12 Variations of Push Up

Classic Push Up

Balance your weight on your toes and palms, with your hands a comfortable distance apart, probably just beyond shoulder-width. Your body should form a straight line from your ankles to your head. Squeeze your glutes and brace your abdominals, and keep them that way for the duration of the exercise. Slowly lower yourself to the floor, pause, and push yourself back up. Repeat a few hundred times - menshealth.com

Rotational Push Up

Assume the classic pushup position, but as you come up, rotate your body so your right arm lifts up and extends overhead. Your arms and torso should form a T. Return to the starting position, lower yourself, then push up and rotate till your left hand points toward the ceiling - menshealth.com

Diamond Push Up

 
Plank

Lie facedown, rest your weight on your forearms and toes, tuck your hips, and hold your body in a straight line from ankles to shoulders for 5 seconds. Do a total of 10 5-second holds - menshealth.com

 

Barbell Push Up

Get into the classic pushup position with your hands on a barbell (the kind that can roll away if you don't keep it steady). Knock out the pushups, but not yourself—keep in mind that one slip can send you crashing teeth-first into the floor - menshealth.com

 

 

Walking Push Up

Set up in the classic pushup position on a smooth floor, and place your feet on a towel. Walk with
your hands across the room, turn, and walk back. Keep your back flat throughout the movement - menshealth.com

 

Plyometric Push Up

Set up in the classic position on a well-padded carpet or exercise mat. Push up hard enough for your hands to come off the floor and catch some air. When you hit the floor, go immediately into the next repetition, pushing up again as hard as you can and catching more air - menshealth.com

Chain Push Up

Wrap a pair of straps (or chains) around a chinup bar or the crossbar of a power rack. At the
bottom, the straps should be about 12 inches off the floor. Attach gymnastics-type rings (or a straight bar) to the ends of the straps. Grab the rings and do pushups, being careful to protect your lower back by keeping your core and glutes tight—as you should when you do any variation of the pushup - menshealth.com

Decline Push Up

A decline push up is a variation of the basic push up that increases the difficulty significantly by placing your feet higher than your hands. Adjusting the bench height allows you to customize the intensity of your workout using just your body weight.

 

Thigh Slap Push Up

This push-up is a mix between a traditional one and a one-handed push-up. As you come up, slap your left thigh with your left hand. Do it in one fluid motion, and then descend again. Now try it with your right side. The key is to be able to do these quickly and smoothly. As you get more adventurous, you can try jumping your back feet off the ground at the same time.

Clap Push Up

The clapping push-up is a plyometric exercise that builds explosive power in the upper body. It targets fast-twitch muscles, which are responsible for producing short bursts of power. You have to do the exercise as explosively as you can in order to recruit the fast-twitch fibers and increase power. Athletes that use their upper body, such as baseball and volleyball players, can use clapping push-ups to help improve sport performance.

 

 

One Arm Push Up