Boost Your Pushup Routine With These Powerful Variations

September 16 2013

Boost Your Pushup Routine With These Powerful Variations

Pushups are a simple yet highly effective workout targeting the chest, back and shoulder muscles. Unfortunately, performing them day after day may cause you to get burned out rather quick. When you’re forced to perform 50, 75 or even 100 pushups just to feel a burn, you probably need to increase the difficulty of this otherwise simple exercise. Thankfully, there are several variations of the traditional pushup which encourage more muscle use. In this post, we’re going to take a look at some of the top pushup variations.

Dumbbell Pushup Row

If you really want to boost your pushup routine to the next level, you should incorporate dumbbells into it. The dumbbell pushup row is one such variation that transforms the ordinary and boring pushup routine into a fun new exercise. To perform them, hold a pair of dumbbells in each hand (palms facing together) and stretch your body into the normal pushup position. Now, drop your body down to the ground and raise it back up. Once you reach the top, raise one of your hands up to your body and lower back it down. Repeat the same steps using your opposite hand this time.

The dumbbell pushup row benefits the body in a few different ways. For starters, lowering your body down into the pushup position is more difficult since your hands are gripped around the dumbbell rather than the floor. And lifting the dumbbell up to your body places a strain on your core and side muscles, which are oftentimes neglected in traditional workout routines.

Incline Pushups

Another pushup variation that you should incorporate into your physical fitness regime is the incline pushup. As the name suggests, this variation is performed with your legs raised higher than the rest of your body. Whether it’s a chair, ottoman, end table, bench or even a large stack of books, prop your feet up on something to perform incline pushups. When your feet are raised higher than the rest of your body, your center of gravity shifts to create more strain on your upper body.

Clapping Pushups

Arguably, one of the most difficult pushup variations to perform is known as the “clapping pushup.” And yes, it’s just what it sounds like: pushups performed while clapping in between reps. After lowering your body down to the floor, thrust your body back up with a bit more force so you’ll have time to clap your hands together before catching your fall. Not only is this an excellent upper body workout, but clapping pushups are also effective for the arms.