Top 14 unconventional push-ups for chest and arms

Author: Mikhail Ziborov - author of the site makefitness.pro.
2024-02-10

This is the second part of unconventional bodyweight exercises. The first part for leg muscles is here. And I will reiterate: unusual exercises are an excellent way to improve your functionality (further enhance physical qualities) as well as to diversify a boring training routine, especially if you have been training for a long time and find the same exercises tedious.

By the way, you can find more interesting information about training, nutrition, and supplements in our Telegram.

Push-ups with a Dive

Apart from loading standard muscle groups (chest, triceps), these push-ups incorporate the deltoid muscles (shoulders) more effectively. With one exercise, you can work out three main muscle groups simultaneously.

Push-ups with Alternating Amplitude

The unique feature of this exercise is the longer duration of performance. Simply put, you are working for a longer time: this is the crucial time under tension, increasing muscle tension and their workload. And although it is believed that the "Time Under Tension" method is no more effective than regular training, push-ups with alternating amplitude still allow for variety in your usual training program.

Additionally, there is a more challenging variation of these push-ups – push-ups with alternating amplitude and jumping jacks.

Besides working the chest and arm muscles, the abdominal muscles and lower back are also engaged.

Side Step Push-ups

An excellent exercise for developing both the muscular corset and functionality (coordination). Pay attention to the animation: you need to not only perform the push-ups precisely but also monitor the position of your hands and feet – when your hands are wide, your feet should be close together. And vice versa.

Overall, this movement is perfect for diversifying your training program. By the way, all our free training programs include animations like this. Therefore, you won't have to spend long figuring out how to perform each exercise correctly, even if you've never trained before.

Struggling to coordinate your hands and feet? Then here’s a simpler option – side-to-side push-ups.

Where the feet remain stationary, and only the hands move.

Tiger Push-ups

These are suitable for those who care not only about muscle development but also about strengthening tendons.

The exercise may not be for everyone. However, it is extremely functional. But it can also be quite injury-prone. In short, if you dare to use them, be extremely careful.

If something hurts during execution, it's better to not endure it and refrain from exercising through pain.

Archer Push-ups

Everyone is familiar with the dumbbell fly or the "Butterfly" machine exercise, right? Archer push-ups are a similar exercise, but using your body weight. While using dumbbells engages both chest muscles simultaneously, this exercise works them alternately.

Want to make your chest wider, but tired of the fly and the "Butterfly"? Then give this a try.

T-Push-ups

Apart from engaging the main muscle groups, this exercise also works the muscles responsible for torso rotation (abdominals, obliques), as well as stabilizing muscles that maintain balance. This exercise is suitable for functionality enthusiasts.

Kneel-to-Chest Push-ups

This exercise additionally works the abdominal muscles and slightly engages the quadriceps (which are involved in bringing the knee towards the torso). In short, now you can work on your chest and abs simultaneously.

A technically more challenging variation is kneel-to-chest push-ups from the side.

Shoulder Touch Push-ups

A simple exercise to develop balance and a slight engagement of the abdominal muscles (similar to static work in the plank).

Superman Push-ups

An advanced level exercise designed for further development of functionality and balance. It engages all the same muscle groups as the previous movement but to a much greater extent.

Kick Push-ups

Simply put, you kick your leg after bending and straightening your arms in a push-up position (performing that same kick as in kickboxing). This additional movement requires you to rotate your torso and engage both your abdominal muscles and a bit of your legs. Again, it's about developing not only strength and endurance but also functionality and coordination. In a word, agility.

Diamond Push-ups

Why diamond? Because you position your index and thumb in such a way that they form a triangle. Or a diamond. Due to this hand positioning, your triceps are more heavily engaged.

Moreover, note that many do narrow push-ups for triceps, which is correct. However, many execute narrow push-ups incorrectly, keeping their elbows close to their body. When elbows move next to the torso, the primary load does not fall on the triceps as many think, but on the anterior deltoid (shoulders).

In diamond push-ups, due to the hand positioning, the elbows have to flare out to the sides, which is correct. In this position, the shoulders do not bear the lion's share of the load, but the target muscle group – the triceps.

By the way, narrow push-ups should also be performed with the elbows flaring out to the sides, just like bench presses with a narrow grip.

I hope you know that increasing strength, endurance – all of this depends not only on training but also on nutrition? By the way, muscle mass is a side effect of increasing strength and endurance. And all of this is supported by a sufficient amount of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. If you fall short – the effect from training will be minimal or absent altogether.