Top trainers swear by the “Half Rep” variation that outperforms traditional pushups for pumping out the chest

In the never-ending quest to build a bigger chest, pushups are the go-to bodyweight move, and they’ve stood the test of time for good reason. Pushups hit the chest, triceps, and shoulders in one hit, and there are many variations you can use to advance the difficulty level or change the muscle emphasis. But prisoner pushups, a variation done in the lower range of motion, can actually outperform regular pushups for massive chest development.

“When we do full range of motion pushups – as I always advocate for building the entire upper body – it is the last part of the extension that really works the triceps and is responsible for helping to complete upper body development, beyond just the shoulders and chest,” says Jeff Cavaliere, MSPT, CSCS. ATHLEAN Xrecently Video. “Having said that, it’s also a tiring bit of repetition.”

Thus, every time you push back up to full extension with the arms in traditional pushups, the triceps take on too much of the load, ultimately putting a limit on your total number of repetitions. And when your goal is to build any muscle with bodyweight exercise, the total training volume should be higher because the overall mechanical stress is less than with weighted exercise.

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So, to increase tension and accumulate more volume, as well as focus more on the chest, prisoner pushups put you in the “half rep” pushup zone, where the pecs are under more stretch.

“You’ll find that doing this half-rep prisoner pushup will give you about one and a half to two times the number of repetitions you would do in a single set of a traditional pushup,” says Cavaliere.

How to do prisoner pushups

1. Start in a standard pushup position with hands under shoulders and body in a straight line.
2. Lower yourself until your chest is just above the floor. Instead of pressing all the way to full lockout, stop a little before the top and stay in the lower half of the range of motion.
3. Perform quick, controlled repetitions while focusing on a steady rhythm.

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