Pushups are known as compound exercises. Unlike isolation exercises, compound exercises work more than one muscle and involve more than one joint. This makes them beneficial for building muscle quickly. The goal with a pushup workout is to target your chest from various angles and use different hand positions. Using multiple variations will boost your muscle fiber recruitment even more.
Conventional Pushup
A conventional pushup is performed with your hands and feet on the floor, and it targets the mid-chest area. If you want to take stress off your wrists, grab a set of dumbbells or place your fists on the floor. To begin, position your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and place your feet next to each other. Keeping your abs tight, push yourself off the floor until your arms are fully extended. Create a straight line from your heels to your shoulders and maintain this line as you bend your elbows and lower your body. Once your chest is close to the floor, push yourself back up and repeat.
Decline Pushup
A decline pushup shifts the emphasis to your upper chest, and it is performed with your body at an angle. You need either a bench or sturdy chair to do this variation. Begin by placing your feet together on the chair and position your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on the floor. Keeping your abs tight and back straight, push yourself up until your arms are fully extended. Slowly lower yourself until your chest is right above the floor and push yourself back up. As you get stronger, gradually increase the height of your feet. Place them on a higher chair, table, counter and wall.
Incline Pushup
Incline pushups work the lower part of the chest, and they are performed opposite of decline pushups. Begin by placing your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on a bench, and place your feet together behind your body. Fully extend your arms, straighten your back and tighten your abs. Lower yourself by bending your elbows, and stop your chest just short of the bench. Steadily push yourself back up and repeat. With this and the decline pushup, feel free to use a stability ball as a prop. This will cause more muscle fiber recruitment in the core and shoulders to maintain balance.
Wide-grip Pushups
Wide-grip pushups work the chest with your hands in a wider than shoulder-width position. Start out in the same starting position as with conventional pushups, except place your hands about 6 inches wider than shoulder-width. Steadily push yourself up until your arms are fully extended, and perform pushups. You will notice a constant contraction in your chest throughout this variation.
Narrow-grip Pushups
Narrow-grip pushups work the inner chest, and they also place a lot of emphasis on the triceps. To begin, lie on your stomach in the conventional pushup position, but place your hands close together under your chest. Position your index fingers and thumbs about 2 inches apart in a diamond shape. Steadily push yourself off the floor until your arms are fully extended, and perform pushups. When you lower yourself, keep your elbows as close to your body as possible.
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