Push Up Workout for a Big Chest
Research shows that women are more sexually attracted to men who have a low waist-to-chest ratio. It might sound strange but a whole lot of money was spent to prove the blatantly obvious fact that that V-shape look is attractive to women.
The good thing about building a more powerful chest is that it can be done remarkably well without any equipment whatsoever. The problem is that doing 100 push-ups every day won't build a powerful muscular chest because developing muscular power to elite levels requires a more explosive approach.
Doing high volume push-up training develops muscular endurance without regard for power. If you do 100 push-ups a day you will certainly put muscle on your chest but it will not make you punch any harder or increase your explosive strength. It is also very likely that the length-tension relationship around your shoulder joint will regress when you do nothing but traditional push-ups all the time.
Even worse is that it will magnify underlying shoulder dysfunction which leads to pain that eventually makes you stop all chest work, and damn it if you're not back to where you started. This can all be avoided to gain a mean looking chest just by using your own bodyweight.
To get a powerful chest from doing push-ups your first step is to warm up correctly and you should start with 20 arm circles in each direction. The circles should start small and get progressively larger every few reps. By the time you reach rep 15 you should exaggerate the range of motion as much as possible. Also, do these arm circles faster and faster over time. Don't rip into 20 high-speed arm circles for the first workout because you can strain your pecs, but train those muscles over time to withstand fast arm circles.
Another great warm-up is the side plank with rotation as this activates the lats and side core muscles to enhance pushing power. Perform one set of 10 rotations on each side. This exercise should be performed slowly with maximum core tension throughout the movement.
Avoiding injury is key to getting results from doing push-ups. To protect the shoulder joints it's important to activate and strengthen the rotator cuff while boosting stability in the glenohumeral joint. The hand over hand exercise gets the job done.
With feet shoulder width apart do a push-up with one hand over the other. You should perform one set of five holds on each side (10 holds total). Hold the position for 1-2 seconds each time before switching sides. After doing that it is time to get serious.
The 3 position hand hop is an outstanding exercise for fighters because it trains your chest to fire with the core. When you jump your hands out to different positions, your core has to perform a powerful contraction to stabilize your torso. Each set should be performed with maximum speed.
Perform three reps as fast as possible. You'll jump your hands out to three different positions and back to the center for one rep. Perform five sets of three reps with 30 seconds rest between each set. This exercise is ideal for building explosive punching power.
If you still have anything left in your tank then you should push it to the max and look for the point of failure doing just regular push-ups. Use a hand position that's shoulder width, or slightly wider, and use a variation that allows 25-30 reps for the first set. For most guys this will be a regular push-up. However, if you can do more than 30 at this point in the workout, elevate your feet on a flat bench or Swiss ball.
So in conclusion if you want to build a powerful chest that has muscle and power you should do the following:
Arm circles for 20 reps in each direction
Side plank with rotation for 10 reps on each side
Hand over hand for 5 holds on each side
3 position hand hop for 5 sets of 3 reps, rest 30 seconds between each set
(optional) Push-up for 2 sets of AMRAP, rest 60-90 seconds between each set
