Best Muscle Building Workout Tips for Chest – Deficit Push-ups After Heavy Pressing

Deep breathing, full ranges of motion, and soft-tissue work (SMR) can only take you so far with your training – especially if you’re really tight and restricted. Loaded stretching – a protocol introduced in Doggcrapp – can help to further facilitate improving a global restriction around a particular joint system. Other protocols like deficit training (as in the deeper push-ups drill in the video below), prying at the bottom of a squat, and even simply utilizing a rear foot elevated split squat instead of a regular split squat – have similar benefits.

One application I really love is deficit (beyond the range) push-ups on an elevated surface AFTER a heavy bench press session. You can feel how the loaded stretch simultaneously opens up the pecs and shoulders while also improving the mobility of the shoulder blades toward midline (adduction, retraction).

Use this as a dropset immediately after a heavy press set or even as a finisher to an upper body workout. Low volume and keep slow into the stretch.

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