This post will show you exactly how to become a PUSH UP expert.

We analyzed 1 million Google results to find the best push up variations for beginners.

Including:

• Beginner push ups
• Decline push ups
• Explosive push ups
• And a bonus video…

So if you want to go from PUSH UP rookie to PUSH UP pro, these 17 great push up variations will help you build a bigger chest.

Let’s get started.

• How Many Repetitions For Push Ups?
• 1. Regular Push Up Variations
• 2. Decline Push Up Variations
• 3. Explosive Push Up Variations
• 4. Video Bonus: Common Push Up Mistakes By The Bar Brothers

How Many Repetitions For Push Up?

What is the ideal amount of repetitions?

How many to build muscle? How many to build strength?

According to research by the Journal of Strength and Conditioning, you can build muscle with various repetition ranges.

You can build muscle with up to 30 reps.

The total amount of sets per week seems to have more benefit at 10+ than <10 sets.

And increasing your resistance is better for strength, while increasing your reps is better for endurance. 

What does that mean for you?

Specifically, it means you need to do about 10 sets over an entire week for a given exercise and within those sets do 1-30 reps.

When it comes to calisthenics training, this practically means:

• you choose a push up variation;
• and do this variation for 8-12 reps;
• over 3-5 sets;
• with 60-90 seconds of rest between sets.

Now, let’s take a look at those variations.

Regular Push Up Variations

First, we looked at regular variations, which contain the push ups you most likely already know.

1. Incline Push Up

Level: Rookie

Main muscle group: Chest

Additional groups: Shoulders, Triceps

1. Look for a bench or a bar where you can hold an incline position (the higher the easier).

2. Stretch your legs, make sure only your toes and the balls of your feet touch the ground.

3. Straighten your body by contracting your ab muscles.

4. Look straight in front of you at a fixed point.

5. Bring your chest down to the bench/bar/wall by bending your elbows as you inhale.

6. Push yourself up and straighten your arms as you exhale.

2. Push Up Hold

Level: Rookie

Main muscle group: Abs, Chest

Additional groups: Shoulders, Triceps

1. First, place your hands flat on the ground at shoulder width or at wide push up width.

2. Stretch your legs, make sure only your toes and the balls of your feet touch the ground.

3. Straighten your body by contracting your ab muscles (make sure you do this well or you will injure your back).

4. Look straight in front of you at a fixed point.

5. Hold this position for as long as you want. The longer the more difficult.

6. Keep inhaling and exhaling in this position until you push yourself up again.

3. Regular Push Up

Level: Rookie

Main muscle group: Chest

Additional groups: Shoulders, Triceps

1. First, place your hands flat on the ground at shoulder width.

2. Stretch your legs, make sure only your toes and the balls of your feet touch the ground.

3. Straighten your body by contracting your ab muscles (make sure you do this well or you will injure your back).

4. Look straight in front of you at a fixed point.

5. Bring your chest down to the ground by bending your elbows at approximately 90 degrees as you inhale.

6. Push yourself up and straighten your arms as you exhale.

4. Diamond Push Up

Level: Semi-pro

Main muscle group: Chest

Additional groups: Triceps, Shoulders

1. Put your hands at shoulder width just as you would with a regular push up, while you are on your knees.

2. Bring your hands towards the center, until the tips of your index finger and thumb touch, creating a diamond.

3. Now take a push up position, while holding the diamond form with your hands by lifting your knees of the ground and stretching your back.

4. Contract your abs and back muscles to hold a straight form.

5. Bend your elbows as you would with a normal push up until your chest touches the diamond.

6. Push yourself up in straight form, if you are unable to keep your back straight you need to practice your normal push ups more.

5. Close Hands Push Up

Level: Semi-pro

Main muscle group: Chest

Additional groups: Triceps, Shoulders

1. Put your hands at shoulder width just as you would with a regular push up, while you are on your knees.

2. Bring your hands towards the middle, until the tips of your thumbs touch each other.

3. Now take a push up position, while holding the thumbs together with your hands by lifting your knees off the ground and straightening your back.

4. Contract your abs and back muscles to hold a straight form.

5. Bend your elbows as you would with a normal push up until your chest touches your hands.

6. Push yourself up in straight form, if you are unable to keep your back straight you need to practice your normal push ups more.

6. Wide Push Up

Level: Semi-pro

Main muscle group: Chest

Additional groups: Triceps, Shoulders

1. First place your hands flat on the ground just as you would with a regular push up, but now place your hands half an arms length wider.

2. Stretch your legs, make sure only your toes and the balls of your feet touch the ground.

3. Straighten your body by contracting your ab muscles (make sure you do this well or you will injure your back).

4. Look straight in front of you at a fixed point.

5. Bring your chest down to the ground by bending your elbows at approximately 90 degrees as you inhale.

6. Push yourself up and straighten your arms as you exhale.

7. Superman Push Up Hold

Level: Pro

Main muscle group: Chest

Additional groups: Triceps, Shoulders

1. First place your hands flat on the ground just as you would with a regular push up, but now place your hands half an arms length more in front of you.

2. Stretch your legs, make sure only your toes and the balls of your feet touch the ground.

3. Straighten your body by contracting your ab muscles.

4. Hold this position for time.

8. One Arm Push Up

Level: Pro

Main muscle group: Chest, Core

Additional groups: Shoulders, Triceps

1. First, place your hands flat on the ground at shoulder width.

2. Stretch your legs, make sure only your toes and the balls of your feet touch the ground.

3. Straighten your body by contracting your ab muscles (make sure you do this well or you will injure your back).

4. Look straight in front of you at a fixed point.

5. Shift the weight to one arm and slowly lower yourself until you bring your chest to the floor.

6. Exhale as you push yourself up.

Decline Push Up Variations

Then, we selected push us that use a simple trick to become much harder:

They use gravity to increase the amount of resistance you feel.

How?

By placing either your feet on a higher surface or by changing the angle of the hips.

9. Decline Push Ups

Level: Semi-pro

Main muscle group: Chest

Additional groups: Shoulders, Triceps

1. Look for a bench or a bar where you can hold a decline position (the higher the more difficult).

2. Put your feet on the bar/bench/wall.

3. Straighten your body by contracting your ab muscles. Which is really key in this exercise and quite difficult, pay special attention to this (make sure you do this well or you will injure your back).

4. Look straight in front of you at a fixed point.

5. Bring your chest down to the bench/bar/wall by bending your elbows as you inhale.

6. Push yourself up and straighten your arms as you exhale.

10. Higher Decline Push Ups

Level: Semi-pro

Main muscle group: Chest, Traps

Additional groups: Shoulders, Triceps

1. Look for a bench or a bar where you can hold a decline position (the higher the more difficult).

2. Put your feet on the bar/bench/wall.

3. Straighten your body by contracting your ab muscles. Which is really key in this exercise and quite difficult, pay special attention to this (make sure you do this well or you will injure your back).

4. Look straight in front of you at a fixed point.

5. Bring your chest down to the bench/bar/wall by bending your elbows as you inhale.

6. Push yourself up and straighten your arms as you exhale.

11. Hindu Push Up

Level: Semi-pro

Main muscle group: Chest, Traps

Additional groups: Shoulders, Triceps

1. First, place your hands flat on the ground just as you would with a regular push up.

2. Stretch your legs, make sure only your toes and the balls of your feet touch the ground.

3. Now move your head forward as far as you can and up until you find yourself in an arch.

4. Slowly start bringing your head back as close to the ground hands as possible.

5. Push all the way up until you reach a piked position as you exhale.

12. Pike Push Up

Level: Semi-pro

Main muscle group: Chest, Traps

Additional groups: Shoulders, Triceps

1. First, place your hands flat on the ground just as you would with a regular push up.

2. Walk your legs towards your hands until you reach a pike position.

3. Now slowly lower your head until you touch the ground.

4. Push all the way up until you reach a piked position as you exhale.

13. Pike Push Up Elevated

Level: Semi-pro

Main muscle group: Chest, Traps

Additional groups: Shoulders, Triceps

1. Look for a bench or a bar where you can hold a decline position (the higher the more difficult).

2. First, place your hands flat on the ground just as you would with a regular push up.

3. Walk your legs towards your hands until you reach a pike position.

4. Now slowly lower your head in front of your hands until you touch the ground.

5. Push all the way up until you reach a piked position as you exhale.

14. Handstand Push Up

Level: Pro

Main muscle group: Chest

Additional groups: Shoulders, Triceps

1. Find a wall where you can hold a handstand position.

2. Kick your feet against the wall.

3. Straighten your body by contracting your ab muscles. Which is really key in this exercise and quite difficult, pay special attention to this (make sure you do this well or you will injure your back).

4. Look at the ground.

5. Bring your head to the floor by bending your elbows as you inhale.

6. Push yourself up and straighten your arms as you exhale.

Explosive Push Up Variations

Next, we selected push us that require explosive power to launch you into the air.

Instead of using more resistance, increasing the explosiveness of the contraction.

How?

15. Clap Push Up

Level: Semi-pro

Main muscle group: Chest

Additional groups: Shoulders, Triceps

1. First, place your hands flat on the ground at shoulder width.

2. Stretch your legs, make sure only your toes and the balls of your feet touch the ground.

3. Straighten your body by contracting your ab muscles (make sure you do this well or you will injure your back).

4. Look straight in front of you at a fixed point.

5. Bring your chest down to the ground by bending your elbows at approximately 90 degrees as you inhale.

6. Now push yourself up as hard as you can, allowing your hands to release from the grown.

7. While you are in the air, clap your hands and come down bringing your chest to the grown.

8. Exhale pushing up and inhale bringing your chest down.

16. Behind Back Clap Ups Ups

Level: Pro

Main muscle group: Chest

Additional groups: Shoulders, Triceps

1. First, place your hands flat on the ground at shoulder width.

2. Stretch your legs, make sure only your toes and the balls of your feet touch the ground.

3. Straighten your body by contracting your ab muscles (make sure you do this well or you will injure your back).

4. Look straight in front of you at a fixed point.

5. Bring your chest down to the ground by bending your elbows at approximately 90 degrees as you inhale.

6. Now push yourself up as hard as you can, allowing your hands to release from the ground

7. While you are in the air, clap your hands behind your back and come down bringing your chest to the ground.

8. Exhale pushing up and inhale bringing your chest down.

17. Superman Push Up

Level: Pro

Main muscle group: Chest

Additional groups: Triceps, Shoulders

1. First, place your hands flat on the ground just as you would with a regular push up.

2. Stretch your legs, make sure only your toes and the balls of your feet touch the ground.

3. Straighten your body by contracting your ab muscles.

4. Shift the weight slightly to your legs and explode while straightening your arms and legs until you are in fully stretched out in mid-air.

5. Bring your hands in before you touch the ground and land softly.

Video Bonus: Common Push Up Mistakes By The Bar Brothers

Push Up To Become A Push Up Pro

Becoming a pro takes time, but with these push ups you can get there in no time.

If you are interested in learning more, the official Bar Brothers created a 12-week workout system for beginners.

But for now, this should be enough to get you started.

You don’t need to be a push up rookie anymore.

Because now you know how you can make it to the pros.

*Fist bump*

Now I’d like to hear from you:

What is your #1 push up from this list?

Or maybe you have a question.

Either way, make sure you get your download and leave a quick comment below right now.