List of Different Push-Up Exercises

This list provides you with a wide range of push-up exercises that can be used during warm-ups and strength training exercises. These push-up variations work on different muscles and decrease the risk of exercise boredom. They range from easy push-ups such as Knee Push-Ups to more advanced push-ups such as Clapping Push-Ups.

For written exercise instructions and instructional videos focused on a number of these push-ups, please visit the main Strength Training section.

Push-Up Variations with Videos and/or Instructions

• Traditional Push-Up - The basic push-up focuses on your chest, shoulders, triceps, etc.
• Clapping Push-Up - This is a great plyometrics exercise for building explosive chest power.
• Eagle Claw Push-Ups - Eagle claw push-ups are used to strengthen fingers/hands as well as the muscles in your chest, shoulders, triceps, etc.
• Elevated Push-Up - Elevated push-ups put a greater emphasis on your upper chest and shoulder muscles. This technique is also known as a decline push-up.
• Incline Push-Ups - Incline push-ups are easier push-ups as you are doing a push-up against a wall, etc.
• Judo Push-Ups - Judo push-ups strengthen your arms, shoulders and chest. They also help your core strength.
• Knee Push-Ups - This is an easy modified push-up used by people recovering from an injury or beginners who lack sufficient upper body strength for regular push-ups.
• Knuckle Push-Ups - Some martial artists use this exercise to "strengthen" their knuckles by making them less sensitive to hitting hard targets.
• Medicine Ball Push-Ups - This medicine ball exercise puts more emphasis on your triceps.
• Pike Push-Up - This push-up variation places greater emphasis on your shoulders.
• Plyometric Push-Up - A plyometrics exercise for building explosive chest power.
• Single Arm Medicine Ball Push-Ups
• Single Leg Push-Ups - This push-up exercise will also help your core strength.
• T Push-Up - This advanced push-up exercise can be done with or without dumbbells.
• Triangle Push-Up or Diamond Push-Up - This push-up variation places greater emphasis on your triceps.
• Wide Grip Push-Ups - This push-up variation places greater emphasis on your chest muscles.

Easy Push-Ups

• Regular - Arms shoulder width apart
• Tricep - Hands in line with rib cage, close to body
• Wide Grip - Hands 1 1/2 to 2 shoulder widths apart
• Clapper - Explode off of ground and clap before landing
• Chest Tap - Like clappers, but hit hands to chest instead
• Medicine Ball - One hand on a medicine ball
• Swiss Ball - Feet elevated on Swiss ball
  1. Swiss Ball Hands - Hands elevated on Swiss ball
• Slow Negative - Descend slowly but push up quickly
• Shoulder Touch - Do a regular pushup, then tap one shoulder before the next rep
• Knee Touch - Same as shoulder touch, but hit knee instead
• Ankle Touch - Same as previous two, but hit ankle instead
• Leaning Tower - One hand in plank position, other does pushup
• Pterodactyl Pushup - Like tricep, but turn hands outwards
• One Leg - Place one foot on top of the other
• Uchi Mata - Lift one leg as high as possible as you do each pushup
• Offset Hands - One hand is farther forward than the other
• Diamond Pushups - Hands underneath chest in triangle/diamond shape
• Dragon Pushups - Combine a mountain climber with a pushup
• Tricep Extension - From a plank, slide body back until arms are extended, then reset
• T-Rotation - From pushup position, lift one hand until you are sideways, then reset
• Star Pushups - Start with hands and legs wide
• Pushup Jacks - From pushup position, move legs out and back like jumping Jacks
  1. Level 2 - As you go down, legs go out. On way up, legs go in.
  2. Level 3 - Do the Jacks from the low pushup position
  3. Level 4 - Same as level two, but do a clapper instead
• 1.5 Pushups - Do a pushup, go up halfway, down, and back to the top
• Knuckle - Almost any variation can be done on fists

Medium

• Cross Chest Tap - Like chest tap, but hit across instead
• Superman Pushup - Push off the ground in to Superman position, then land
• Plyometric Pushups - After each pushup, gently push off of ground
• Muay Thai - Clap behind the back
• Moving Clapper - As you push off to clap, move sideways across the floor
• Dragon Walk - After each Dragon Pushup, move forwards across the floor
• Shoot the Moon - Do a medicine ball pushup, then switch hands by shuffling them
• Side to Side Pushups - Like Shoot the Moon, but without a medicine ball
• Corkscrew Pushups - As you do the pushup, turn sideways and bend your knees
• Archer Pushups - From pushup position, shift only your body and move your side flat to the floor
• Finger Pushups - Like regular pushups, but on the pads of your fingers
• Forward Clappers - Like clappers, but extend arms forward when you clap
• Backward Clappers - Like clappers, but clap near your thighs
• Thigh Slap - Like clappers, but bring knees to chest and slap thighs before landing
• Double Medicine Ball - One medicine ball under each hand
  1. Double Medicine Ball Feet - Medicine balls under feet instead of hands
• Kettlebells - One kettlebell under each hand
  1. Kettlebells Feet - Kettlebells under feet instead of hands
• Floor to Wall - Explode off of ground and hold position with hands on wall, then reset
• Supported Handstand - Handstand pushups against wall or with someone holding legs
• Jumping Hands Pushups - Explode off of ground and place hands on object about 1-2 feet from ground
• Half Pushup - Hold position halfway down
  1. Full Pushup - Hold chest as close to floor as possible
• Dip Pushup - Place hands on seats of two chairs, then lower as far as possible each time
• Weighted - Place plates or some sort of weight between shoulder blades
• Knuckle - Almost any variation can be done on fists
• Clap to Chest - Clap and chest tap before landing
• Double Regular Clapper - Clap twice in a row before landing
• Knuckle - Almost any variation can be done on fists

Hard & Advanced Push-Ups

• One Hand - Place hand a little farther than the shoulder
• One Hand One Leg - Like One Hand, but lift opposite leg
• Aztec Pushup - Explode off of ground and touch toes before landing
• Quad Medicine Ball - One medicine ball under each hand and foot
• Quad Kettlebell - Like previous, but substitute Kettlebells instead
• Elevated Chain - Elevate feet and place a chain around the shoulders
• One Hand Clapper - Combine One Hand and Clapper pushups
• Triple Clap - Clap in front, behind and in front again before landing
• 360 - Explode off of the ground and wheel around 360 degrees before landing
• Lateral 180 - Explode off of the ground and spin feet 180 degrees to face opposite direction
• Bruce Lee Pushups - One Hand pushups with arm extended on two fingers
• Lalanne Pushups - Extend hands as far forward as possible to do pushups
• Crucifix Pushups - Extend hands as far sideways as possible to do pushups
• Free Handstand - Handstand pushups without support
• Full Planche Pushups - "No foot" pushups; feet don't touch the floor and hands are by waist
• Turtle Pushups - Place elbows in lower stomach and lift feet off floor to do pushups
• Cricket Pushups - Place one elbow in hip crease, other in regular position and lift feet off of floor
• Clap the Moon - Like Jump the Moon, but add a clap when you switch

Reference Sources

1. Many of these push-up variations were supplied by Mike from MBD Martial Arts Academy - Goju Ryu, http://www.mbdmartialarts.com - Added 4/14/15