Push-Up Variations

The classic push-up procedure is in a prone position is with the body straight and hands shoulder-width apart. There are many other variations of the push-up, involving differences such as changing the hand position and the inclination of the body. We have listed over 35 push-up variations.

The involvement of the different muscle groups will change depending on the technique. For example, by positioning of the hands wider increases the use of chest muscles as opposed to arm muscles.

one handed push up

List of Variations

Knee Push-Up — push-up while resting on the knees. Also called the modified push-up or girls push-up.
Wall Push-Up — an easier push-up performed while standing and leaning forwards against a wall.
Incline Push-Up — the hands are positioned on an elevated platform so the body is inclined. A table or chair can be used. (table push-ups / chair push-ups)
Assisted Push-Up — an assistant helps the person perform the push-up.
One-arm Push-Up — placing one arm behind the back, so there is a greater workout for the supporting arm.
Close or narrow grip Push-Up — a normal push-up but with your hands close together underneath the chest.
Weighted push-ups — push-ups using any form of weight positioned on the upper back.
Handstand Push-up — push up and down while doing a handstand.
Diamond Cutter Push-Up — position your hands close together so your index fingers and thumbs make a diamond shape.
Knuckle Push-Up — push-up while the hands are making a fist with the intention to toughen the knuckles, wrist, and forearm in the punching position.
Finger-tip push-ups — most push-up variations can be performed using only the tips of the fingers and the thumb
Wide grip Push-Up — using a wider spacing of the hands, which works the chest and shoulders more.
Three phase push-ups — involve breaking a standard push up into three components, and doing each one slowly and deliberately.
Clap push-up — at the peak of the push-up, push yourself up off the ground and quickly clap in midair.
Single leg / Raised leg Push-Up — lift one leg up off the ground while doing the push-up. Switch legs for the next set.
Spiderman Push-Up — raise one knee toward the elbow of the same side as you rise. Switch knees with each rep
Decline Push-Up — the feet are placed on an elevated platform so the body is angled downwards from the feet to the hands.
Power Push-Up — press up to push the upper body off the ground with each repetition
Hand Release Push-Up — must take the weight off the hands when in the lowest position. An extension to this is the T-Push-up, in which the arms are moved out when in the down position to make a 'T' position of the body.
Planche push-ups — push-up using only hands, without resting the feet on the floor
Maltese push-up — the hands are placed further down towards the hips but with a wide distance between them.
Downward Dog (Hindu) Push-Up — starting from the downward dog yoga position (hands and feet on the floor with the posterior raised) and transitioning to a cobra pose position (the torso arched forwards and the legs close to the floor)
Guillotine push-up — the push-up done from an elevated position where the chest, head, and neck is lowered past the plane of the hands.
Medicine Ball Push-up — each hand is placed on a medicine ball
Backhanded push-up — push-ups performed using the back of the hands, rather than the palms.
Falling rebound push ups — from standing position fall to the ground and then using an explosive push-up push back to the standing position
360 push-up — a variation of the superman push-up where one rotates 360 degrees while in the air
Plyometric Push-Ups — the hands are placed on two raised platforms, then dropped to the ground to do an explosive push-up to return to the raised platform.
Aztec push-up — a more extreme plyometric push-up beginning in the normal push-up starting position, and pushing the entire body into the air. While in the air, the body is bent at the waist so the hands briefly touch the toes, then the body straightened and returned to the normal push-up position on the ground for another repetition.
Reversed Push-Up — the opposite of a regular push-up, position the body on the ground while facing upwards, and raise the chest by pushing the elbow into the ground. Alternatively, rest your elbows on elevated benches.
Pike Push-Up — with the hands and feet on the ground, the body is bent at the hips to form a V shape. Keeping this body position, bend the arms to press up and down. This is a progression for the handstand push-up.
Stacked Push-Up — one foot placed on top of the other, increasing the weight through the hands
Shoulder-Tap Push Up — at the top of the movement, quickly tap your shoulder with the hand on the opposite side, before returning your hand to the floor
Using blocks or handles to elevate the hands
Side-Push-Ups — lie on your side, and press up just the upper body.
Judo Push-Up — also called Hindu Push-up and Dive Bombers, the arms are extended, then the hips pushed up then down.
Asymmetrical Push-Up — the chest is not placed evenly between the hands.
Typewriter Push Up— in the down position, the upper body is moved side to side.

Resources

Description of the standard push-up technique
Push-up workouts

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