7 Ways to Intensify Your Push-up
Varying the way you do the push-up can work your chest, triceps, core and even your legs in different ways. By changing the placement of your hands you can increase the intensity, work different areas of the muscles and recruit more supporting muscles. Here are 7 different versions of the push-up. Try substituting any of these for your regular push-ups to vary your routine.
1. Classic Push-up with one foot raised: Begin in the classic push-up position. Now lift one foot off the floor and keep it raised. Keep a straight line from your heels through the top of your head. Be sure not to dip your hips. Lead with your chest, not your head. Slowly lower down within about a fists distance from the floor. Slowly press back to starting position. Switch feet in subsequent sets.
2. Classic Push-up with feet elevated on stable platform: Position yourself with your feet lined up to a bench or a step approximately as high as your shoulders. From this position, lower your chest to the floor and press back up.
3. Classic Push-up with feet on bosu ball: This is similar to #2, but utilize a bosu ball for this one. Adding an extra challenge from #2, you will have added challenge to all of your core muscles and your balance.
4. Classic Push-up with feet on fit ball: This is another step higher in difficulty. For best results, roll out on the ball from your tummy, walking your hands out until your feet rest on the ball.
5. Bosu Ball Push-ups: Place a bosu ball flat side-up. Hold the handles on the side or place your hands narrower on the flat space and perform your push-ups.
6. Ball Push-ups: Place hands on the sides, near the top of a fit ball for this version. You will need to squeeze the ball slightly as you lower down, aiming to touch your chest to the ball this time instead of the floor.
7. Ball-rolling Push-ups: Start with a ball under one hand. I like to use a medicine ball, but a basketball works well too. With the ball under one hand, lower down into your push-up. After pressing up to the starting position, roll the ball over to the other hand and repeat. Roll slowly back and forth throughout your set.
With any of these versions of the push-up, you can incorporate different hand positions. By placing your hands further apart, you increase the load on you chest muscles. Be careful with this though, as you also increase the load on your shoulders. By placing your hands closer together, you increase the load on your triceps (the muscle on the back of your arms). If your wrists are hurting, try holding on to dumbbells so your wrists can remain in a neutral position. Use about an *# or 10# weight so it's large enough to wrap your hands around it without digging your fingers into the ground. Now get moving!
