Tired Of Traditional Push Ups? Try These 15 Game-Changing Variations Instead

During ancient times, the Romans and Greeks would perform push-ups as part of their training routine. In the present day, gymgoers perform push-ups to build muscle, improve their conditioning, or gain strength. With the benefits of push-ups well documented, they remain a staple exercise in many training routines.

The traditional push-up movement is fairly simple. Bring the body to the floor and push back up while keeping a straight line. With this, it requires no equipment and takes seconds to set up.

Due to its simple movement pattern, multiple variations have been developed as the push-up continues to be adopted. Each uses a different movement pattern which changes the target focus and benefits. 

With so many variations, it’s hard to know which to program and why. To help you out, we’ve discussed 15 push up variations below. For each one, we detail the correct form and benefits.

15 Push-Up Variations That You Need To Try

These are the different types of push ups to consider adding to your push workout. For each one, follow the form guide and consider the tips for targeted muscle engagement.

Wide Push-Up

Wide push-ups are a simple version of traditional push-ups that use a wider hand position. By placing the hands wider than shoulder-width, you shift some emphasis from your triceps to your chest.

The primary movers include the chest, shoulders, and triceps. The core works as the secondary mover to stabilize the body position.

How to do

1. Kneel with your knees and hands contacting the floor. You should be on all fours. Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart with your hands at a small angle outwards.
2. Kick both legs behind you until they’re in a straight position. Your feet should be together, with the balls of your feet touching the ground.
3. Your hands should be directly under your shoulders. Form a straight line from your head to your heels. This is the correct starting position.
4. Inhale and engage your core. Exhale and bend at your elbows, lowering your body to the floor.
5. Pause briefly before your chest touches the floor. Exhale and extend your elbows to push back to the starting position.

Tips

• Ensure that your hips don’t sag throughout the movement. This straight line ensures targeted muscle activation.
• Think about the muscles that you’re working. This mind-muscle connection helps to improve muscle activity and muscle growth.

Optimal Sets & Reps

Diamond Push-Up

The diamond push-up is a variation that uses a narrow hand position. It’s called a diamond push-up because your hands form a diamond-like shape in the middle of your body. 

Because of the narrow position, it requires more core stability and tricep strength. This gives you several useful diamond push-up benefits making it a worthwhile program addition. 

Diamond push-ups remove emphasis from the chest and shift it to the tricep muscles. This provides a great way to target your arms using a bodyweight exercise.

How To Do

1. Set up next to a suitable padded area or mat. Come down onto all fours with your hands and knees contacting the ground.
2. Bring your legs back behind you until they are in a straight position. Ensure that your hands are directly below your shoulders. They should form a triangle or diamond shape in the middle of your body.
3. Inhale and engage your core. While keeping the same hand position, exhale and flex your elbows. Lower your body to the floor under control. 
4. Pause briefly at the bottom position. Extend your elbows to come back to the starting position.

Tips

• Adopting the diamond hand position means your arms should stay tucked into your body. Keep them in the same position throughout.
• Keep a controlled movement pattern to maintain stability.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12+
Power Training	3–5	1–3 (Explosive)

Decline Push-Up

The decline push-up uses a raised leg position, emphasizing your clavicular heads and anterior deltoids. You need a suitable raised surface such as a box, bench, or bedframe. 

Alongside this, it involves the triceps brachii muscles. They work to extend the elbows from the bottom position. If you need to improve the muscles at the front of your body, the decline variation provides a great option.

How To Do

1. Kneel with your back to the raised surface. Ensure it’s at a height that allows you to raise your legs. Make sure you’re able to extend them against the raised surface. 
2. Bring your hands directly below your shoulders and extend your arms. Kick both legs back, bringing them onto the raised surface. You should be on the balls of your feet.
3. Inhale and engage your core. Keep a straight line from your heels to your head, coming diagonally down. 
4. Exhale and lower your chest to the floor by bending your elbows. 
5. Pause briefly at the bottom position. Inhale and push back to the start.

Tips

• Ensure the raised surface is set at a suitable height. This allows you to keep the correct form.
• Avoid flaring your elbows out to the sides to keep targeted muscle activation.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12+
Power Training	3–5	1–3 (Explosive)

Incline Push-Up

The incline push-up is performed with the arms elevated to reduce the difficulty. This makes it an ideal starting point for beginners who lack the strength or technique for the normal push-up.

The raised hand position offers several incline push-up benefits that make it worthwhile. The primary movers are the sternal heads and abdominal heads of the pectoralis major. Secondary movers include the triceps, anterior deltoids, and core musculature.

How To Do

1. Find a raised surface such as a chair, bench, table, or plyometric box. Ensure you set it up in a suitable space.
2. Place your hands on the edge of the surface using a shoulder-width arm position. Your arms should be extended in a straight line. 
3. Bring your legs back until you’re in a high plank position. Stay on the balls of your feet with a neutral back.
4. Inhale and engage your core. Exhale and bend your elbows, slowly lowering towards the raised surface. 
5. Pause briefly as you reach the raised surface. Extend your elbows to come back to the starting position.

Tips

• Make sure that you use a stable raised surface. This helps to avoid possible injury risk.
• Vary the height to increase or decrease the exercise difficulty.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12+
Power Training	3–5	1–3 (Explosive)

Pike Push-Up

The pike push-up performs the normal push-up using a piked position. This forces your hands closer to your feet, providing a core and shoulder strength challenge. This helps to improve functional movement patterns and postural control.

The primary muscle groups used are your anterior deltoids and lateral deltoids. Secondary movers include your clavicular heads, triceps, and serratus anterior muscles.

How To Do

1. Use a suitable mat or padded area. Stand with your feet hip-width apart with your arms by your sides.
2. Assume a plank position on the ground with your arms extended. Your hands should be directly under your shoulders. The balls of your feet should be in contact with the ground. 
3. Inhale and engage your core. Walk your hands back to form an inverted V shape. Your hips should be in the air directly facing the ceiling.
4. Exhale and bend your elbows, lowering your body at a 45-degree angle. Pause briefly at the bottom position.
5. Inhale and bring your body back to the top inverted V shape by extending your elbows.

Tips

• Ensure that your legs stay straight throughout the movement. Your elbows should be the main movers.
• Stay on the balls of your feet, ensuring you lower down at a 45-degree angle. This keeps targeted muscle activation.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12+
Power Training	3–5	1–3 (Explosive)

Clap Push-Up

The clap push-up uses the same traditional push-up movement with a dynamic clap in the middle. This requires added dynamic strength and power which may lead to increased muscle activation.

Because of this, it’s more of a plyometric (explosive) exercise that helps to develop upper-body conditioning. The primary movers are pectoralis major heads. The triceps and anterior deltoids play secondary roles.

How To Do

1. Assume a normal push-up position on the floor. Your hands should be under your shoulders with your legs extended. There should be a straight line from your heels to your head.
2. Inhale and engage your core. Exhale and flex your elbows until your body comes close to the ground. 
3. Pause briefly before powerfully extending your elbows. Allow your hands to come off the floor, performing a clap as your body rises. Bring your hands back to the same position and inhale as your elbows flex to absorb the impact.

Tips

• Bend your elbows slightly as you land on your hands to absorb some of the impact. 
• Make sure that your hands come back down to the same positions to maintain balance.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12+
Power Training	3–5	1–3 (Explosive)

Hindu Push-Up

Hindu push-up is an advanced variation that combines the push-up and standing overhead press movements. However, it performs them with the head coming down to the floor instead of pressing up.

During these, you come down from an inverted V shape and bring your head through your arms. This provides more of a dynamic push-up challenge. 

The primary movers are the three heads of the pectoralis major muscle group. The triceps, glutes, and core muscles work as the secondary movers.

How To Do

1. Assume a kneeling position, placing your hands on the floor around shoulder-width apart. They should be facing slightly outwards.
2. Bring your legs back and come onto your toes. Walk your hands back to form an inverted V shape. Your hips should be up towards the ceiling. 
3. Inhale and engage your core. Exhale and bring your head down to the floor and through your arms. Your elbows should flex while your shoulders extend.
4. Extend your spine and elbows to bring your upper body up once your head passes your arms. 
5. Pause briefly at the top position. Inhale and perform the opposite movement to come back to the starting position.

Tips

• Ensure your hands are slightly pointed out to limit potential wrist stress.
• Keep your core engaged as you bring your head through your arms. This helps to maintain balance.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12+
Power Training	3–5	1–3 (Explosive)

Forearm Push-Up (Tricep Press)

Forearm push-ups use a similar movement to the traditional push-up. However, you come down onto your forearms using a narrower hand position. This provides an added challenge, requiring more tricep strength and core stability. 

The primary movers are the triceps brachii and pectoralis major heads. The core, anterior deltoids, and serratus anterior perform several important stabilizing roles.

How To Do

1. Assume a tabletop position on the floor. Use a padded area or mat if possible. 
2. With your hands directly under your shoulders, bring your feet straight back. 
3. Come onto the balls of your feet. Adjust your hands so they’re hip-width apart. 
4. Inhale and engage your core. Exhale and flex your elbows while keeping them close to your body. They should come directly back. 
5. Lower down to the floor, allowing your forearms to come down as far as possible. Pause briefly at the bottom position. 
6. Inhale and extend your elbows to come back to the starting position.

Tips

• Maintain a controlled movement pattern when coming down onto your forearms. This helps maintain stability.
• Keep your elbows tucked into your body at all times. This ensures targeted tricep activation.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12+
Power Training	3–5	1–3 (Explosive)

Spider Push-Up

The spider push-up is a dynamic variation that requires full-body coordination to perform correctly. Alongside the normal upper-body movement, the lower-body muscles work to bring the knees to the chest as you come down. This creates a spider-like position.

The primary movers are the pectoralis major and triceps brachii muscles. The core musculature, quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes perform secondary roles.

How To Do

1. Assume a normal push-up position using a padded area or gym mat. Your hands should be directly under your shoulders using a shoulder-width arm position. Ensure you’re on the balls of your feet with both legs extended. 
2. Inhale and engage your core. Exhale and flex your elbows to come down to the floor.
3. At the same time, drive one knee towards your chest. This should happen in sync with your arm movement. Alternate your knees with each rep.
4. Inhale and extend your elbows to return to the starting position under control.

Tips

• Make sure that your arms and knees move in sync throughout each repetition. This helps to keep balance and stability.
• Keep your elbows tucked in, allowing your knees to come close to them. This is the correct movement pattern.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12+
Power Training	3–5	1–3 (Explosive)

Grasshopper Push-Up

The grasshopper push-up uses a similar concept to the spider push-up variation. However, instead of bringing the knee outwards and towards the chest, it crosses under the body to the opposite side. This provides an additional core challenge. The closer arm position shifts exercise focus to the tricep brachii muscles. 

The primary movers are the triceps brachii, pectoralis major, and the core musculature. The serratus anterior, glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings act as secondary movers.

How To Do

1. Assume the same starting position as a normal push-up. Bring your hands in slightly so they’re hip-width apart. Keep a straight line from your heels to your head. 
2. Inhale and engage your core. Exhale and come down to the floor by flexing your elbows. Keep them tucked in throughout.
3. As you come to the floor, bring one leg in and through the midline of your body. Both movements should happen at the same time. Alternate your legs for each repetition.
4. Inhale and extend your elbows to come back to the starting position. Allow your leg to return to the same position.

Tips

• Keep a stable torso position as you drive each leg through your body. Avoid letting your torso excessively rotate to maintain balance.
• The arm and leg movements should be performed at the same time. Perform both of these using a controlled movement pattern.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12+
Power Training	3–5	1–3 (Explosive)

Archer Push-Up

The archer push-up is a challenging variation that involves a large lateral body movement. This brings the upper body side to side instead of up and down. By using a wide hand position, the body assumes an archer stance facing the floor. 

The pectoralis major muscles, triceps brachii, biceps brachii, and posterior deltoids perform the primary movement patterns. The anterior deltoids, serratus anterior, and core musculature act as secondary movers.

How To Do

1. Assume a normal push-up position. Your feet should be together in a straight line with your hands under your shoulders. Bring your arms out to the sides as wide as they can go. 
2. You should now be using an ultra-wide hand position. Keep the same leg position throughout.
3. Inhale and engage your core. Exhale and shift your upper body to one side, allowing your working elbow to flex while the other extends. 
4. Pause briefly at the bottom position. Inhale and come back to the middle position, allowing your elbows to perform the opposite movement. 
5. Shift to the other side using the same technique cues.

Tips

• Make sure that your hands are straight out to your sides rather than facing forward. This prevents wrist joint stress.
• Keep a neutral head position at all times. It should be facing the floor and move alongside your arm positions.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12+
Power Training	3–5	1–3 (Explosive)

Pseudo Planche Push-Up

The pseudo planche push-up is a demanding variation that forms a stepping stone between the normal push-up and full planche. Instead of the hands facing forward, they flare out with the arms closer to the torso. This means you need to support your full body weight.

The abdominal heads of the pectoralis major and core musculature function as the primary movers. The secondary movers include the triceps brachii, serratus anterior, anterior deltoids, and the other two pectoralis major heads.

How To Do

1. Assume a tabletop position. Your hands and knees should be resting on a mat or padded area.
2. Bring your hands out to your sides near your stomach. Your fingers should be pointing away from your body. Extend your arms while keeping your elbows tucked into your sides.
3. Inhale and engage your core. Bring both legs behind you to assume a plank position. There should be a straight line from your heels to your head. Exhale and slowly lower your body to the floor under control.
4. Pause briefly at the bottom position. Inhale and push back to the starting position by extending your elbows.

Tips

• Approximately 25% of all sports-related injuries involve the hands or wrists. Keep your elbows in to prevent hyperextending your wrists. 
• Ensure you extend your elbows fully at the top of the movement. This is the most challenging part for most lifters.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12+
Power Training	3–5	1–3 (Explosive)

Plyo Push-Up

Plyo push-up uses a similar concept to clap push-ups but without the clap. You push off the floor explosively, keeping your arms in the same position and bringing your hands off the floor. 

This provides a slightly easier plyometric exercise that develops dynamic strength and core stability. All you need is a suitable area and your body weight. 

The pectoralis major muscles and tricep brachii perform primary roles. Secondary movers include the anterior deltoids, core musculature, and forearm muscles.

How To Do

1. Assume a normal push-up position. Stack your shoulders over your hands and bring your legs back so you’re on the balls of your feet. Maintain a straight line from your heels to your head. 
2. Inhale and engage your core. Exhale and flex your elbows to lower your body to the ground. Pause briefly at the top position. 
3. Inhale and extend your elbows powerfully, bringing your hands off the floor. Maintain the same arm position, allowing your elbows to flex slightly to absorb the impact.

Tips

• Avoid letting your elbows fully extend as you absorb the impact. This helps to prevent possible elbow issues when resistance training. 
• Your hands should come back to the same position. This helps to maintain stability and balance.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12+
Power Training	3–5	1–3 (Explosive)

One-Arm Push-Up

The one-arm push-up is a challenging variation that takes the normal movement and performs it using one hand. This requires more pushing power and core stability. For these reasons, it’s an advanced exercise that should be performed once you’ve perfected the traditional push-up.

The primary movers include the pectoralis major muscles, triceps, and core musculature. The anterior deltoids and serratus anterior perform secondary roles. 

How To Do

1. Assume a normal push-up position using a mat or padded area. Your hands should be stacked under your shoulders. There should be a straight line from your heels to your head. 
2. Inhale and engage your core. Lift your left hand and bring it behind your body. Keep your core engaged to maintain balance. 
3. Exhale and bend your right elbow to lower your body to the ground under control. Pause briefly as you reach the bottom position. 
4. Inhale and extend your elbow to return to the starting position. 
5. Switch arms after performing the suggested repetitions.

Tips

• Engage your core throughout to ensure a balanced position. This is more challenging than a normal push-up.
• Keep your non-working hand tucked behind your back. This ensures a tight body position for added stability.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12+
Power Training	3–5	1–3 (Explosive)

Handstand Push-Up

The handstand push-up is one of the hardest push up variations you can perform. It requires you to push up against a wall with your legs in the air. This can help to build strength, increase muscular hypertrophy (muscle size), and improve shoulder stability. 

It works the three deltoid heads as the primary movers, with a main focus on the anterior heads. The clavicular heads, triceps, trapezius, and serratus anterior perform secondary roles.

How To Do

1. Locate a suitable wall with a large surface area. Check that the wall is well-built with no visible signs of damage.
2. Stand with your back facing the wall. Your body should be around 10 inches away.
3. Inhale and engage your core. Bend forward and place your hands on the ground in front of you. Kick one leg back onto the wall before following it with the other. 
4. Walk your hands back until you’re in a vertical position with your feet using the wall for support.
5. Exhale and bend your elbows to lower your body to the floor. Pause briefly before it touches the bottom position.
6. Inhale and extend your elbows to come back to the starting position.

Tips

• Use a weighted vest to increase the exercise difficulty. This means you’ll need to push more weight overhead.
• Use a slow and controlled movement pattern to maintain balance against the wall.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12+
Power Training	3–5	1–3 (Explosive)

What Muscles Do Push-Up Work?

The push-up movement pattern requires you to bring your body down to the floor under control by bending your elbows. To return to the starting position, your elbows extend. This movement pattern will vary slightly depending on the variation. 

Generally speaking, this means that your chest muscles, tricep muscles, and shoulder muscles will be the primary muscle groups involved. Your core and leg muscles will perform secondary roles depending on the variation.

Chest Anatomy And Function

Clavicular Head of Pectoralis Major

Muscles located at the top of your chest, running from your armpit to collar bone. Smaller portion of your chest muscle.

Sternal Head of Pectoralis Major

Large muscles located underneath your clavicle head. Makes up most of your chest area

Abdominal Head of Pectoralis Major

Muscles located at the bottom of your pectoral region, just above your abdominal muscles.

The pectoralis major is the largest and most superficial chest muscle. It can be defined as a thick, fan-shaped muscle group located at the front of the upper body. 

The pectoralis major can be split into three smaller muscle groups or heads. These are the clavicular head, sternal head, and abdominal head. Each differs in location and function.

The clavicular head, or upper chest, primarily flexes the arms. This means it brings them in front and above the body. The clavicular head will be more active in variations such as the handstand push-up.

The sternal head, or middle chest, adducts the arms. This means that it brings them closer to the midline of the body. During the push-up variations, the sternal heads are primarily involved in the pushing phase.

The abdominal head, or lower chest, works alongside the sternal head to adduct the arms. Its anatomy varies widely between individuals. It may also not be present in some people.

Triceps Anatomy And Function

Triceps Lateral Heads

Muscles located on the back of your arm between your shoulder and elbow.

Triceps Medial Heads

Small muscles located at the back of your arms. Deep to the triceps long heads between the shoulder and elbow.

Triceps Long Heads

Large muscles located at the back of your arms between your shoulder and elbow. Most outside portion of the tricep.

The triceps brachii muscles are a large muscle group located on the back of the upper arm. They make up two-thirds of the upper arm musculature. We can split the triceps into three smaller muscle groups — the lateral heads, medial heads, and the long heads.

The lateral heads are the outer parts of the triceps. They originate from the humerus, or upper arm, and insert into the ulna, or forearm. They’re only active during resistance and are the strongest of the three tricep heads. 

Their primary function is to perform elbow extension. This is where the angle between the forearms and upper arms gets bigger. Because of this, they’re heavily involved in the second part of the pushing phase or lockout. 

The medial heads, located under the lateral heads, are active in all forms of resistance. They also originate from the humerus and insert into the ulna. Because of this, they also extend the elbows as you push up.

Unlike the other two heads, the long heads originate from the scapula, or shoulder blades. They extend the elbows and help to stabilize the shoulder position during movement. 

Shoulder Anatomy And Function

Anterior Deltoid

Muscles located at the front of your shoulder region

Lateral Deltoid

Muscles located at the side of your shoulder which gives your shoulders a rounded appearance.

Posterior Deltoid

Muscles located at the back of your shoulder. Helps with posture.

The shoulders, or deltoids, can be split into three main muscle groups, or heads. These are the anterior deltoids, lateral deltoids, and posterior deltoids. Each varies in location and function.

The anterior deltoids, or front deltoids, originate from the clavicle, or collarbone, and insert into the humerus, or upper arm. Their primary function is to flex the shoulders, bringing them in front and above the body.

The medial deltoids, or side deltoids, sit between the anterior and posterior deltoids. They primarily function to abduct the arms, or bring them out from the midline of the body. Alongside this, they assist the anterior deltoids when flexing the shoulders.

During the push-up variations above, they help to abduct the arms slightly as you lower into the bottom positions. The degree of activation depends on the specific variation.

The posterior deltoids, or rear deltoids, are located at the back of the body. Their primary function is to extend the shoulders, bringing them behind the body.

How To Program Push-Ups Into Your Regimen

Push-ups are versatile bodyweight exercises requiring no equipment. Each of the variations above uses different movement patterns which changes the muscle activation and the benefits.

Here are some recommendations according to your ability level:

• As a beginner lifter, start with the incline push-up. The inclined position takes some of the exercise stress from your upper body, decreasing the difficulty. 
• As an intermediate lifter, try the clap push-up or Hindu push-up. Both of these variations take the traditional movement and increase the difficulty. 
• For advanced lifters, try the one-arm push-up or the handstand push-up. These variations provide a hard push-up challenge that requires strength and coordination. This provides a suitable exercise stimulus to increase muscular strength and improve muscle growth.  

Here are a few ways that you could program push-ups based on the target muscle groups:

• Home Bodyweight Workout — Because they require no equipment, each variation works well as a home bodyweight workout. Perform them alongside exercises such as mountain climbers and burpees for full-body conditioning.
• Circuit Training Session — Each of the push-up variations requires minimal setup time. This makes them great as part of a training circuit. Pair them with exercises such as bodyweight squats and high knees. 
• Bodybuilding Push Or Upper Workout — The primary movers are the chest, shoulders, and triceps. Therefore, they should be programmed as part of a push or upper-body workout. Include them as part of a 3-day workout split alongside the barbell bench press and barbell pullover. 

Conclusion

With its simple movement pattern, multiple push-up variations continue to be developed and widely adopted. They offer targeted focus on certain muscle groups or change the difficulty level.

Each of the 15 variations above offers something different when performed correctly. Whether you’re performing them as part of a push day workout or bodyweight circuit, each offers several benefits.

Have a go at them in your next training session and see which ones you like!