ups to Failure x 1 set
• Rest 2 minutes
• 5 x Max Push-Ups (Grinder Style)

DAY 10

• Cobra Pushups
• Rest 2 minutes
• Standard Push-Ups x Test Day Max + 10%

DAY 11

• Power Pushaways
• Rest 2 minutes
• Standard Push-Ups x Test Day Max + 20%

DAY 12

• Step Through Pushups
• Rest 2 minutes
• Standard Push-Ups x Test Day Max + 30%

HOME CHEST WORKOUT: BLOCK FOUR

Moving onto Block Four, you’ll be testing your max pushups again.

Start by doing pushups to failure, then rest 2 minutes. Then continue to Grinder Style Pushups.

DAY 13

• Max Push-Ups to Failure x 1 set
• Rest 2 minutes
• 5 x Max Push-Ups (Grinder Style)

DAY 14

• Hover Plyo Pushups
• Rest 2 minutes
• Standard Push-Ups x Test Day Max + 10%

DAY 15

• Frog Pushups

• Rest 2 minutes
• Standard Push-Ups x Test Day Max + 20%

DAY 16

• Prowler Pushups
• Rest 2 minutes
• Standard Push-Ups x Test Day Max + 30%

HOME CHEST WORKOUT: BLOCK FIVE

You’ve arrived to your final block and you’ll do that max pushups test one final time.

Once again, you’ll use this number of pushups to determine the number of pushups you’ll do for days 18-20.

DAY 17

• Max Push-Ups to Failure x 1 set
• Rest 2 minutes
• 5 x Max Push-Ups (Grinder Style)

DAY 18

• Stagger Plyo Pushups
• Rest 2 minutes
• Standard Push-Ups x Test Day Max + 10%

DAY 19

• Divebomber Pushups
• Rest 2 minutes
• Standard Push-Ups x Test Day Max + 20%

DAY 20

• Pendulum Pushups
• Rest 2 minutes
• Standard Push-Ups x Test Day Max + 30%

DAY 21

• Max Push-Ups to Failure x 1 set
• Rest
• 5 x Max Push-Ups (Grinder Style)

HOME CHEST WORKOUT: FINAL TESTING DAY

It’s time to bring it home, guys.

I want you to perform the maximum number of push-ups from Day 1: Testing Day but you’re going to add 50% more to this number.

What’s more, I want you to perform this number in one unbroken set.

DAY 22

It doesn’t matter where you start. What matters is where you finish.

Guys, I promise you if you put in the work, I can guarantee you the following:

• Your chest will grow.
• Your shoulders and triceps will grow too.
• You’ll do 50% more pushups in a single set than right now.

But ONLY if you stay dedicated to this home chest workout.

Looking for a complete workout program to build strength and muscle from head to toe?  Check out our ATHLEAN-X programs to see which one best fits your goals.