Push-ups or bench press, which is better for the chest?

Science shows that the bench press builds pecs better than push-ups. For example, the barbell bench press is better at activating the chest muscles compared to push-ups, the push-up machine, cable crossovers, chest press machine and dumbbells.

But that doesn’t mean we should rule out push-ups entirely. There are pros and cons to push-ups and the bench press, and the best chest exercise for you depends on your goals, your strength level, and the type of equipment you have.

Push-ups for the chest

Push-ups are a bodyweight exercise that begins on a high board and involves lowering your chest toward the ground and then pushing your body toward a high board. It works mainly the middle and inner fibers of the chest, but it also targets the shoulders and triceps.

Pros

• Good for all levels : As a bodyweight exercise, it is excellent for people of all activity levels. For example, beginners can modify the exercise and do a wall pushup while standing, on an elevated surface such as a bench or chair, or on their knees. More advanced athletes can do single-arm or rebounding variations to test their endurance and strength. Doing different variations also allows you to work the pectoral muscles in a variety of ranges of motion, providing greater stretch and contraction for the muscles.
• Increase Whole Body Strength : Really, they are a whole body exercise. In addition to working the chest, they also target the shoulders, triceps, and core, which are essential for improving “push” strength and stability. These muscles are important for daily tasks such as opening doors, lifting heavy objects, and moving furniture.
• Improves general fitness : There is no better indicator of strength and general fitness than being able to push your own weight, and that’s exactly what we do with a push-up. People who were able to do more than 40 push-ups in a row are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those who could do fewer than 10 push-ups.

Cons

• They are not very good for progress : As we get stronger, we will have to do more repetitions to continue building strength and avoid stagnation. But many of us don’t have the strength to do multiple sets of push-ups (not to mention it can get boring), so make sure you mix things up by trying different variations of pushups like a plyometric, a single push-up with straight legs, or a diamond.
• Prone to aches and pains : If we have pain in our back, wrist, shoulder or elbow while doing push-ups, it is a sign that something in your technique could be failing or that we have an underlying problem. Make sure your elbows are tied tightly to your sides to keep your shoulders secure and you’re tightening your core to prevent your back from arching. Pain can also be a red flag that we are overdoing it. Doing pushups every day can put us at risk for shoulder and wrist injuries, so be sure to balance your workout routine with pulling exercises like rowing, bicep curls, and plank.

Bench press for chest

The bench press is a chest exercise that is usually performed on a weight bench or lying flat on the floor with a pair of dumbbells or a barbell. It targets primarily the pecs and inner and middle triceps, but depending on the incline of the bench and grip, you can target specific areas of the pecs.

Pros

• Easy to move forward : You can add weight plates to a bar or choose a heavier set of weights to make the exercise more difficult and effective by fatigued your chest muscles compared to doing high repetitions of pushups.
• Chest and Triceps Goals : The bench press is an exercise for the chest and triceps, and by isolating these, they can grow to a higher degree than push-ups. Although the bench press is generally performed on a flat, horizontal surface, the difficulty of the exercise can be increased by adding a dip (30 degrees lower than a flat bench) or an incline (45 degrees higher than a flat bench).
  An incline bench, for example, targets the upper pecs, while a declining bench approaches the lower pecs. Additionally, a neutral grip (palms facing each other) tunes the upper and lower pecs as well as the triceps, and a reverse grip (palms facing you) gives more focus to the upper pecs.
• Wide Range of Motion : The chest press offers a wider range of motion for the pecs compared to pushups. This means that the chest muscles can fully contract and relax, improving their overall function and strength. If our main goal is to develop a bigger and stronger chest, we will get faster results with the bench press when lifting heavier loads.

Cons

• Increased risk of injury : Compared to push-ups, the risk of injury with the bench press is greater because not only are we moving more weight, but we are moving weight overhead. Having a partner who can help support the weight can help prevent injury.
  Additionally, lifting too heavy or training the chest muscles beyond fatigue (not being able to do another set) can lead to serious injuries to the chest and shoulder muscles. So be sure to allow your chest muscles to rest at least a full day between workouts during the week.
• Necessary sports equipment : You need exercise equipment, including a bench, a bar or other weights, do bench press at home. Although you can bench press while lying down, we will get the most activation of the chest using a bench. Progressively loading the bars is also key to getting stronger, so we will need to have a variety of weights and plates. For the sake of safety, bench pressing a barbell is only recommended if we have someone nearby to keep an eye on us.

Push-ups or bench press, which one to choose?

It can be difficult to choose between push-ups or bench presses. If we have a goal of building a stronger and bigger chest, we will ultimately gain more from the bench press than from the push-up. But doing push-ups can complement the presses in a chest routine and is great for building overall body strength.

For example, if we can’t go to the gym or are traveling, push-ups are a great alternative to the chest press, and we don’t need equipment to do them. We can also do push-ups as part of a warm-up before laying down on the bench or starting the upper body routine.

We can also focus on the bench press one day a week and push-ups another day to work the “push” movement in different positions. We just need to make sure to change workouts every 4-6 weeks to keep progressing and avoid reaching a stagnation in strength and endurance.