Introduction
Pushups need no introduction! People have been doing this marvelous exercise for thousands of years and will continue doing it forever. Pushups are simple, yet effective, and will help you build nice looking pecs, shoulders, and arms. You can do them anywhere, and they require no equipment, which makes them one of the most versatile movements you can do. They are a staple of every bodyweight training, but you can see people doing pushups in gyms, even when barbells are available. In this article, we will give you three pushup variations you must try today. Let’s go!
#1 Judo/Divebomber pushups
This pushup variation looks strange, but will absolutely fry your muscles. Besides chest, delts, and arms, it also hits your core hard, and even lower and middle back muscles to a certain extent.
The other name of judo pushup is dive-bomber, which is ideal as it explains the motion. You start the movement in a pushup position, but with your hands a bit closer to your midsection, almost in a reverse V position. You start lowering with your head first, and then pushing through the motion, rising back up. So you start as a reversed V and end up forming a crooked U. Watch this video and see how to do it properly.
#2 Pushup plus
The pushup plus hits one important muscle – serratus anterior. This muscle is often neglected in regular training and is responsible for stabilizing your shoulder, which will lead to injury prevention as well as performance improvements. Exercising it will also improve your posture.
Think about this movement as a regular pushup with a shrug on top. The shrug is actually pushing your shoulder blades together and then letting them completely release. So protraction/retraction of the scapula is what’s important here, and is what builds up serratus. Here’s a tutorial.
#3 Weighted pushup
There’s no much explanation here, but if you want to build size, doing ordinary, bodyweight pushups isn’t enough, you need weights.
The weighted pushup is a great barbell bench press alternative, as it is completely safe using the familiar pushup form. You can also do it on your own without a spotter and still max out. To do it, put a plate on your back, or even better use a weighted vest. Do pushups as regularly, using the full range of motion. Keep in mind that your goal here is to build mass, so keep the rep range lower and the intensity high.
Conclusion
At our gym, Fit and Psyched, West Palm Beach, Florida, we include pushup variations in our training program. The movement is time tested and we recommend some form of it to all of our clients, beginner or advanced. If you want a custom plan, developed just for your needs by expert personal trainers, don’t hesitate to contact us now. But hurry up, the summer is just around the corner!
