Skip to main content Tom's Guide Tom's Guide Search Tom's Guide View Profile Newsletters Best Picks Entertainment Switch 2 Pre-Orders iPhone 17 Air Best laptops Best Mattress Wordle Today Ditch the bench press — use this 8-minute push-up workout to strengthen your chest at home or the gym Nick Harris-Fry 29 April 2025 Try eight push-up variations with this chest workout. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Shutterstock) The push-up is one of the best bodyweight exercises you can do, strengthening the chest, triceps and shoulders, as well as your core. It’s the best way to work your pecs, in particular, without lifting weights using moves like the bench press. With almost any bodyweight chest workout you find, push-ups are likely to be involved. In the case of this eight-minute workout from fitness trainer Chris Heria, there are eight kinds of push-ups he recommends, and none of them are the classic version of the move. You may like 3 moves, no weights — this 15-minute bodyweight workout builds muscle and and boosts metabolism Skip push-ups and planks — I just did this 15-minute standing upper-body workout and my arms are on fire The chest workout is found on Heria's YouTube channel, THENX, and can be done without any equipment, though you might want to roll out one of the best yoga mats to provide a surface with a reliable grip to do your push-ups on. Watch Chris Heria’s 8-minute chest workout PUSH-UPS ONLY CHEST WORKOUT | NO EQUIPMENT NEEDED - YouTube You do eight moves during the workout, working for 40 seconds and then resting for 20 seconds, though you can adjust these times based on your fitness level. It’s a challenging session for anyone, especially if you do each of the advanced versions of the moves demonstrated by Heria. But he also shows a beginner-friendly version for each, so the workout is suitable for all fitness levels. In general, the beginner version of each push-up variation involves elevating your hands, so if you plan to do those, ensure you’re near a surface that can support you for the exercises. Sign up to get the BEST of Tom's Guide direct to your inbox. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. As Heria emphasizes, to get the most from the workout, focus on the quality of your reps rather than quantity. While you’re only working for 40 seconds at a time, that’s still more than enough to exhaust the upper body, especially as you’re doing variations on push-ups throughout and engaging the same muscle groups. Move slowly and with control to work your chest to the max during the workout and keep your muscles engaged through each set. This is more effective than rushing, maybe compromising your form and having to stop early in the set. The variety of push-ups you do means that this workout targets all areas of your chest, including the upper and lower pecs, and you also do moves that target each side of your pecs individually. Push-ups don’t just work the chest, of course — your arms and shoulders will get stronger, as will your core and some areas of your back. (Image credit: Shutterstock) Heria knows a lot of push-up variations and some of the most interesting ones you’ll try in this workout include the typewriter push-up, where you stay low and move to the side before pushing back up, and the scapula push-up, which is great for shoulder stability and strength. Adding this session to your regular training routine will result in a stronger upper body without using weights, but if you also lift, then you’ll notice the benefits for improved performance on moves like the bench press. If you have dumbbells to hand and want to use them for your session, try this three-move chest workout, and if you have a kettlebell, this seven-move routine works the whole upper body. More from Tom's Guide Australian pull-ups for beginners: How to do them You just need 14 minutes to strengthen your back and improve your posture with this equipment-free workout I'm a personal trainer, the candlestick roll is the best bodyweight exercise for your barbell squats Back to Yoga Mats Showing 10 of 119 deals Gaiam Yoga Mat $17.97View Manduka PRO Yoga Mat Manduka PRO Yoga Mat Gaiam Yoga Mat $16.99View Gaiam Yoga Mat $19.99View Gaiam Yoga Mat $19.99View Manduka PRO Yoga Mat Gaiam Yoga Mat $16.99View Manduka PRO Yoga Mat $137.99View Gaiam Yoga Mat $18.99View Nick Harris-Fry Social Links Navigation Senior Writer Nick Harris-Fry is an experienced health and fitness journalist, writing professionally since 2012. He spent nine years working on the Coach magazine and website before moving to the fitness team at Tom’s Guide in 2024. Nick is a keen runner and also the founder of YouTube channel The Run Testers, which specialises in reviewing running shoes, watches, headphones and other gear. Nick ran his first marathon in 2016 after six weeks of training for a magazine feature and subsequently became obsessed with the sport. He now has PBs of 2hr 27min for the marathon and 15min 30sec for 5K, and has run 13 marathons in total, as well as a 50-mile ultramarathon. Nick is also a qualified Run Leader in the UK. Nick is an established expert in the health and fitness area and along with writing for many publications, including Live Science, Expert Reviews, Wareable, Coach and Get Sweat Go, he has been quoted on The Guardian and The Independent. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. 3 moves, no weights — this 15-minute bodyweight workout builds muscle and and boosts metabolism Skip push-ups and planks — I just did this 15-minute standing upper-body workout and my arms are on fire Forget regular planks — try the bear plank swivel and 5 other great moves with this bodyweight core workout Skip the gym — instead try this trainer’s 4-move bodyweight workout to sculpt your arms and core I did 70 walking plank push-ups every day for one week — here’s what happened to my upper body Do you find push-ups uncomfortable? 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