Build A Bigger Chest With This Basic-Moves, Big-Results Bodyweight Workout
Fancy building a bigger, more defined chest? Of course you fancy building a bigger, more defined chest.
You can do this one solo, but it's even better with a partner. You’re going to work in a ladder format, performing one push-up, followed by one two-footed kick back, before exploding up into a single burpee to finish each round. Meanwhile your partner holds in a ‘forward leaning rest’ (FLR) position, also known as the top of a push-up.
Once you’ve dropped back down from your burpee, you’ll now hold the FLR, whilst your partner completes his first round (1 push-up, 1 kickback, 1 burpee). As soon as your partner is complete and back in their hold, you’ll begin again, this time adding an additional rep to your push-ups and kickbacks. Thankfully, you get to keep to a single burpee each time.
Continue in this fashion, adding a rep to your push-ups and kickbacks each round, while your partner holds strong. The first person to break out of the FLR position, loses the game.
If you don't have a partner, then you can do it with a stop-watch – time your reps, then hold that amount of time in your FLR. The quicker you work, the less time you have to suffer.
“This one’s a mental game, focus on your breathing during the hold, slowing your heart rate so that you can begin recovering and don’t fatigue too quickly,’ says Men’s Health's fitness editor Andrew Tracey. “Then during the work, pace yourself, use the burpee as an opportunity to relax your arms and shake them off.”
0) FLR position
Assume a strong plank with your wrists, elbows and shoulders stacked vertically and your arms locked out. Brace your core, squeeze your glutes and ensure you’re creating a rigid structure from your ankles to your shoulders, throughout. Hold this position. If your hip sag to the ground or shoot into the air, you have broken the position.
1) Push-Up x 1,2,3,4… etc.
Assume a long arm plank position, with your core tight and your hands below your shoulders (A), bend your elbows to bring your chest to the floor (B). Keep your elbows close to your body as you push back up explosively.
2) Two-Footed Kickback x 1,2,3,4… etc.
Jump your feet towards your hands, landing with bent legs, knees slightly off the ground (A). Shift your weight onto your arms and kick your legs back into the air, straightening them as much as you can (B), then land in the start position. This is one rep. (Note: image shows dumbbells. Perform these without them.)
3) Burpee x 1 each round (and penalty reps…)
After your kick back, land with your feet back, straight-legged, arms braced in the top of your push-up position. Dip down until your chest touches the floor(A) then straighten your arms and hop your feet forwards, before jumping into the air with hands on your head (B).
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