Grow Amazing Chest Shoulders Triceps With Bodyweight Workouts

So once again,

In this series, I am not focusing on bodybuilding or striving to maximize muscle size. Instead, I aim to demonstrate various variations that can help enhance the development of specific muscle groups, particularly if you are looking to address any areas that may be lagging behind.

I want to begin by explaining why I am grouping together the chest, shoulders, and triceps for this discussion. The reason is simple: I will be introducing a single exercise variation that can effectively target all three muscle groups simultaneously.

Push-Up

Let’s talk about the push-up. This exercise holds a special place in my training routine for several reasons. One key benefit is that a greater range of motion during an exercise generally leads to a more powerful growth stimulus. Moreover, an intense stretch at the end of a range of motion, as seen with the pull-up, can create enough tension to stimulate muscle growth. This principle applies to the pushing musculature as well, making the push-up an essential movement for developing the chest, shoulders, and triceps.

Variation 1

To optimize the growth of the pushing muscles, the primary adjustment I implement is to expand the range of motion. In comparison to traditional calisthenics such as dips, pipe push-ups, and handstand push-ups, the push-up variation I am about to demonstrate engages the chest, shoulders, and triceps in a greater range of motion than any of those mentioned before, excluding perhaps the handstand push-up on parallettes (which is not easily accessible to most individuals). Among the basic exercises, this variation offers the most extensive range of motion.

Furthermore, this particular movement can be easily intensified by adding weight with a weighted vest, making it highly adaptable. Personally, I believe it is the most effective pushing exercise in calisthenics, especially in terms of enhancing aesthetics.

You can elevate your hands with a weighted plate, raising them approximately an inch and a half above the ground. Even this slight elevation significantly increases the range of motion at the shoulders, chest, and elbows. Once you have built up strength in this position, you can further elevate your hands to deepen the stretch. This creates a more pronounced stretch in the pectoral muscles and front shoulder area. The increased range of motion becomes evident when compared to a standard push-up.

To further challenge the pushing muscles, you can also elevate your feet. This will transfer more of the load to the pushing muscles and engage all the muscles in your shoulder girdle, including the upper traps. The added range of motion with this level of incline places significant demand on the pushing muscles.

You do not necessarily need parallettes to perform this exercise; you can use items such as a stack of books or chairs to allow your body to move through a greater range of motion. Once again, I consider this to be the most versatile and effective pushing variation for developing the shoulders, triceps, and chest. It is a safe and well-tolerated exercise for most individuals (unlike dips, which can cause shoulder irritation for many), and it can easily be intensified by adding weight with a weighted vest. In essence, this movement effectively targets the desired muscles through a substantial range of motion without resorting to complex or unconventional maneuvers.

Bear Crawls

Previously, I mentioned the muscles in the upper traps which act as stabilizers during push-ups. These muscles are more engaged as you increase the angle of your push-up. By elevating your feet, you can recruit these muscles even more. One effective way to target these muscles is through high hip bear crawls. I like to use this exercise as a finisher to really work the entire shoulder girdle, including the upper traps. This is similar to the way gymnasts use wall walks to develop upper back and shoulder musculature. However, high hip bear crawls offer a safer and more controlled alternative. By incorporating this exercise a few times a week, you can gradually increase the duration to five minutes of forward and backward crawling. This will effectively target your shoulders, traps, triceps, and upper back, leading to enhanced trap development.