Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to do hundreds of push-ups to see benefits. According to the Mayo Clinic, one set of 12 reps should be enough of any strength-training exercise, when done with proper form and resistance, to see benefits. Doing different push-up exercises helps ensure that your workout stays interesting and challenging, and because push-up variations challenge different muscles, you're less likely to hit a plateau.
Standard Push-Ups
The standard push-up works your chest, shoulders, arms and core. To do a standard push-up, position yourself face down on the ground, supporting your weight on the balls of your feet and your hands, which should be in line with and slightly wider apart than your shoulders. Your arms should be straight but not locked, and your body should stay straight from head to feet throughout the exercise. Bend your arms, lowering your chest toward the floor. Stop when your shoulders are level with your elbows, then push yourself back up into the starting position.
Narrow Push-Ups
Narrow push-ups emphasize development of the inner fibers of your pectoral muscles. Do narrow push-ups just as you'd do normal push-ups, but with both hands placed narrower than usual, positioned directly beneath your shoulders.
T Push-Ups
T push-ups emphasize the core training aspect of push-ups. To do T push-ups, start by doing a regular push-up. As you return to the "up" position, bring your right hand off the floor and rotate your entire body as one unit so that your extended right arm points straight up at the ceiling. Return to the normal push-up position and repeat, this time lifting your left hand off the floor after doing a normal push-up.
Stability Ball Push-Ups
Stability ball push-ups also emphasize core involvement, because your abdominal, hip and back muscles must keep you steady against the ball's constant instability. To do stability ball push-ups, place either your hands or your feet on top of a stability ball, then do push-ups as usual. Pay close attention to keeping your body straight and stable throughout the range of motion.
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