The push up is a classic bodyweight exercise, and it's one of the best exercises for building upper-body strength. Push up variations for different muscles are among the most common exercises in gyms today, but did you realize there are so many distinct kinds? 

Not only that, each type has its benefits, which is why it's essential to try them all. Here are 8 push up variations you should add to your workout routine. Keep reading to know more about each type!

Why Should You Practice Pushup Variations?

The pushup is one of the most fundamental exercises used in almost every sort of training regimen. It's beautiful in its simplicity - establish a high plank posture, lower your body down, and force your body back up with whatever power you have. 

The main reason for many bodyweight training regimens, the modest pushup serves as the focal point. It is challenging to find a better way to improve your entire body utilizing only gravity and yourself.

There are several limitations to what you accomplish with conventional pushups. According to Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, raising the load is the most challenging part of pushup exercises.

While the conventional pushup begins as challenging, it ceases to challenge you once you've performed enough repetitions. All you're doing is constantly lifting an insignificant amount of your weight. 

All workouts will target muscles in push up variations for chest, push up variations for shoulders and even push up variations for back.

By shifting your hands into different positions, you may alter the emphasis of your exercise. 

For example, increased muscular tension will apply if you slow down the tempo and pause at the bottom position for an extended period or elevate them to higher than usual. This process helps build muscle fibers!

Push Up type 1: Close-grip pushup

This is one of the most straightforward pushup variants you could do. You can boost triceps activation by bringing your hands nearer together, preferably with slightly shorter hands than shoulder width.

If you position your hands in the diamond shape, you will have difficulty keeping that stance. Continue with your repetitions, keeping your elbows snug to your body.

Push Up type 2: Mixed-style close-grip pushup

This variation on the workout incorporates some of the ideas mentioned above, such as pausing and switching tempos. That increases time in strain by finishing with fewer reps than previously, so you can feel it in your arms!

You should halt halfway through each set and come back up instead of completing all the reps. Use the time to ensure that your process is flawless.

Push Up type 3: Spiderman Pushup

This spiderman pushup variant will target your hips. It isn't easy, but the effort is worthwhile. 

As you drop into each set, open the hips and press the knee forward into your elbow. Once you get the bottom of the pushup, you should keep your knee in place. As you finish the exercise, reverse the action with your leg to start training.

Is coordination too tricky? Before the pushup set, do your knee drive. Do you want to maximize your performance under pressure? Wait until you are at the bottom step to conduct your knee drive.

Push Up type 4: Archer push up

This variant allows you to exercise unilaterally (from a single side), which isn't always possible with standard push ups.

To begin, position your hands further away than the standard distance and face them out to each side. Then, keep control of yourself by maintaining pressure in your core and glutes as you lower down onto one foot then another.

Push Up type 5: Post push up

This is another unilateral variation - an excellent sub or initial step toward the famously difficult single-arm pushup.

In this exercise, you need to put extra emphasis on bracing your core and fighting against rotational forces. You can use either a squat rack or pole as an anchor point for this posture variation so that it retains all the necessary form cues from its standard counterpart without one arm! 

But remember - focus when performing these exercises because they help fire up those obliques too to keep proper balance with reasonable body control.

Push Up type 6: Typewriter push up

Level up with this challenging workout that will make your chest appear beautiful as you move sideways. Set up like an archer, but keep your body low and change sides instead of lowering down and returning.

Push Up type 7: Handstand pushup

One of the most challenging movements is a handstand pushup that really tests your shoulders. Especially if you have pre-existing problems, you should avoid this as it could exacerbate them! 

Get into a handstand by finding a wall and kicking up. Adjust the hand placement to be broader than shoulder-width, then brace the core and clench your glutes to protect your body from falling.

Next, tap the ground softly with your head immediately across from your hands. Again, if you can't maintain and control your sets slowly, remove this from your training program to protect your head.

Push Up type 8: Superman pushup

It will help if you push up variations easiest to hardest. For example, Superman is a standard one-arm handstand pushup that unusually builds strength and power. 

It is the most challenging type of pushup you can do. However, it's also super cool looking, so if your gym has room for it, then go ahead and give this "superman" variation a try!

This pushup develops power in ways that another variant cannot. However, with it, you will have to use more strength and skill than usual for an exercise with such high entry barriers. 

Final Thoughts

This is a short blog on push up variations. It's an easy read and should provide you with some valuable information to help strengthen your spine, support your posture, and improve your overall health. 

I hope this article has been helpful! If not, let me know in the comment section below what else you might want to see from our site corner4men.com. Read more lifestyle tips and advice here.