Posts Tagged ‘pushup variations’
When I posted my Push-up variation post a little while back, I should have included Hindu push-ups. Hindu pushups are a fantastic exercise that are a little more challenging than the normal push-up. Hindu push-ups are a much more dynamic exercise.
Not only do they work your chest but they work your shoulders and triceps as well. I am sure others may be different but they tire me out much quicker than regular push-ups. Regular push-ups do not necessarily get my heart rate up but Hindu push-ups do. They can be used as a conditioning exercise and not merely a strength building exercise.
So how do you perform them? Here is how you perform Hindu pushups:
- From a standing position with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders place your palms flat on the floor several feet in front of your feet. Your feet should also be wider than your shoulders. Your arms and legs should be straight. You should in essence look like a giant inverted V.
- Without bending your legs lower your upper body towards the floor in sort of a swooping motion. You want to get as close to the ground as possible (nearly grazing your nose on the floor). As you swoop through you will begin to push your upper body back up into and upward dog (for all you yoga fans) position. Once you have reached this position, return to the original starting position. You do not swoop down through on the way back to the starting position. That would be known as a dive bomber push-up (another great exercise).
I would shoot for 3 sets of 15 – 20 reps to start. If you find this easy then increase the reps. Enjoy.
One of the greatest bodyweight exercises is the push-up. This is just the beginning of the quality content that I will be providing on this website. I hope this is of help to you. I want to thank my son for being my guinea pig and allowing me to take pictures of him.
Below you will find video for a number of different types of push-ups. If you use your imagination you could probably come up with a few other variations. Please make sure that you do your push-ups with good form. Good form would include a straight back and your head up and looking forward. Do not rush them. Perform them generally with a 1-0-1 count. That would mean taking 1 second to lower, no pause at the bottom and 1 second to raise back to the starting position. If you want a little more of a challenge them perform them with a 2-0-1 count.
Standard Push-Up
The standard push-up is a great exercise for developing the chest.
httpv://www.youtube.com/v/If7E4tzhvlE
Close Grip Push-Up
The close grip push-up will work the inner portion of the chest more and will give your triceps more of a workout.
One Arm Push-Up
The one arm push-up is really a test of strength. Spread your legs apart for this exercise since you will probably need the wider base to keep your balance.
Feet Elevated Push-Up
This push-up will work the upper portion of your chest to a greater degree.
Triangle Push-Up
To perform a triangle push-up form a triangle with your hands. Your hands should be located a little more forward than they would be for a standard push-up. When you descend place your nose or your chin inside of the triangle.
Triangle Push-Up Hand Position
Push-Up with Clap
This is an explosive movement. You need to provide a lot of upward force so as to be able to get your hands back into position so that you don’t crush your face on the ground. Do not perform these to exhaustion as it could cause injury to you if you are unable to get your hands back into position.
Twist Push-Up
This push-up works on core stability as well.
Push-Up on Ball
This is similar to a close grip push-up. I would recommend performing it on a medicine ball. My son is performing it on a homemade medicine ball but I would use one that is completely round since it forces you to stabilize while doing the push-up
Push-Up with Handles
Push-Up Handle
Push-ups with handles are more difficult. The hand position is slightly different than a normal push-up creating a slightly different stress on the chest. The handles being used are homemade. I will include a post in the next day or so describing how I made them.
Push-Up with Dumbbell
You can also perform the exercise above with dumbbells. It will have the same effect although the push-up handles will probably give you a little bit more of a stretch for your chest since they are slightly higher.
Push-Up with Dumbbell Row
I love this exercise. It will quickly wear you out. You will need a little wider base with your feet to perform it. Try it out, I think you will like it as much as I do.
Push-Up with One Leg Elevated
This is also an exercise that works on your core stability.
Plyometric Push-Up
This is another explosive exercise that will give you a great workout. It requires quite a bit of strength to perform many of them.
Push-Up with Added Weight
If a standard push-up becomes too easy for you then you can add extra weight. Here my son is performing a standard push-up with a 45 lb weight on his back.
Push-Up with Swiss Ball
My swiss ball was kind of flat. Make sure yours has more air. I included this video for a good laugh. I made my son laugh while trying to perform the exercise and you can see the result. This exercise requires great stability strength.
Push-Up on Fists
Here is a picture where a standard push-up is done on the fists.
Push-Up on Fists
Push-Up with Hold
A great and exhausting exercise is to perform a push-up with a 5 – 10 second hold at the bottom or at the midway point.
