30 Days Of Spider Push-Ups: Here’s How My Body Transformed

As I continue on my search to become stronger and more functional, finding versatile bodyweight exercises is a must. I’ve tended to focus more on strength-building push-up variations. Because of this, many of my recent challenges have used hybrid variations that develop my upper body and core.

With the success of my recent T push-up challenge, I wanted to build on my functional gains. As I grow older, I’m noticing that movement and function are two things I really need to prioritize. Therefore, my chosen exercise for this challenge is the spider push-up.

The spider push-up, or Spiderman push-up, is a dynamic variation designed to improve functional strength and core stability. The movement pattern combines a normal push-up movement with a spider-like leg drive. Here are my spider push-up benefits after performing them for a month. I also share my experience and general thoughts throughout the challenge.

Doing Spider Push-Ups Every Day For A Month — My Experience 

I’ll start with three sets of 20 repetitions and build from there. I’m familiar with the movement so I think this is a suitable starting point for implementing a push-up progression method.

Here’s the breakdown of my weekly experiences and thoughts throughout the challenge.

Week 1

As with most of my challenges, I like to spend the first week getting used to the movement. I’ve performed spider push-ups before, but not with this volume. Therefore, my aim for this week is to start with three sets of 20 repetitions.

As I mentioned above, I’ll perform one day on followed by one day off. Let’s see how I feel towards the end of the week. Following this, I’ll decide if to increase the volume.

I’ve made sure to perform a suitable warm-up before each session. This includes a quick bout of aerobic exercise followed by some dynamic stretches. This should prevent possible injury risks and prepare me for exercise.

At the midway point in week one, I’ve so far performed two sessions. I like the functional movement element that spider push-ups offer. They feel like a versatile strength and conditioning exercise that helps to burn more calories.

I’m pretty confident that I’ve got the general technique down. With the added rest days, I feel like I’ll be able to increase the volume in week two. 

With week one finished, I’m happy with my progress so far. My technique is good, the volume was a great starting point, and I’m enjoying the movement.

Week 2 

My aim for this week is to perform three sets of 30 repetitions. I’ve increased the repetitions by ten to progressively overload my training. I think this should be a manageable increase.

One thing I’m already noticing is the increased core challenge that spider push-ups offer. My core is working hard to maintain the straight body position as each knee comes to the side. While they look easy, they certainly are not when you actually do them.

At the end of week two, I’m glad I chose to use alternate days. Training volume is important and using more rest days has allowed me to increase it. The ten-repetition increase has been hard this week, but I’ve managed to complete it. 

One thing I struggle with is maintaining the correct head position. I naturally want to keep my head straight as I drive each knee forward because I’m used to this when performing other push-up variations.

Week 3 

I think the challenge is going well so far. Besides my head position, I’ve done a good job with the other technical elements. I’m using my balance and stability to ensure a fluid movement when driving each leg forward.

On that note, spider push-ups do provide a great balance and core stability challenge. My upper body is working hard to stay balanced as each leg comes forward. 

I’m also using my core a lot to maintain a straight body position. This should hopefully improve aspects of functional movement for my daily activity and sports.

I’ve chosen to keep the same volume for this week. I want to work on keeping the right head position before increasing it further. Even as a bodyweight movement, I think it offers the right training intensity to increase my full-body strength.

At the end of week three, I feel more confident in my head position. I’ve been mentally telling myself to remember to move it before each repetition. 

Week 4

It’s time to see if I can push the volume any higher. My aim for this week is to perform three sets of 35 repetitions. Even with my push-up experience, this is a high amount of training volume. 

Using the added rest days and splitting my sets throughout the day should help. If I notice any form deviations, I’ll stop what I’m doing and reassess. 

At the midway point in week four, I’m finding the increased volume much harder. It’s surprising that adding just five repetitions can change. Because of this, I’ve had to take a break towards the end of sets two and three. 

With week four finished, I can proudly say that I’ve completed another challenge. Overall, the dynamic movement is something I’ve enjoyed. I loved the combination of the push-up and leg drive together.

While I didn’t turn into Spiderman, I saw some noticeable improvements that will benefit me going forward!

Results And Key Changes

Here are the five main changes I experienced by the end of the challenge. Follow the correct technique cues and expert tips below to experience many of these for yourself!

My Full-Body Strength Improved

I really enjoy performing full-body strength exercises. Using harder push-up variations provides a great way to do this. At the start of the challenge, I was hoping it would be the same with the spider push-up.

Push-ups are well-known to improve muscle strength and thickness. Using progressive spider push-up training offers an excellent way to further enhance this. 

The harder movement pattern improved my full body strength while working on other dynamic aspects. The high training volume and movement pattern provided the right training intensity for me.

I Needed Better Core Engagement

In a previous challenge article, I looked at the benefits of doing push-ups every day for a week. During this, my core stability improved. Therefore, I was hoping that the harder movement and bigger volume would be even better for my core.

The dynamic movement and unstable nature required increased core engagement. I needed to focus on keeping a straight body position while moving my arms and legs together. At the end of the challenge, the increased core engagement improved my core stability.

This should benefit my performance in other exercises and daily movement. Because of this, I’ll try to perform more dynamic exercises in future challenges.

My Mobility And Flexibility Were Enhanced

Mobility and flexibility are two elements of physical fitness that I try to prioritize. I spend a lot of my time sitting when working. I also have lower back problems that sometimes cause me to experience mild back pain.

Calisthenics training has been shown to improve posture. Mobility and flexibility are two important components. Spider push-ups are a versatile calisthenics exercise that should also improve these. 

At the end of the challenge, my mobility and flexibility felt much better, especially in my hips. This improved my posture which should be good for my lower back pain. Therefore, I’ll be performing more spider push-ups going forward.

My Balance And Stability Got Better

Balance plays a vital role in everyday functional movement. It helps maintain the correct posture when performing daily activities. This ensures efficient movement patterns and reduces injury risk.  

Spider push-ups require more balance and stability compared to normal movement. While they look easy, moving your arms while driving each leg forward is quite challenging. 

Four weeks of dedicated training improved my balance and stability. I felt more confident that I could deal with the increased stability requirements as the challenge went on. This definitely benefitted my functional performance by the end of the challenge.

I Enjoyed The Boosted Calorie Burn

By 2050, the prevalence of overweight and obese children and adolescents is estimated to rise to 43.1 million. Performing exercises that offer an easy way to burn calories should be a vital part of your daily routine. 

If you’re wondering where to start, we’ve written an article on how many push-ups you should be able to do. This should provide a good starting point for a beginner if you want to exercise more.

The dynamic plyometric movement element of the spider push-up allowed me to burn more calories. Driving each leg forward while performing the normal push-up turned it into more of a hybrid conditioning exercise. Thus, spider push-ups are a great exercise to burn more calories and improve the general health of different populations.

How To Do A Spider Push-Up

How To Do

1. Assume a tabletop position on the ground. Your shoulder should be stacked over your hands with your knees hip-width apart. Use a mat or padded area if available.
2. Come into a high plank position. There should be a straight line from your head to your heels. Your elbows should be fully extended with your legs stretched behind you. 
3. Inhale and engage your core. Exhale and bend your elbows to lower to the ground. 
4. At the same time, drive one knee towards the same elbow. Turn your head so it’s looking toward the same knee. 
5. Pause briefly at the bottom position as your chest nears the ground. Your elbows should stay tucked in with your hands shoulder-width apart.
6. Inhale and straighten your elbows to come back to the starting position. At the same time, bring your working leg back to the starting position. 

Tips

• The elbow bend and knee drive should be done using one fluid movement pattern. Allow them to move at the same time during each repetition. 
• Avoid overextending your knee at the bottom position. It should reach a 90-degree angle. This helps to keep a balanced exercise position.
• Focus on engaging your core throughout the movement. This increased mind-muscle connection ensures stability and improves muscular hypertrophy.
• Allow your head to turn towards the same working side. This ensures correct muscle focus and limits potential neck strain. 

Final Thoughts

With the challenge finished, I can safely say spider push-ups are an excellent variation that develops multiple fitness components. I enjoyed performing them and was impressed with how much more functional I felt after four weeks.

If you’re looking for a challenging bodyweight exercise, try the spider push-up. Perform it for a whole month and you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the benefits. Have a go at the challenge for yourself using my guide and expert tips!

Frequently Asked Questions