• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Generation Iron

Generation Iron Fitness & Strength Sports Network

  • Movies
  • Original Content
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Pre-Workout
      • Fat Burners
      • Testosterone Boosters
      • Creatine
      • Protein
      • BCAAs
      • Multivitamins
      • Omega-3
      • Joint Supplements
      • Super Greens
      • Meal Replacement
    • Recovery
      • Best Cold Plunges
      • Best Saunas
      • Best Foam Rollers
      • Best Massage Guns
    • Programs
      • Best Online Workout Programs
      • Best Workout Streaming Services
      • Best Home Workout Programs
  • Equipment
    • Cardio
      • Treadmills
      • Best Exercise Bikes
      • Best Stair Climbers
    • Fitness Accessories
      • Best Apparel
      • Best Gym Bags
      • Weightlifting Shoes
    • Strength
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Weightlifting Belts
      • Best Home Gym Equipment
      • Complete Home Gyms
    • Training
      • Best Knee Sleeves
      • Best Wrist Wraps
      • Best Weightlifting Wraps
      • Best Weightlifting Gloves
  • More
    • About Us
      • Our Team
      • Our Experts
    • Advertise
    • Franchise With Us
    • Exercise Guides
    • Athlete Profiles
    • Podcasts
    • Power 30
    • Bodybuilding Awards
    • Supplement Awards
  • Shop
Bodybuilding

Benefits Of The T-Push Up For Serious Chest Growth

by Austin Letorney Updated by GI Team on Dec 21, 2022 Fact checked by Kai Greene

deficit push up
This post may contain affiliate links (disclosure policy).

This exercise is an advanced progression of the push-up that can really hit your chest hard.

When it comes to creating and crafting that stellar bodybuilding physique, we need to look no further than our chest as a muscle group to really grow. With so many chest exercises out there, and so many people claiming that each one is so special, weeding through all the nonsense is important for your time is valuable.

You might not have hours to spend in the gym, but you certainly have the time to make a great routine that will be as effective as possible when it comes to your time management and bodybuilding goals. The T-Push Up is a great chest exercise to fire up your pecs and really see some great growth take place.

Having a strong chest will not only make that physique of yours pop, but it will work in a number of ways to seriously enhance your gains by increasing strength, aiding in pushing power, support your back muscles, and improve posture. All of these benefits will allow for bigger lifts, more muscle growth, and an insanely stellar aesthetic we all desire most. The T-push up is a great bodyweight exercise to target your chest, challenge your core, and give you a simple workout to enhance growth.

Let’s check out the T-push up and see just what this exercise can do for us. From what it is, to muscles worked, and the many benefits of this great exercise, the T-push up is one you will want to include into your daily routine. On top of that, you won’t be disappointed with the results.

What Are T-Push Ups?

T-push ups are a great bodyweight upper body compound exercise that will target your pecs for a great pump while also hitting other muscles groups as well. This advanced progression of the standard push-up also serves as a Pilates exercise and is an interesting variation that works to challenge your core as you open into a bit of twist (1).

Some may ask, why you would do a T-push up when you can do a regular one? The benefit this has on your chest is really improved in terms of strength and your obliques actually get a fair amount of work down as you hold a side plank while twisting. You can also use dumbbells or kettlebells for this to add some resistance and that extra bit of time under tension.

push up

Muscles Worked During This Exercise

The main muscles worked during this exercise are your chest, shoulders, and abs, in particular, your obliques. This is largely due to the twisting motion that occurs at the top of the exercise. Other muscles worked hard, but that are not primary movers, are your arms, traps, and glutes. Much of this comes from holding the position, as well as working on that rotation and allowing the larger muscles to use the smaller ones as stabilizers.

Benefits Of The T-Push Up

Great Upper Body Growth

The T-push up is one of those exercises that will really work to challenge your body in ways a normal push-up would not. The added bonus of using a dumbbell or kettlebell will not only force you to work harder with your grip, but also really feel a burn in your obliques as you open up into that rotation at the top. This will really enhance that desired strength and size of your upper body for a stellar physique.

Build Functional Strength

Focusing on workouts that build functional strength will allow for more diversity and versatility in all of our workouts, especially when it comes to bigger lifts and everyday activities (2). This is mainly because we are using our bodyweight for resistance and the movement is similar to that of activities we perform in our daily lives, making functional strength important for living a healthy lifestyle while still getting huge in the gym.

Simple & Efficient

This exercise is simple to learn, for most of us can perform a push-up as is. The rotation at the top may take a rep or two, but once you nail that down, this exercise is all yours. As a compound exercise, the T-push up works to target many muscles at once including your chest, abs, arms, traps, and delts, which will save you time in the gym and make you maximize efficiency to line up with your busy schedule.

pushups

How To Perform This Exercise

Here are the steps for performing the T-push up. For those who want to add some weight, you can use a dumbbell or kettlebell to enhance some strength gains during the rotation portion at the top of this exercise.

Begin in a traditional push-up position with your hands at around shoulder width apart and your legs the same. Perform a normal push-up motion by lowering to the ground, leaving your chest just off the floor. As you push back up, raise one arm to the ceiling and slowly rotate open towards the open arm. Make sure your eyes follow your hand as it travels up. Rotate back down and find yourself back in the starting position. Repeat for your desired number of reps.

Wrap Up

The T-push up is a great variation of the traditional one to really target your chest and obliques, as well as other stabilizer muscles. With much of this exercise revolving around the rotation at the top, what you’ll find is that you are working towards building strength in areas that a traditional push-up may not be able to cover.

This will prove to be huge for your gains in the long run as you look to maximize the benefits of not only a strong chest, but also your abdominals. As a simple and convenient exercise to learn, the benefits are amazing and should absolutely be in your training routine to maximize all of your gains. Look into the T-push up today and really see what this can do for you.

Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

*Images courtesy of Envato

References

  1. Contreras, Bret; Schoenfeld, Brad; Mike, Jonathan; Tiryaki-Sonmez, Gul; et al. (2012). “The Biomechanics of the Push-up”. (source)
  2. Weiss, Tiana; Kreitinger, Jerica; Wilde, Hilary; Wiora, Chris; et al. (2010). “Effect of Functional Resistance Training on Muscular Fitness Outcomes in Young Adults”. (source)

About Austin Letorney

Austin Letorney is a writer, actor, and fitness enthusiast. As a former rower, he has shifted his focus to sharing his knowledge of the fitness world and strength sports with others.

View All Articles

Primary Sidebar

Get the Latest

Stay informed with the latest news, product reviews, & expert advice.

Popular Reviews

  • best protein powders

    The Best Protein Powder Supplements of 2025 (Tried and Tested)

  • Best Creatine Supplements For Bulking & Muscle Growth of 2025 (Personally Tested)

  • top x pre workout

    The 14 Best Pre-Workout Supplements of 2025 (MD Reviewed)

  • Performance Lab SPORT BCAA

    The Best BCAA For Bodybuilding Health & Performance Goals

Trending Articles

  • female fitness models

    18 Best Butts On The Internet (Updated 2024)

  • ronnie coleman the king workout

    Ronnie “The King” Coleman’s Complete Bodybuilding Workout

  • The Ultimate Mike Mentzer Workout and Diet

  • Chris bumstead's 2024 workout and diet plan

    Chris Bumstead’s 2025 Complete Bodybuilding Workout & Diet Plan

Popular Now

  • best protein powders

    The Best Protein Powder Supplements of 2025 (Tried and Tested)

  • Best Creatine Supplements For Bulking & Muscle Growth of 2025 (Personally Tested)

  • top x pre workout

    The 14 Best Pre-Workout Supplements of 2025 (MD Reviewed)

  • female fitness models

    18 Best Butts On The Internet (Updated 2024)

  • best citrulline supplements

    The Best Citrulline Malate Supplements for Performance and Pump

  • ronnie coleman the king workout

    Ronnie “The King” Coleman’s Complete Bodybuilding Workout

Generation Iron

Generation Iron is the first and only digital network delivering health, fitness, bodybuilding, and strength sports content. We deliver premium content with the biggest names in fitness and provide expert coverage, reviews on top brands, workout tips and trends in the worlds of fitness, health and strength sports.

Strongman Corporation
Vladar

Sections

  • Trending News
  • Original Movies
  • Original Content
  • Supplement Reviews
  • Equipment Reviews
  • Exercise Guides
  • Nutrition Guides
  • Athlete Profiles

More

  • About Us
  • Our Team
  • Our Experts
  • Advertise
  • Franchise With Us
  • Podcasts
  • Power 30
  • Shop

CONTACT

Generation Iron Brands LLC
134 West 29th Street Suite 902
New York, NY 10001
Email: [email protected]

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • X / Twitter
  • YouTube

© 2025 · Generation Iron · Disclaimers · Privacy Policy · Accessibility