Push Ups Not Working Chest Reddit

If you're searching for answers to why your push ups are not working your chest, you've likely seen this advice on Reddit and elsewhere: just do more. You're probably doing sets of 20, 30, even 50 reps, feeling the burn in your shoulders and triceps, but your chest remains flat and uninvolved. It’s frustrating. You're putting in the work, but the main muscle you're trying to build isn't showing up to the party. The truth is, more reps of a broken exercise will only give you more of nothing.

Key Takeaways

• If you feel push-ups in your shoulders, your elbows are flared too wide at 90 degrees. Tuck them to a 45-60 degree angle from your body to engage your chest.
• Doing endless sets of 30+ push-ups builds endurance, not muscle. For chest growth, you need to make the exercise harder so you fail between 8-20 reps.
• A full range of motion, where your chest is an inch from the floor, provides the stretch needed for chest activation. Half-reps primarily work your triceps.
• Slow down your reps with a 3-second descent (eccentric phase). This increases time under tension and forces your chest to control the weight.
• To build a noticeably bigger chest, you must progress to harder variations like decline push-ups or add weight with a backpack once you can easily do 20 standard push-ups.

Why You Only Feel Push-Ups in Your Shoulders and Triceps

If you're dealing with the classic “push ups not working chest reddit” problem, the issue is almost always your form. You feel it in your shoulders and triceps because those muscles are doing all the work. Your body is smart; it will always find the path of least resistance to complete a movement, and right now, that path bypasses your chest.

Let's break down the three main reasons this happens.

1. Your Elbows Are Flared (The "T" Shape Mistake)

This is the number one mistake. Most people perform a push-up with their elbows flared out to the sides at a 90-degree angle to their torso. When you look from above, their body forms a "T" shape. This position places the majority of the mechanical stress directly onto your shoulder joint and anterior deltoids, not your pectoral muscles. It's not only ineffective for chest growth, but it's also a fast track to shoulder impingement and pain.

The correct form creates an "arrow" shape. Your elbows should be tucked at a 45 to 60-degree angle relative to your torso. This angle aligns the push with the natural direction of your pec muscle fibers, forcing them to become the primary movers in the exercise. Film yourself from the side and above to check. If you look like a T, you've found your problem.

2. You're Doing Half-Reps

To save energy or pump out more reps, many people only lower themselves halfway down. This is a huge mistake. The chest muscles are most engaged at the bottom of the push-up, where they are fully stretched under load. By cutting the range of motion short, you are effectively skipping the most important part of the exercise for chest development.

A proper push-up ends when your chest is about one inch from the floor. Your triceps and shoulders do most of the work in the top half of the movement (the lockout). If you only train in that zone, you're essentially just doing a triceps extension. Go all the way down. If you can't, it's better to do 5 perfect, full-range reps than 15 sloppy half-reps.

3. Your Triceps Are Your Weakest Link

It's very common for your triceps to be weaker than your chest, especially when you're starting out. This means your triceps will fatigue and give out long before your chest has been adequately stimulated. You'll end the set because your arms are shaking, but your chest feels like it did nothing.

This isn't something to worry about. It's a normal part of getting stronger. As you continue to train with proper form, your triceps will strengthen alongside your chest. Don't change your form to try and "isolate" the chest; that's how bad habits start. Stick to the correct arrow-shaped movement, and your triceps strength will catch up within a few weeks.

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The Myth of "Just Do More Reps"

The advice to simply do more push-ups is the most common and least effective solution. If you can already do 25 or more push-ups in a single set, doing 50 or 100 isn't going to build a bigger chest. It will only improve your muscular endurance.

Building muscle (hypertrophy) requires a specific stimulus: mechanical tension. You need to challenge your muscles with a load that is heavy enough to cause microscopic damage, which then signals your body to repair and build them back stronger and bigger. For most people, this happens in a rep range of about 8-20 reps per set, where the last 1-2 reps are extremely difficult to complete.

If you can do 40 push-ups, the first 30 reps are too easy. They are not providing enough tension to trigger growth. It's like trying to build massive legs by walking up a flight of stairs. You need to squat heavy weight. The same principle applies here. Once bodyweight push-ups become too easy, they stop being a muscle-building exercise and become a cardio-endurance exercise.

This is the core principle of progressive overload. To keep building muscle, you must consistently make the exercise harder over time. Doing the same 3 sets of 20 push-ups every week for a year will give you a chest that's good at doing 3 sets of 20 push-ups, and nothing more. Your body adapts and then has no reason to grow further. You must give it a new, harder challenge.

How to Fix Your Push-Up to Build Your Chest (3 Steps)

Alright, let's fix this. Forget about high-rep challenges and focus on quality and progression. Follow these three steps, and you will start feeling your chest work, and eventually, see it grow.

Step 1: Master the Form for Chest Activation

Before you add weight or try fancy variations, you must master the basic push-up with perfect, chest-focused form. For the next 2-3 weeks, this is your only job.

• Hand Placement: Place your hands directly under your shoulders or slightly wider. Spreading them super-wide does not work your chest more; it just stresses your shoulders.
• Elbow Tuck: As you lower yourself, actively tuck your elbows to that 45-60 degree angle. Think about making an arrow shape with your head and arms. Don't let them flare out.
• Full Range of Motion: Lower your body until your chest is an inch from the ground. If you can't do this, elevate your hands on a bench or sturdy table. This is called an incline push-up. It's better to do a full-range incline push-up than a half-rep on the floor.
• Scapular Movement: At the top of the push-up, push through the floor and round your upper back slightly (protraction). As you lower down, let your shoulder blades pinch together (retraction). This small movement ensures your chest is doing the work.

Step 2: Apply Progressive Overload Without Weight

Once you can perform 3 sets of 15 push-ups with perfect form and full range of motion, it's time to make it harder. You don't need weights for this yet.

• Add Reps: Your first goal is to add one rep to your sets each week. If you did 3x10 this week, aim for 3x11 next week.
• Slow the Tempo: This is a game-changer. Instead of just pumping out reps, control them. Use a 3-1-1 tempo: take 3 full seconds to lower your body, pause for 1 second at the bottom, and take 1 second to push back up. This dramatically increases the time your chest is under tension.
• Decrease Rest Time: If you normally rest 90 seconds between sets, try resting only 60 seconds. This forces your muscles to work harder with less recovery.

Step 3: Progress to Harder Variations

When you can comfortably do 3 sets of 20 perfect, slow-tempo push-ups, your body has adapted. It's time for a new stimulus. This is where real growth happens.

• Decline Push-Ups: Elevate your feet on a low box or step (6-12 inches). This shifts more of your body weight onto your hands and targets the upper chest fibers more intensely. This is the single best next step.
• Weighted Push-Ups: Wear a backpack with some books or a water jug inside. Start with 10-15 pounds. Aim for a weight that makes 8-12 reps challenging. This is how you turn the push-up into a true strength and mass builder.
• Pause Push-Ups: At the bottom of each rep, pause for a full 2-3 seconds with your chest hovering over the floor. This eliminates all momentum and forces a powerful contraction from your chest to initiate the push.

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What to Expect (A Realistic Timeline)

Building muscle is a slow process. You need to be patient and consistent. Here is a realistic timeline for what you can expect when you apply these principles correctly.

Weeks 1-2: The Soreness Phase

After your first few sessions with proper form, your chest will be sore. This is a good sign. It means you've finally stimulated the muscle fibers correctly. You won't see any visual changes yet. Your focus here is purely on mastering the form and feeling the mind-muscle connection develop naturally.

Weeks 3-8: The Strength Phase

You'll notice a significant increase in strength. The push-ups will feel smoother and more powerful. You'll be able to add a few reps to each set or move to a slightly harder variation. You might see some very subtle changes in the mirror, a hint of fullness that wasn't there before, but the main progress is in your performance.

Month 3 and Beyond: The Visual Growth Phase

This is where the visible results begin to show, but only if you have been consistent with progressive overload and are eating enough to support muscle growth (at least 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight). You can realistically expect to gain 0.5 to 1 pound of lean muscle per month as a natural beginner. It's a marathon, not a sprint. By month 6, if you've stuck with it, you will see a definite, noticeable difference in your chest development.

Eventually, you will hit plateaus. This is normal. When progress stalls for 2-3 weeks, you need to change the stimulus. Pick a new, harder variation, increase the weight in your backpack, or change your rep scheme. The key is to never let your body get comfortable.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many push-ups should I do to build my chest?

Focus on quality, not quantity. Aim for 3-4 challenging sets in the 8-20 rep range, where you are 1-2 reps away from failure. If you can easily do more than 20-25 reps in a set, you must choose a harder variation to create enough tension for muscle growth.

Is it better to do push-ups every day or a few times a week?

Treat push-ups like any other strength exercise. Your muscles grow during recovery, not during the workout. Train your chest with push-ups 2-3 times per week, ensuring there is at least 48 hours of rest in between sessions to allow for proper repair and growth.

Can I build a big chest with only push-ups?

You can absolutely build a solid, well-developed, and athletic chest with just push-ups and their variations. However, to achieve a massive, bodybuilder-style chest, you will likely need to incorporate heavy weighted exercises like the bench press or dumbbell press to provide even greater mechanical tension.

What if my wrists hurt when doing push-ups?

Wrist pain is usually caused by letting your hands bend back too far. Focus on keeping your forearms perpendicular to the floor. A great solution is to use push-up handles or a pair of hexagonal dumbbells to keep your wrists in a straight, neutral position.

Should I do wide or narrow push-ups for chest?

A shoulder-width or slightly wider grip is the sweet spot for overall chest development. Extremely wide grips put unnecessary stress on your shoulder joints. Narrow or diamond push-ups are an excellent exercise, but they shift the emphasis heavily onto your triceps, not your chest.

Conclusion

The reason your push-ups aren't working your chest isn't a mystery-it's mechanics and a lack of progression. Stop chasing high reps and start focusing on perfect form and making the exercise harder over time. Fix your elbow flare, use a full range of motion, and embrace harder variations. The results will follow.