This is a PHENOMENAL exercise for hitting the upper chest with laser precision with a bodyweight exercise.
In fact, it works even better than incline pressing (barbell or dumbbell) because of the direct inwards tension applied to the upper pecs.
To perform this exercise, you'll need a bench and something about chest-height to elevate your feet on.
For this one, I like to use a bar set on the rails of a power rack (I also like to use a barbell pad to help with cushioning and with rotation of the feet on the bar).
Set the bench under the bar...you're going to be gripping on the end furthest away from the bar so that when you do the exercise, your head can go down below the level of the bench.
The reason for this is simple...when you do feet-elevated push-ups with your hands on the floor, your face gets in the way. As you come to the bottom (the best part of the exercise), you have to flatten your torso in order to not mash your face into the floor. This just becomes a bent-back "normal" push-up, eliminating the body angle necessary to actually target the upper pecs.
Sure, you get additional resistance with the feet elevated, but you don't get much effective upper chest work.
THIS exercise setup changes that.
(I've got my nephew, Jonah, demonstrating this exercise.)
How to Perform the Bench Clench Push-Up To Target The Upper Chest
First, set your hands on the SIDES of the END of the bench, so that just the meaty part of the thumb side of your hands is on the bench - fingers gripping around the sides. This is critical. Your hands do not go fully on top of the bench...they MUST be on the sides like this.
Get your feet hooked over the bar. You don't necessarily need the bar pad, but it is more comfortable on the feet, which allows you to focus on muscle tension in the chest rather than the bar grinding into the top of your feet.
Your body should be straight and held stiff.
Now lower yourself down until your chest touches the bench, then fully REST your chest on the bench, releasing tension in the pecs.
This may sound counter-intuitive to release the tension but I find it helps greatly with chest activation out of the bottom. If you maintain tension, the triceps will also stay activated and try to take over the exercise as a close-grip push-up.
When you rest the chest, they relax and you can shift your focus to pec contraction and activation.
Because now, instead of focusing on pushing UP...you're going to focus on pushing IN.
You want to imagine as though you're trying to CRUSH the bench inwards. Because of your arm biomechanics, this inwards-clench INTENTION will RESULT in your body moving upwards, basically as a side-effect.
This inwards tension is EXACTLY what the pecs are made for.
Keep pushing in until your are locked out in the top position again.
Then repeat.
For this exercise, don't bother counting reps. Reps don't matter...the TENSION on the pecs is what matters. So basically continue until you can no longer exert enough inwards tension to complete the exercise.
Fair warning, this exercise is NOT like normal feet-elevated push-ups in terms of how many reps you'll be able to do...even if you're strong, the tension-pattern is VERY different.
As far as number of sets to do, the same rule applies...there will come a point where your upper pecs are basically fried and unable to generate the tension necessary for the exercise to be effective. This is generally after 1 to 3 sets, but it'll vary by individual...which is my way of saying "do whatever feels right to you."
Next time you work chest, give this exercise a try. It will LIGHT UP your upper pecs like nothing you've ever felt before.
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Want more unique and challenging exercises to work your entire body with simple equipment? All you need is just a barbell, dumbbells and a bench. Check out The Best Home Gym Exercises You've Never Heard Of!
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