The push up is indeed one of the most popular workouts and is widely recommended by many trainers. The push up uses all of the muscles of the chest, shoulders, arms, and abs, which proves the point that it is beneficial for both the upper and lower parts of the body. Apart from increasing strength of the muscles, the push up has been proven to increase the testosterone level inside the body if the exercise is done correctly.
This simple but effective exercise of the body can also be confusing to some people because of the wide variety of variations existing. Many people often get overwhelmed with the hundreds of push up variations that are available to them and as to which one will fit them. We’ve sorted out the top 10 push up variations that are widely used to help you in deciding which workout to go for.
Different Push Up Variations – A Complete Step by Step Guide
Traditional Push Up
As the name suggests, this type of push up is the regular type of push up that we usually know. When doing this you must keep your back straight, abs tight, both feet wide apart and hands in line with your chest. Afterward, bring your body down until your chest brushes against the floor. Only then you can push your body back up to the original position. Always remember to keep your feet and back stationary. Professional gym trainers widely use this push-up workout.
Wall Push Up
Wall push ups are another easy workout which a person can do without the help of a professional trainer. This is excellent for beginners who want to build up strength. To perform this exercise, you must place your hands on a wall and lean against it. Place your hands just under the shoulders and lower towards the wall, making sure that your elbows are in and your body is stable. Next, bend your elbows and move your chest towards the wall. When your chest brushes against the wall, you can slowly push yourself back to the original position.
Diamond Push Up
Diamond pushups are the best push up workout for strengthening the triceps. This is one of the favorite workouts for professional trainers as it enables the whole body to experience the intense muscular contraction and relaxation. This push up exercise is similar to the traditional workout as it follows the same posture, but the hands are to be brought together. Bringing the hands together forms a diamond shape just as the name suggests. Afterward, you’ll have to slowly bend your elbows and move your chest closer to the floor making sure that you don’t bend your back while doing so. When your chest touches the floor, you can slowly push yourself back to the starting position. Repeat the process until you are satisfied with the workout.
Push off Push Up
Also called the incline push-up, this type of workout is best suited for beginners. When performing this exercise, you must take a chair or a bench and place your hands on the chair. Now lean against the chair or the bench and adjust the angle between your legs and the floor to the one which best suits you. When you’ve found out the angle, straighten your back and slowly move your chest towards the chair. Stop when your chest touches the chair. After that push your body to the initial starting position.
When doing this, however, you must have a chair or stool that is stationary. If the chair or stool tumbles, you’ll get hurt. This is why we recommend using a stable weight bench so that you can eliminate the fear of falling off and injuring yourself.
Push up with Feet on a Foam Roller
This is a similar type of push up as the traditional one, just that it includes keeping the feet on a foam roller. The foam roller increases the instability of the feet thus enhancing the use of the back and the core to function efficiently to stay balanced. The procedure of this push up workout is simple as well; just put your feet on a foam roller and perform the tradition workout.
Make sure that the foam roller is up to the mark for the job. Foam roller from top brands is the best as they enable you to perform multiple exercises with the single foam roller.
Hand Release Push Up
This is a type of exercise when the person who is exercising moves his/her hand further away from the body when the chest touches the floor. The previous procedures are just the same as the traditional push up. This strenuous exercise is the best possible push up variations for chest strengthening. It is mainly because when you ascend your chest down to the ground, all the weight of your core is placed upon your chest.
Clap Push Up
This is a type of push up which challenges your body to put out enough force to buy you time for the clapping gesture. When doing this exercise, bring your chest close to the ground, bend your elbows and straighten the back. When you’ve achieved this posture, you can push away at the ground with the help of your hands. This will lift you upwards. When your body is in mid-air, clap once and then come back to the previous posture just before the chest lands on the floor. Repeat the process until you are satisfied with your workout.
The Dive Bomber Push Up
The dive bomber push-up is one of the more challenging push up variations which require greater stability and flexibility. To do this, make an upside down V shape with your body. You can do this by touching the floor and keeping your butt to the highest point. By keeping your legs straight, you must brush your chest to the ground and then bring your head back up in the form of an arc ensuring that your arms are straight. Afterward, get back to the initial position by reversing the process.
Stability Ball Push Up
This type of push up is excellent for enhancing the stability of the muscles of the core. Studies have shown that there is increased triceps and chest muscle activity when performing the stability ball pushup compared to a traditional push-up. To perform this exercise, you need a medicine ball or an exercise ball. Place the ball under your body and close to the chest. Placing your hand on the ball, make sure that you are in a slightly elevated traditional push-up posture. Then perform the same exercise that you’d typically do in a regular push-up. By brushing your chest to the ball, you’ll have to make sure that you are keeping your back straight. After your chest brushes against the ball, you can push yourself up again to the initial starting posture.
One ARM Push Up
This is one of the most challenging push up workout as this requires the person to maintain balance the core of the body when pushing up. This highly increases the strength of the muscles of the arm. When doing this exercise, one must spread your leg a bit more than the traditional position, putting one arm to your back and one arm supporting the body. Then you must bring your chest closer to the ground. While doing so, avoid tumbling as it will lead to injuries. When the chest brushes against the ground, you can slowly push your body back to the original position using the only hand you have on the ground.
Conclusion
So here was our top 10 push up variations. This list was made based upon the popularity and user’s feedback. The pushups are an excellent exercise for anyone who likes to exercise his/her body using few or no equipment. The whole body is engaged in this type of exercise, and it is beneficial to the upper body. We recommend using a yoga mat when performing this exercise as it provides a soft and comfortable base for you to exercise on.
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