Build epic chest muscles and huge arms with these 4 push up variations

Try this creative push-up regime on your next chest day (and arm day)

Muscular young man in sportswear, preparing for workout outside
(Image credit: Getty Images)

We’re all familiar with push-ups as a simple exercise that provides quick results and can be performed anywhere by anyone with just your body and no expense required. Push-ups are also accessible and can be altered to your fitness level easily. Elevate your workout game to the next level with the blow push-up variations!

There are myriad benefits to completing push-ups (here's how to do push-ups and the best push-up variations), such as increasing functional strength and, of course, building muscle. From your core muscles to your triceps to your lower body, you’ll be hard-pressed to find another simple exercise that utilizes all of these muscle groups. 

Push-ups can also enhance your cardiovascular system and can even help prevent heart disease, as research (links to Harvard Ed.) has shown that individuals who can do more than 40 push-ups in a minute have a 96% lower risk of heart disease than those who can only do 10 or fewer repetitions. 

As we age, our production of human growth hormone, also known as HGH, diminishes, which can affect muscular hypertrophy. Completing push-ups every day can trigger HGH production, which supports muscle development and growth. It's never too late to start including push-ups in your routine. Enticed? Let's build epic pecs and arms now!

@jpark_fit

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In this workout from Instagram and Tik Tok fitness star Jeremy Park, he presents four challenging push-up variations that should be completed within 25 minutes with a short rest between each set.

  • Wide knuckle push-ups (10 reps x 4 sets)
  • Underhand push-ups (12 reps x 3 sets)
  • One arm negatives (10 reps x 3 sets)
  • Clap Push-up (Until failure x 3 sets) 

If this workout is too challenging and you want a more gentle introduction to push-ups, we have an introductory rundown to help you get started: what's the easiest push-up variation? Or, if you are more adjusted to this exercise and want to try something different, we recommend trying Russian push-ups.

Finally, for those more advanced push-up enthusiasts, here is a roundup of the best push-up alternatives for wider pecs. Are you suffering from wrist pain during push-ups? We recommend using parallette bars as these keep your wrist in a more neutral position during the exercise.

Meg Walters
Freelance journalist

Meg is a British-Canadian freelance writer based in southeast London. She can usually be found writing about classic films, rom-coms, period dramas, TV, Millennials, pop culture, books, style, lifestyle and fitness. Her writing has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Refinery29, GQ, Stylist, The i, i-D, Little White Lies, Insider and more.