Workout Of The Month: Different Types Of Push Ups

What comes to your mind when you hear the word push up? In simple terms if we see – it is a normal warm up exercise that is generally done pre-workout. But, that is just half the truth. There is a bigger picture when it comes to push ups. If one wants, he/she can do different push up variations for muscle strength, flexibility, power, and much more than just a basic warm up.

Push Ups

Every person who works out, has a different reason to do so. Some want to build up stamina and flexibility for a certain sports activity, while others might be looking at strength, power and muscle building as their goal. There are different types of push ups that can help a person meet their required fitness and bodybuilding goals. All a person needs to know is how to do a push up. This includes:

• The position of hands, legs, feet etc
• The control on breathing
• The correct bodily movement knowledge
• The number of reps and rest to be taken between sets
• Body angle required – Inclined, declined or otherwise depending on the type of push ups

Always remember to not only do a push up in a proper way but also to do it as per your body’s limit. After all it’s an exercise to stay fit and not an act of heroism to impress someone. There are various push up variations that can increase or decease the level of difficulty. But the sensible thing to do is to perform the push up variations that you require or can do without causing any injury to your body. Always consult a fitness/gym coach in case of any doubts.

Now let’s have a look at different types of push ups one can perform according to his/her fitness needs or bodybuilding requirements.

Different Types Of Push Ups

Narrow-Grip Push Ups
Target Area – Triceps

Method – With hands spread at a closer distance under your chest, perform a normal push up. The short distance between hands ensures good workout for the triceps area of the body.

Wide-Grip Push Ups
Target Area – Chest

Method – Go into a normal push up position with your hands spread wider than the shoulder length. This is a bit harder than the standard push up style but has a good effect on your chest area.

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Front Clap Push Ups
Target Area – Chest 

Method – Want to workout hardcore military style? Then this is the push up variation to go for. If doing it for the first time, it is advisable to do under supervision. You would need to push your body upwards in a way to clap your hands in front of your chest. Then you come down, and repeat the push up. Another variation of this push up exercise is the Behind-the-back Clap Push Ups, which can be even harder than this one.

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One-Arm Push Ups
Target Area – Chest and Arms

Method – This push up type is not an easy task to do. It requires good arm strength and stamina. Keep one arm in push up position while the other is placed behind the lower back. Keep your feet wider than you would in a normal push up position. This will give you a stable base to perform the push up.

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Superman Push Ups
Target Area – Abs and Lower Back Muscles

Method – This explosive push up style is the God of all push up variations. This intense push up variation can strengthen your core, lower back and other muscles involved. Difficult push up types like Clap Push Ups might seem way easier if you can do Superman Push Ups. Take expert guidance for this push up, as it is one of the most difficult push up variations.

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Here’s a quick look on how to do it:

1.    Lie down on your stomach
2.    Extend your arms in front of you
3.    The hands should be placed shoulder-width apart
4.    Set your palms and toes against the floor (with your arms and legs fully extended)
5.    With a push from your palms and and toes from the floor, lift your torso and thighs off the floor.
6.    Hold, go back downwards towards the floor in a controlled manner, and repeat.
7.    Ensure to take a big breath in and squeeze your abs tightly and then go for the rep. This will help stabilize your spine during this intense push up exercise and prevent the spine from arching inward.

There are many other different push up types that can be very helpful to strengthen different parts of your body. Some other useful push up styles include – Spiderman Push Ups, Diamond Push Ups Staggered Push Ups, Incline and Decline Push Ups, T Push Ups, Finger Tip and Claw Push Ups and lots more…

So, these were our top 5 different push up types for your complete body workout and fitness requirements.

Want to know more about any particular Push Up types or have any other related question or query, please go to our Q&A section. You can also drop your comments in the Comments Section at the end of this blog. We would love to hear from you.