Why? Because you can still do pushups. And the classic pushup remains one of the best ways to hit your chest, period. You're attacking your chest from an angle that's very similar to the one you'd hit on a standard bench press, and while you're working with a lighter load than you might use on a bench, you still get to produce a ton of total-body tension. You also get to focus on getting a good chest contraction (more on that later).

The pushup can also create even more challenge once you start introducing a handful of variations, and those variations can easily become the backbone of a vicious chest workout. By varying the angle of your torso relative to your upper arms, or shifting the focus of the pushup to focus on negative contractions, pauses, or holds, you shift the way the move stimulates your chest.

By blending several of these approaches into a single workout, you wind up challenging your pecs in multiple ways. You also explore and perfect your overall pushup mechanics, leading to better workouts later. And perhaps most of all, you wind up having a little bit of fun, too.

The key to getting the most out of pushup training is maximizing the pushup. That means working through a full range of motion, and not cheating yourself on any rep. There are several things you want to keep in mind. Focus on these three.

Bonus Move: Position-Switch Pushup Countup Game

Want to rock your triceps a bit in the process too? Yes, they got work in the first three moves, but they'll take on added responsibility if you throw in one to two sets of this extra move, a "game" that pushes you to be explosive and pile up a few extra reps.