Push-ups provide a great way to strengthen your upper body and stay fit. A significant advantage is that they can be done at any place and time. Moreover, the range of diverse push-up variations prevents your workout routine from becoming boring. This article will instruct you on how to perform the most common push-ups and a few challenging variants!
Related read: A Guide to the Best Push Up Bars in 2021
The Basic Push-Up
This is the classic push-up. You get in a position similar to how you would for a plank. Next, lower yourself towards the floor until your arms are at a 90-degree angle. Then, press back up to start position and repeat!
Decline Push-Ups
Start in a standard push-up position. Then, put your feet on a raised surface such as a chair or bed. Lower yourself down until you are halfway between starting position and floor level to make the decline harder.
You may also check out: Best Sit-Up Bench
Incline Push-Ups
These are precisely the same as decline push-ups except with your hands on a higher surface such as a table or countertop.
If you put your hands on something high, like the top of a wall, it will resemble more of a tricep push-up than a standard push-up. You can do these with one hand or both!
Spiderman Push-Ups (Also called Alternating Tricep Push-Ups)
This type of push up is great for working your core. Start in a normal push-up position with your hands on the floor. Next, bring one knee up to your elbow, then return it to starting position and repeat with the other leg. Focus on contracting your core throughout this exercise!
Clap Push-Ups
Start in a normal push-up position with your hands on the floor. Perform a push-up as usual, then at the top of the push-up clap your hands together! It’s recommended that you practice this without a time limit first to make sure you have it down pat.
Clap Back Push-Ups
Like a clap push up except, instead of doing a quick clap in front of your chest, you clap behind your back. It’s much more difficult to do than a standard push-up because you need very good shoulder stability!
Elevated Clap Push-Ups
As with the elevated decline push up, elevate your feet to make this exercise harder. Then perform a clap push up in the air by touching your hands together at the top of the push-up.
Slow Clap Push-Ups (Also called Dive Bombers)
These are like clap push-ups except you lower yourself under control and then explode upwards as powerfully as possible to send your chest up into the air! You need to do this quickly to make the exercise effective.
Diamond Push-Ups (Also called Tricep Diamonds)
This is not really a push up but it’s great for working your triceps! Position your hands so that they are touching each other to form a diamond shape. Lower yourself towards the floor until your elbows are bent at 90 degrees.
Planche Push-Ups (Also called Planche Leans)
This exercise is not for beginners! It’s a very advanced move that requires insane strength and stability in the shoulders, as well as good tricep strength. Simply hold yourself up with straight arms! The closer your hands are to each other, the easier it is.
Read also: Easy Arm Exercises You Can Do at Home
Planche Taps
This one requires the same strength as a planche push up but you aren’t holding yourself up so your hands can move! Next time you perform a push-up, try to tap the floor with your hands every time you go down and back up again – this will make the exercise more complex, which increases strength demands!
You may try using an Exercise Mat for this move
Dive Bomber Push-Ups
This is a great exercise to target your abs. Simply perform a push-up, as usual, then at the top of the push uplift your hips into the air so that only your feet are touching the floor. Your body should be in a straight line at this point.
Challenge yourself even more by putting your hands behind your back! This makes the exercise much harder because it increases the stabilization demands in your shoulders.
One-Handed Push-Ups (Also called Uneven Push-Ups)
This is a great tricep and chest workout and can be done with one hand on the ground and the other behind your back! Simply place one hand on the floor and do a regular push-up, then switch to the other side.
Conclusion
There are so many push-up variations that you could do, which makes it easy to mix up your routine and avoid boredom. The article explores how to do the most common push-ups, as well as some more challenging variations!
Whether you want a good workout for your chest or triceps, this list should have something for everyone. If all of these exercises sound too hard for you – don’t worry because we’ve got plenty of other articles on our blog about different types of workouts!
