Different types of pushups

at 2:33 PM

As I have mentioned before pushups can singularly transform your upper body (providing you don't cancel their effect with a slice of chocolate cake on a daily basis...).



so here are some favorites of mine. The secret to doing pushups is DOING them consistently. It's an all or none kind of exercise, sort of like chinups. Try to do several sets of pushups several times a week and the more you do them the easier they will become for you. It just takes time



The most basic is of course the regular pushup with feet on the floor. If you are starting out, it may be difficult to keep your knees off the floor but with time and effort it will get easier. Start your pushups with your knees off the floor and do as many as you can in this position. Then go for the burn, bring your knees down on the floor and again do as many as you can.












The bench pushup as its name implies, your feet are elevated which will put much more emphasis on the shoulders. Keep your back straight through out the exercise and on the down phase get as close to the floor as you possibly can.

For me the most difficult pushup is the diamond pushup. For this exercise form is very important, so even if you can't go all the way down, it's OK. Make sure your body is pretty much parallel to the floor. This exercise is excellent for the triceps.

The dive-bomber pushup starts out with your rear end up higher than the rest of your body, you dive in towards the floor and finish your pushup and end the pushup with a yoga-like move as the picture demonstrates. This exercise also puts a lot of emphasis on the shoulders.

One of the most challenging types of pushups is keeping one leg off the floor through out the exercise. To make it even more difficult, you can bring your leg out to the side as well. This move really challenges the core (abdominals and back muscles).

Another difficult version of the pushup is the rotational or T-pushup. You basically start out with a regular pushup and once you finish with one, you turn with one arm straight up perpendicular to your body.



These are just a few samples of pushups. You can some of them with weights. As I will show you in a later blog. Try to do pushups on a daily basis!