One of the best workouts you can do with your own body to build lean muscle and get a stronger upper body is the push-up. But you might be missing out on a lot of perks if you only do regular push-ups. And we’re not just talking about power.
Jeff Cavaliere, a well-known physical therapist and strength coach, says in a new YouTube video that there are many other types of push-ups that can help you build a stronger body over time by making it more mobile and flexible and by building strength and muscle.
Here are the different types of push-ups he says you should add to your routine. They will not only make your upper body stronger, but they will also help you live longer and build muscles in a healthy way. Coming up are some strange exercise names…
Hand-release push-up
The hand-release push helps you get better at standard push-ups by making sure you don’t cheat the move by not lowering your chest all the way to the floor. But what’s more important, says Cavaliere, is that it works muscles you never get to work, like the rotator cuff in the back of your shoulders.
How to do the hand-release push-up:
- Put your hands a little farther apart than shoulder-width apart when you start the push-up.
- Put all of your chest on the ground and pull your hands off of it.
- Put your hands back on the floor and then push yourself back up to the very beginning.
Superman hand-release push-up
The superman exercise has you lie on your back and lift both your arms and legs off the ground at the same time. This exercise is a mix of that and a push-up. Casaliere says this move works the thoracic spine, which is “the part of the back we never work but is really important for good posture and mobility.” Since speed isn’t the point, make sure you do each rep with control and purpose.
How to do the superman hand release push-up:
- Complete a hand-release push-up by following the steps given above.
- Lift your arms and feet off the ground and spread your hands out in front of you. Hold this position for one second.
- Put your feet and arms back on the ground, slide your hands back under your shoulders, and push up.
Mike Tyson push-up
When our hips move like butter, we can move around without any pain. But sitting for long periods of time makes our hip flexors stiff and tight, and as we age, they can also weaken. But Cavaliere says that the Mike Tyson push-up (yes, the one made famous by Mike Tyson) can help bend the hips. It’s like a cross between a push-up and a child’s pose squat. Oh, and it’s not just good for your hips; it’s also good for your shoulders.
How to do the Mike Tyson push-up:
- To begin, do a push-up with your feet flat against a wall, about hip-width apart.
- In a child’s pose, sit your bottom back toward your feet and stretch your arms out in front of you.
- As you come out of child’s pose, push through your feet to straighten your legs and push your body forward into a push-up. Make sure your chest stays off the ground.
- Back into child’s pose and switch between this and the push-up position.
Back widow push-up
As if the name wasn’t strange enough, you do this push-up while lying on your back instead of facing the floor. Your arms should be by your sides to help you, and your legs should be bent with your feet on the ground. What’s the point of this move that sounds weird? For Cavaliere, it “taps into muscles that are sorely in need of some attention.” These are the muscles in the middle and upper back.
How to do a back widow push-up:
- Lay on your back with your feet flat on the floor and your legs bent.
- To do this move, dig your elbows into the floor at a 45-degree angle and point your hand up toward the sky, like you would for a dumbbell chest press.
- To do a crunch, squat down, rock your hands forward, and lift your back off the ground. Be careful not to let your arms leave the floor!
- Stay in this position for three seconds, then slowly move back to the starting position.
Dive bomber push-up
The next version is a little harder; it’s basically a downward dog with a push-up added on top of it. Cavaliere, on the other hand, says that the rewards are worth the trouble. “It works your triceps, shoulders, and chest all at the same time, and it also helps with that thoracic extension and shoulder mobility that we’re lacking.”
In a downward dog pose, bend your knees a little if you can’t get your legs straight. Keep your legs straight, bend your arms, and bring your chest forward so it almost touches the floor, like in a dive bomber. Finish with your back straight and your arms up.
Hold this position for three seconds, then move back to the starting position.
It can help to picture yourself trying to slide under a barbed-wire fence to look around and then get back to where you started without touching the fence.