4 Push-Up Variations to Pump Up Your Workout
When you drop down to a push-up in your workout circuit, are you really thinking about what you’re doing? You’ve probably been pumping through the bodyweight staple for years, so it’s easy to think you know just about everything about the exercise. It is pretty simple, after all—what you’re doing is literally in the name.
But there’s more nuance to the move than just hitting the ground and pushing off. Your body position is essential to get the most out of the push-up. But ultimately, form when doing the exercise is just as important, according to trainer Charlee Atkins, C.S.C.S.
“Let’s talk about the goal of a push-up,” she says. “The perfect push-up isn’t doing the most reps. A perfect push-up is lowering all the way down and then extending all the way back up to the starting position.”
Atkins notices that sometimes, people commonly skip out on that form and care for speed and brute strength.
Atkins suggests that rather than pumping out reps thinking this will get you the most out of your workout, you should instead try to vary the intensity of your push-ups by adding elements of instability and movement. This four-move series gives you an opportunity to do just that, with three challenging push-up variations and one regression.
A post shared by Charlee Atkins (@charleeatkins) on Sep 30, 2019 at 7:10am PDT
Perform each variation for 10 reps.
Hands Elevated Push-Up
Iso Push-Up Hold
Lateral Walk and Push-Up
Push-Up and Shoulder Tap
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You can insert these variations into your workouts in place of standard push-ups, or you can take them on as a series, performing 3 to 4 rounds through the whole set.
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