Introduction
Pushups are one of the best exercises you can do to build muscle and strength. They work your arms, shoulders and chest muscles, as well as your abs, back and legs. Pushups also help improve balance and coordination, which is especially important for sports players.
So if pushups are so great for building muscle, why not do just one type of pushup? Well—like many things in life—variety is the spice of life when it comes to exercise. There are numerous different types of pushups that will help you achieve different results from your workout sessions: some focus on chest muscles or triceps; others target your shoulders or core strength; or they may even improve endurance by increasing stamina over time. By trying out different variations on this classic exercise form today, you'll find within a few weeks or months that all these benefits have combined into one amazing physique!
The Plyometric Pushup
Plyometric pushups are just like regular pushups, only with a twist. You can think of plyometric pushups as the upper-body equivalent of squats because they stimulate muscle growth in much the same way—by forcing more blood into the muscles during their workout than usual.
To perform an explosive plyometric pushup, start by placing your hands on the floor slightly wider than shoulder width apart and get into a plank position—a straight line from head to ankles with no sagging in between. Bend your elbows 90 degrees so that they almost touch your sides and lower yourself until they're parallel to the floor while keeping both shoulders squeezed back together (this helps prevent injury). Then drive up off of both hands as hard as you can until they're again at shoulder width apart before repeating for 10–12 repetitions per set three times per week for best results!
How does this type of pushup benefit muscle growth? Because each time you descend toward Earth in a controlled manner before forcefully pushing off again, it causes an increase in power production from working muscles like triceps brachii (the back part of arm), pecs major (the biggest chest muscle), abs obliques (the outermost belly button), lats (the big wings on either side) and hamstrings iliopsoas complex—all important components for gaining lean mass!
The Chest-to-Bar Pushup
The chest-to-bar pushup is a classic bodyweight exercise that works the chest, shoulders and triceps. To perform this variation of the pushup, you can either use a bar or bench—or even just the floor if you’re looking for something more challenging.
This exercise requires strength and balance so it should be done only if you have mastered regular pushups first. Begin by getting into position on your knees with your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart under a bar or other secure object (such as a sturdy table). Place your feet flat on the floor or on top of something stable that will not slide under you (like large phone books).
Keeping your back straight throughout this movement, slowly lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the floor—make sure not to let them drop below parallel or extend past it at any point during movement! Then return back up until everything returns to its starting position for one complete rep.
The Clap Pushup
The Clap Pushup
This is a plyometric exercise that requires you to use your arms and legs to lift your body. You can do it with or without weights. You can also do them on the floor or on a bench.
The Diamond Pushup
With the diamond pushup, you're going to be putting a lot of stress on your chest and shoulders. The diamond shape is achieved by turning your hands inward so that your thumbs are facing each other. This makes for an extremely intense workout for those muscles. The main benefits of this exercise include:
- Developing strength in the chest and shoulders
- Overall strengthening of upper body muscles
The diamond pushup can be modified in several ways, depending on what kind of resistance you need to make it more challenging:
- Perform these while holding dumbbells or weight plates behind your head at arms length; this makes it easier because it will take some weight off the effort needed from the muscles involved in performing each rep
- You can also perform these with one hand at a time (like shown above), which will further increase overall resistance
The Elevated Hand Pushup
The elevated hand pushup is a great variation of the standard pushup, as it changes the angle at which your arms are able to perform the exercise. The elevated hand pushup is one of the best ways to build up strength in your shoulders and upper back, plus it improves overall arm strength by focusing on the triceps and biceps muscles.
There are many different options for how you can do an elevated hand pushup, including:
- On a bench or table (to change it up)
- On a chair (for convenience)
- Near weights that allow you to use dumbbells or barbells as handles (allowing for greater variety)
- On dip bars (again allowing for greater variety)
The benefits of an elevated hand pushup include increased intensity, more resistance due to gravity’s pull being harder on your body weight when they're higher off the ground; increased versatility with different exercises possible depending on where you place yourself during this exercise; improved core stability because there's less strain put on joints when using this method instead of traditional ones like flat ground variations
The Suspended Pushup
The suspended pushup is a great way to target your core, shoulders and upper body. It works the same muscle groups as a regular pushup, but with an added element of instability.
This exercise forces you to use stabilizer muscles in your abs and obliques, as well as other muscles in your chest and arms. The suspended pushup also helps improve shoulder mobility and muscle endurance.
To do this move: Put two chairs or benches about 3 feet apart from each other on the ground; get into plank position between them; grip one bench with each hand (or hold onto two chairs); lower yourself until your chest touches the floor beneath you; press back up into plank position again; repeat for 10-15 reps per set
The Spiderman Pushup
The Spiderman Pushup is a variation of the regular pushup that focuses on the triceps and shoulder muscles. This exercise can be done at home or in any gym, as long as you have a bench or sturdy chair to rest your weight on. To perform this move, follow these steps:
- Start out by lying flat on your stomach with your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart and directly beneath the shoulders. Place your feet close together, but not touching one another (a distance of about 12-18 inches apart). Make sure that the toes are pointing forward so they do not interfere with each other while doing this exercise. 2) Bend both knees so they are bent 90 degrees at first, then bend them again until they're fully extended; keep this position as you proceed through all remaining steps 3) Lower yourself down slowly toward the floor until almost all air has escaped from within your lungs (keep an eye on how far away from the floor you are), then exhale completely before pushing back up again 4)...
The Diver Pushup
The Diver Pushup is a great way to work your core and triceps.
To do the Diver Pushup:
- Start in a pushup position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your feet together. Keep your body straight and aligned throughout the movement. Do not let your hips sag or rise higher than the plane of your shoulders or head throughout this exercise, as this will put extra stress on the low back and neck muscles.
- Lower down until there is 90 degrees between our waist (hip) joint and forearm when viewed from above, then raise back up again until arms are fully extended overhead.
The T-Pushup
The T-pushup is a variation of the regular pushup, in which your hands are placed farther apart and form a triangle shape. This will help strengthen your core and increase the difficulty of this exercise.
To do this pushup, place your hands on the floor, shoulder width apart (or as close as you can get). Your body should form a T shape, with arms straightened out and legs together. Do not let your hips sag when performing this exercise!
The Archer Pushup
The archer pushup is very similar to the standard pushup, but it has three distinct advantages:
- It allows you to use more weight in your exercise routine
- It can help improve your posture if done with proper form
- You do not have to worry about getting back up on your feet after doing this exercise
The archer pushup also has two disadvantages:
- It can be difficult for people with tight shoulders or wrists due to their range of motion (ROM) being limited
You'll achieve a variety of muscle gains by doing different types of pushups.
The pushup is a classic exercise that can help you achieve a variety of muscle gains by doing different types of pushups. The pushup works your chest, shoulders and triceps, but there are many variations to change the emphasis on different muscles.
Choose hand position: You can modify this exercise by changing your hand positions. Wide-hand pushups put more emphasis on your triceps and outer shoulders (the infraspinatus and teres minor), while close-hand pushups target more biceps brachii and middle deltoid muscles in the top half of your arm.
Use a bench or step: This modification makes it easier to do additional repetitions without having to come up as high from the floor each time; however, it also limits how far you will lower yourself down between sets because there is less room for error if you get tired before finishing them all off!
Conclusion
In conclusion, we hope that this article has helped you get a better understanding of the many different types of pushups and their effects on muscle gain. By doing these different types of pushups, you'll be able to achieve a variety of muscle gains and work on your overall strength.
