Best Calisthenics Chest Exercises & Workout Routines

What Are Calisthenics Chest Exercises

Calisthenics chest exercises are bodyweight exercises you can do almost anywhere to build an impressive chest. In order to do so, you need to build an effective calisthenics chest workout.

Here is the list of the 10 most effective calisthenics chest exercises you can incorporate into your routine:

1. Chest Dip
2. Straight Bar Dip
3. Ring Dip
4. Pushup
5. Decline Pushup
6. Plyo Pushup
7. Archer Pushup
8. Diamond Pushup
9. One Arm Pushup
10. Cobra Pushup

1. Chest Dip

Dips are amazing bodyweight chest exercises that you can do to build your chest. It works the lower chest, upper chest, anterior deltoid, and triceps.

How to do a dip:

1. Place your hands on top of two dip bars at your sides with a neutral grip. Begin with your arms straight and scapula depressed, elevating your body upwards. Ensure there is enough room underneath you to lower your body into.
2. Lower your body by bending the elbows and pointing them outwards.
3. Once your upper arm is parallel or slightly beneath parallel to the ground, push your body back up by straightening your arms to reach the starting position.

You may also like: 5 Best Chest Dip Alternatives

2. Straight Bar Dip

The straight bar dip is a great chest dip variation that can be done on a horizontal bar. This exercise works your entire chest, triceps, and anterior delts.

How to do a straight bar dip:

1. Place your hands about shoulder-width apart on a horizontal bar. Lean forward a bit and squeeze your quads to make sure your legs remain straight
2. Lower yourself down just like you would in a regular dip until your lower chest almost touches the bar
3. Pause for a second and push yourself back up

3. Ring Dip

Ring dips are a gymnastics exercise that is a bit more advanced than a regular dip. The reason it’s harder is because of the additional stability that is required from your muscles during the exercise. It’s also a great exercise to add to your upper calisthenics chest workout.

How to do a ring dip:

1. Grab a set of gymnastic rings with both hands and jump up to assume a top position
2. Keep your elbows tucked and your wrists parallel to each other
3. Lower yourself slowly and slightly twist your wrists in while keeping your elbows close to your body
4. Pause for a second and push yourself up rotating your wrists out so that they’re parallel again

4. Pushup

Pushups are the most classic bodyweight horizontal pushing exercise that works primarily on your chest, triceps, and front delts.

How to do a pushup:

1. Place your hands on the ground facing forwards at shoulder width, ensuring your shoulder, elbow and wrist are stacked. Straighten your legs and support your body on your toes and hands. Ensure that your body is straight by bracing your core and not letting your lower back dip down. Protract and depress your scapula.
2. Lower your body by bending at the elbows until your chest touches the ground, maintaining a straight body and retracting your scapula throughout the motion.
3. Push yourself back up to the starting position while maintaining a straight body.

5. Decline Pushup

Decline pushups are another great compound bodyweight exercise to add to your calisthenics chest workout. Just like a regular pushup, they work on your triceps, lower chest, upper chest, anterior deltoid, transverse abdominis.

How to do a decline pushup:

1. Find an elevated surface like a bench that is about your knee height. Place your feet on it and assume a pushup position. Place your hands about shoulder-width apart and don’t let your elbows flare out too much. Protract and depress your scapula
2. Slowly lower yourself down until your chest almost touches the ground
3. Pause for a second and push yourself back up

6. Plyo Pushup

Plyo pushups are an explosive calisthenics chest exercise that can help you build muscle and power in your upper body. They work your chest, triceps, and anterior shoulder muscles.

How to do a plyo pushup:

1. Assume a pushup position with your hands shoulder-width apart and your core braced
2. Lower yourself down slowly
3. Once you’re in the lower position push yourself back up explosively so that your hands raise above the group for a split second
4. Land softly on your hands and repeat

7. Archer Pushup

Archer pushup is one of the most common calisthenics chest exercises used by calisthenics athletes. This pushup variation works one side of your upper body more than the other one which can help you discover muscle imbalances.

How to d an archer pushup:

1. Assume a pushup position with your hands wide
2. Lower yourself down by shifting your weight to one side and extending your other arm in an elbow
3. Push yourself up
4. Repeat the exercise by alternating the primary side

8. Diamond Pushup

Diamond pushups are another great calisthenics chest exercise that primarily works your inner chest and triceps.

How to do a diamond pushup:

1. Place your hands on the ground together, forming a diamond shape with your fingers and thumbs and ensuring your shoulder, elbow and wrist are stacked. Straighten your legs and support your body on your toes and hands. Ensure that your body is straight by bracing your core and not letting your lower back dip down. Protract and depress your scapula.
2. Lower your body by bending at the elbows and pointing them backwards until your chest touches the ground, maintaining a straight body and retracting your scapula throughout the motion.
3. Push yourself back up to the starting position while maintaining a straight body.

9. One Arm Pushup

The one arm pushup is an advanced calisthenics chest exercise that works your upper body in a unilateral way. The main benefit of this exercise is that it builds strength and muscle. It’s also a great exercise to expose and work on your muscle imbalances.

How to do a one arm pushup:

1. Assume a pushup position. Spread your legs wide and put one of your hands behind your back. Don’t let your other hand flare out too much
2. Lower yourself down
3. Pause for a second and push yourself back up

10. Cobra Pushup

A cobra pushup is a good and unique pushup variation that is not often seen in calisthenics chest exercise routines. This exercise primarily works your upper chest, triceps and anterior delts.

How to do a cobra pushup:

1. Put your hands on the floor in front of your shoulders in a push-up posture. Your hands should be shoulder-width apart or a bit wider. Lay your hips and feet on the ground.
2. Perform a push-up while holding your hips as close as possible to the floor and bringing your upper body into a slightly forward position. Raise your head. Keep your gaze fixed directly in front of you during the whole action. You will be able to keep the correct body posture if you use this technique.
3. Stop for a while at the very top of the movement. Feel the tension and stretch in all the targeted muscles. But don’t hold on too much.
4. Return to the starting position by bending your arms and lowering your torso parallel to the floor. That’s one rep. Do as many reps as possible.

Sample Calisthenics Chest Workouts

Here are 2 sample calisthenics chest workouts you can do to build your chest.

1. Calisthenics Chest Workout #1

1. Straight Bar Dips – 4 sets to failure
2. Plyo Pushups – 4 sets to failure
3. Archer Pushups – 3 sets to failure
4. Diamond Pushups – 3 sets to failure

2. Calisthenics Chest Workout #2

This second calisthenics chest workout routine is a circle routine, meaning you have to do every exercise in the sequence one by one and repeat the whole sequence X times.

1. Chest Dips – to failure
2. Plyo Pushups – to failure
3. Decline Pushups – to failure
4. Standard Pushups – failure

Repeat the sequence 3-4 times to get the most out of the workout.

Frequently Asked Questions About Calisthenics Chest Exercises

Can you build chest with calisthenics?

Yes, definitely. It’s important however to pick the right exercises that are difficult enough for you and to give your best when doing them.

Do wide push ups work chest?

Yes, they do. Wide pushups give your chest a better stretch at a lower position which increases the load on your chest. However, they don’t provide a maximum contraction at the top of the exercise. That’s why it’s better to combine them with regular and narrow pushups to achieve the best results

How do you build your inner chest with calisthenics?

In order to build your inner chest with calisthenics, you can do various pushup variations like narrow or diamond pushups.

Conclusion

There are many great calisthenics chest workouts and exercises that you can use to build an impressive chest and develop your strength. Give these exercises a try and you’ll see great results even if you’re also training with weights.