Top 5 Push-up Variations
Oh the internet. Great for education, misinformation, cat videos, causing a disturbance in the force, and videos of people challenging people to do push-ups.
So. Many. Pushups.
I’m not fussing, I enjoy seeing people do the fitness. Regardless, It is always nice to vary those ‘gram posts with a little bit of flavor ;)
So here’s (my personal) Top 5 Push-Up Variations and cheers to more insta-variety!
1. The Push-up
When done right, nothing replaces the classic push up.
The triceps and pectorals will be the dominant prime movers while the rest of your body benefits from adequate core stabilization training.
The push-up breakdown:
Regardless of what push-up variation you go for, here are some fundamentals that should go into every push-up…every. single. one.
Begin in a high plank with a neutral spine, chin tucked, and activated shoulder blades- pressing your spine toward the ceiling (aka scapular protraction).
As you descend your torso toward the ground, your elbows will bend and your shoulder blades will retract toward the middle of your spine. Keep your chin tucked and core engaged (by pushing your RIB CAGE toward your hips like an ab-crunch) to keep a neutral spine.
Your elbows and shoulder blades should move at the same rate so that at the bottom of the movement your elbows are at 90 degrees and your shoulder blades are pinched against the middle part of your spine (scapular retraction).
As you press your torso back up into a high plank, your elbows will again straighten at the same rate that your shoulder blades push away from your spine (protract). Keep your chin tucked and core engaged (even squeeze your butt!) to keep a neutral spine.
Repeat!
2. Hands Elevated Push-Ups
Just one step easier that the classic push up, the hands elevated push-up is my second favorite variation because of its versatility.
Find yourself stuck doing push-ups on your knees? Probably because you are lacking the core strength and stability you would gain from being in the High Plank position. By raising your hands on a bench, box, or other comfortable surface you take some weight off of your arms, but add in the core stability.
To add to the versatility, hands elevated push-ups are a great for…
Scapular re-patterning drill for advanced athletes
Senior clients
Folks returning to exercise from elbow/shoulder injury
Pregnant folks looking for arm gains
For anyone who looks like a jellyworm on the floor while doing a “push-up”
3. Archer Push-ups
Ahhh gotta love me some 1-Arm push-up training. These would be my #1 fav, but that didn’t seem appropriate seeing as they are HARD.
If you are advanced enough to do the archer push-up, you’ll find that it engages your core similarly to climbing. If you’re a climber, you’ll be psyched to know that these are an EXCELLENT drill for training press strength!
4. Wide Push-Ups
Not as difficult as archer push-ups, but definitely their next best rival in this top 5 set. Your pectorals take the prime mover spot unlike the classic push-up, where the pectorals and triceps are more evenly matched.
You’ll find though that this can be a tricky variation if you have tight pectorals or a weak-sauce core. Play around with how wide you want to go with these, but generally a hand width outside of your shoulder width qualifies as “wide enough”.
5. Close Push-ups
Last but not least is the infamous close push-up! Slightly easier than the wide push-up, this variation will mainly target the triceps. Careful though, it is easy to sink your hips and shoulder blades into poo-poo positions on this one.
If you’re feeling strong I recommend pairing wide push-ups and close push-ups into a 3x10 compound set.
