Push-ups are the bread and butter of building a successful exercise routine and you've got no excuse not to do them. They require no equipment, no extra weights and you can add variations to calibrate the challenge as needed.
If you haven't yet mastered the standard push-up, we have a very simple guide here on how to execute them properly. This humble exercise will increase your upper-body strength and build your shoulders, triceps, and pectoral muscles. It's also effective at targeting your core muscles as well.
I'm a huge fan of mixing push-ups into my day whenever possible. Whether that's while I'm out on a run or working a day at the desk. The exercise is a simple, no-nonsense way to challenge your muscles using just your bodyweight and you can dial it up or down as appropriate.
Unlike a bench press, where you can simply add weight to make the exercise harder, employing progressive overload with push-ups involves adding variations to your routine. Try the following variations as a quick way to torch your chest and arms at home for a quick-fire workout to keep the cobwebs at bay.
A note before we begin
If you're embarking on a push-up workout like this, there are a few non-negotiables you need to keep in mind at all times. These will help you get the most out of the exercise and ensure the best results.
- Maintain your core: A push-up doubles up as a plank exercise because the classic push-up position requires the same tension. Squeeze your abs and make sure your core doesn't sag as you execute the movement.
- Stay straight: Maintain a straight line from your heels to the crown of your head.
- Go slow: As you lower yourself to about an inch off the ground, do so slowly and with control, squeezing your shoulder blades as you get closer to the floor. Pause for a beat at the lowest point, holding yourself there, before raising back up again.
The workout
For each of these exercises, aim for three sets of 10 to 12 reps with a rest period of 60 seconds between each one.
1. Decline push-ups
The decline push-up elevates your feet rather than your hands. You can use an exercise ball for your feet, or a box. I myself have done this exercise on many a park bench over the years and it's always my go-to for making the push up a little bit harder. The higher you elevate your feet, the harder the exercise becomes.
How to do it:
- Place a box behind you, then position your feet on it hip-width apart, resting on the balls of your feet
- Walk your hands out into a push-up position with your hands beneath your shoulders
- Brace your core and give your glutes and quads a squeeze
- Bend your elbows and lower your chest to the ground
- Pause, then push upward and extend both arms.
2. Diamond push-ups
This is the tricep-busting variation on a traditional push-up that's much harder (I think) than the standard exercise. You'll find a greater need to keep your core engaged as you balance with the more narrow stance.
How to do it:
- Assume the push-up position but, rather than having your hands shoulder-width apart, bring them together
- Your hands should form a diamond shape as the tips of your thumbs and forefingers meet
- Slowly and with control, lower yourself to an inch off the floor and bring yourself back up to the starting position
3. Sphinx push-ups
The Sphinx push-up isn't a variation I regularly go to, but when I do, I find it's effective at building the anterior deltoids (the fronts of your shoulders) and, like the exercise above, working the triceps. This is a more advanced push-up variation and although they may not look hard, they will punish you at a high number of reps.
If the targeted 10-12 reps is too much to hit for you, I would walk this back to 8 reps and you can always utilize your knees if it helps. As ever, you can build up and do more as you improve and get stronger.
- Start in a push-up position. Slightly round your upper back and push your shoulder blades apart, then walk your hands forward, shoulder-width apart
- Engage your core, shoulders, glutes and quads
- Keep your arms close to your body, then bend both elbows and lower your forearms to the floor
- Keep your hips aligned with your shoulders
- Pause, then push upward to extend your elbows, returning to the starting position. Avoid flaring your elbows
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