17 Push-Up Variations for Muscle Development and Power

If you wish to hit a great deal of muscle mass in a single rep, you’ll be able to’t do a lot better than a normal push-up. However the base transfer is just the start. To see new positive factors in power, muscular improvement, and mobility, there are dozens of push-up variations to strive.

Push-ups are available many alternative kinds, making it easy to advance (or dial again) the basic train as wanted. Varied hand positions, physique angles, props, and add-on strikes work and emphasize totally different muscle mass, retaining the transfer recent and efficient.

Strive for your self with the next push-up variations.

Muscle tissues focused: Chest, shoulders, triceps, and core

• Assume a high-plank place together with your ft collectively, your physique straight from head to heels, and your arms consistent with (however barely wider than) your shoulders. Interact each your glutes and your core to lock your physique into place.
• Protecting your elbows tucked towards your physique (your physique ought to type an arrow when seen overhead) and your head impartial, decrease your torso till your chest is inside a couple of inches of the ground.
• Pause, after which push your self again as much as the beginning place as rapidly as doable.

Muscle tissues focused: Together with the triceps and shoulders, this simpler expression of the transfer shifts emphasis to the decrease chest

• Place your arms barely wider than shoulder-width aside on a bench or different secure, elevated floor, and assume a push-up place.
• Protecting your again flat and core engaged, decrease your chest to inside a couple of inches of the bench.
• Pause, after which push your self again as much as the beginning place.

Muscle tissues focused: This tougher push-up hits the standard muscle mass, with added emphasis on the triceps

• Assume a low-plank place together with your forearms, palms, and balls of your ft on the ground, and your physique straight from head to heels. Your ft must be shoulder width, your fingers unfold extensive, and your forearms parallel.
• With out shrugging your shoulders towards your ears, or letting your hips sag or raise, shift your weight onto your left forearm and place your proper palm flat on the ground beneath your proper shoulder.
• Nonetheless sustaining a superbly straight physique, shift your weight onto your proper palm, putting your left hand flat, and straightening each arms to imagine a high-plank place.
• Reverse the transfer, decreasing your proper forearm after which your left forearm again to low-plank place, retaining your physique straight the entire time.
• Repeat the motion, this time putting your left hand in push-up place earlier than your proper hand. After each arms are in high-plank place, decrease your left arm to low-plank place earlier than your proper arm.
• Proceed the motion, alternating the initiating arm with every rep.

4. Diamond Push-Up

Muscle tissues focused: The nearer hand positioning calls for extra of the triceps on this extra superior push-up with nonetheless loads of pressure on the chest and shoulders

• From a push-up place, deliver the information of your thumbs and index fingers collectively in order that they’re touching (see the diamond?). That is the beginning place.
• Protecting your elbows tucked (don’t allow them to flare), decrease your torso till your chest calmly touches the backs of your arms. (Or so far as you’ll be able to go with out compromising type.)
• Pause, after which push your self again as much as the beginning place.

5. Single-Leg Push-Up

Muscle tissues focused: The lifted leg challenges core stability along with the chest, shoulders, and triceps

• Assume a push-up place, lifting your proper leg off the ground.
• Protecting your elbows tucked towards your physique, decrease your torso till your chest is inside a couple of inches of the ground.
• Pause, after which push your self again as much as the beginning place as rapidly as doable.
• Full all reps on one facet, then repeat on the opposite, performing equal reps on each.

Muscle tissues focused: Strolling your arms ahead locations extra pressure on the belly muscle mass and spinal erectors as you stabilize your backbone, subsequently working your triceps, chest, and shoulders

• Stand tall together with your ft hip-width aside and your arms at your sides.
• Protecting your core engaged and again flat, hinge ahead at your hips and place each palms on the ground. Bend your knees barely if mandatory.
• Stroll your arms ahead till you assume a high-plank place. Your wrists must be straight below your shoulders and your physique must be straight from head to heels.
• Decrease your physique, bringing your chest inside a couple of inches of the ground, after which return to high-plank.
• Reverse the motion, strolling your arms again towards your ft, to return to the beginning place.

7. Broad-Arm Push-Up

Muscle tissues focused: Shifting your arms out farther to the perimeters shifts emphasis to the muscle mass of the chest

• Assume a push-up place, putting your arms on the ground twice shoulder-width aside.
• Protecting your elbows tucked towards your physique, decrease your torso till your chest is inside a couple of inches of the ground.
• Pause, after which push your self again as much as the beginning place as rapidly as doable.

Muscle tissues focused: Shifting to at least one arm on the high of the push-up locations higher pressure on the shoulder and triceps of the planted hand, and challenges core stability — notably the obliques — with the rotational motion

• Assume a push-up place.
• Protecting your elbows tucked (not flared), core engaged, and head consistent with your backbone, decrease your physique till your chest is inside a couple of inches of the ground.
• Pause, after which push again as much as the beginning place.
• As soon as you come to the beginning place, shift your weight onto your left hand, stack your proper foot on high of the left, roll your proper hip again, and prolong your proper arm towards the ceiling (the one elements of your physique on the ground will probably be your left hand and the skin fringe of your left foot). Hold your physique straight all through the motion.
• Deliver your proper hand and foot again all the way down to the ground, and repeat the sequence, switching sides on the following facet plank. Proceed alternating sides on every rep.

Muscle tissues focused: Elevating your ft shift extra weight onto your arms, rising work on the entire standard muscle mass engaged in a push-up

• Assume a push-up place together with your arms on the ground and your ft elevated on a sturdy bench or field.
• Protecting your physique straight and core engaged, slowly decrease your chest as near the ground as doable.
• Return to the beginning place.

Muscle tissues focused: Including a “soar” together with your arms helps construct explosive energy within the chest, shoulders, and triceps

• Assume a push-up place.
• Protecting your elbows tucked, decrease your torso till your chest is inside a couple of inches of the ground, after which push up with sufficient drive to your arms to go away the bottom.
• Land softly, transitioning instantly into your subsequent rep.

11. Staggered Push-Up

Muscle tissues focused: Offsetting hand positions locations higher weight on one arm, difficult stability and selling practical power

• Begin in an ordinary push-up place, after which transfer your proper hand barely ahead and your left hand barely backward.
• Do two push-ups.
• Swap hand positions and repeat.
• Proceed alternating hand positions each two reps.

12. Spider-Man Push-Up

Muscle tissues focused: Bringing your knee to your elbow on the backside of the transfer will increase time below pressure for the customary push-up muscle mass, whereas introducing challenges to hip mobility and the glutes

• Assume a push-up place.
• Protecting your hips degree, deliver your proper knee as shut as doable to your proper elbow. Pause, after which step again to the plank place.
• Decrease your physique, bringing your chest inside a couple of inches of the ground, after which return to the beginning place.
• Deliver your left knee as shut as doable to your left elbow. Pause, after which step again to the plank place.
• Carry out one other push-up and repeat the sequence, performing equal reps on either side.

13. Mountain Climber Push-Up

Muscle tissues focused: Pumping your ft additional emphasizes your core, requiring greater than isometric engagement out of your belly muscle mass

• Assume a push-up place.
• Raise your proper foot off the ground and draw your proper knee towards your chest, ensuring to maintain your again flat, your butt down, and the remainder of your physique stationary.
• Return your proper foot to the beginning place, and instantly repeat with the left leg.
• Decrease your physique till your chest is a couple of inches from the ground, after which return to the beginning place.

14. Modified Planche Push-Up

Muscle tissues focused: Positioning your arms farther again targets the shoulders whereas nonetheless working the chest and triceps

• Lie face down on the ground, putting your arms on the bottom beside your ribs.
• Partaking your core and glutes to make sure your physique stays straight, hold your elbows tucked towards your physique and push your self as much as excessive plank. That is the beginning place.
• Decrease your physique till your chest is inside a couple of inches of the ground, after which push your self again as much as the beginning place.

Muscle tissues focused: Including a soar on the high of the transfer turns a push-up right into a full-body train and introduces a hellacious dose of cardio

• Stand tall together with your ft hip-width aside and your arms at your sides.
• Bend your knees, hinge at your hips, and squat down, putting each palms on the ground.
• Soar your ft again to a push-up place.
• Decrease your torso till your chest is a couple of inches from the ground, after which rapidly push again up.
• Soar your ft again to your arms, after which explode upward, leaping into the air.
• Land softly and instantly start your subsequent rep.

16. Stability Ball Decline Push-Up

Muscle tissues focused: This model of the decline actually challenges your core as you’re employed to stabilize your self on the ball

• Assume a push-up place together with your toes on high of a stability ball. Brace your core and squeeze your glutes to maintain your physique in a single straight line from head to toes for your complete transfer.
• Decrease your chest towards the bottom, retaining your elbows tucked near your physique. They need to type a forty five diploma angle to your torso when seen from above.
• Push your self again as much as the beginning place.

Muscle tissues focused: Performing the transfer on an unstable med ball promotes steadiness throughout either side of your physique

• Assume a push-up place together with your arms elevated on a medication ball. Place the medication ball straight beneath your chest together with your arms on both facet of it.
• As this push-up variation could be robust on the wrists, place your arms in exterior rotation on the medication ball — level your thumbs towards your head and your draw your fingers out to the perimeters (away from the heels of your arms).
• Place your ft extensive for steadiness. Interact your core and squeeze your glutes to maintain your physique straight.
• Bend your arms and decrease your torso towards the medication ball. Hold your head down and your elbows near your sides.
• Pause as soon as your chest is inside a couple of inches of the medication ball. Then, push your self again as much as the beginning place.

What Muscle tissues Do Push-Ups Work?

As touched upon above, these are the first muscle mass you’ll interact to some extent throughout any push-up.

Chest

Your pectoral muscle mass (also referred to as your “pecs“) work to attract your higher arms towards your physique. You’ll really feel them through the elevating and decreasing parts of the push-up.

Shoulders

The deltoid muscle mass help your pecs in bringing your arms towards your physique through the decreasing portion of the push-up, and pushing the ground away through the elevating portion.

Triceps

Your horseshoe-shaped triceps muscle mass — positioned on the backs of your higher arms — work in partnership together with your shoulders and chest to decrease and lift your physique within the push-up.

Core

When finished proper, the push-up will interact your rectus abdominis (a.okay.a. the six-pack muscle), in addition to the transverse abdominis, which is the deep core muscle that lies beneath it. Collectively, these core muscle mass work to maintain your trunk secure all through the motion.