Top 39 Push-Up Variations To Level Up Your Training

What Muscles Do Push-Ups Work?

The push-up movement involves lowering your body to the floor under control by bending your elbows, then pressing back up to the starting position. While the form stays consistent, slight adjustments in hand placement or body angle can shift the emphasis to different muscle groups.

Typically, push-ups target the chest, triceps, and shoulders as the primary movers. Meanwhile, your core and lower-body muscles help stabilize the body, playing a key supporting role throughout the exercise.

Chest Anatomy And Function

Clavicular Head of Pectoralis Major

Muscles located at the top of your chest, running from your armpit to collar bone. Smaller portion of your chest muscle.

Sternal Head of Pectoralis Major

Large muscles located underneath your clavicle head. Makes up most of your chest area

Abdominal Head of Pectoralis Major

Muscles located at the bottom of your pectoral region, just above your abdominal muscles.

The pectoralis major is the largest and most prominent chest muscle. It is a thick, fan-shaped group located at the front of the upper body and plays a central role in many upper-body movements.

This muscle can be divided into three distinct sections: the clavicular head, the sternal head, and the abdominal head, each with a unique function and position.

• The clavicular head (Upper chest) is responsible for flexing the arms, helping bring them upward and forward. It becomes especially active in movements like the handstand push-up.
• The sternal head (Mid-chest) helps adduct the arms, drawing them toward the body’s midline. It’s heavily engaged during the pressing phase of most push-up variations.
• The abdominal head (Lower chest) works with the sternal head to assist in arm adduction. This portion varies from person to person and may be underdeveloped, or even absent, in some individuals.

Triceps Anatomy And Function

Triceps Lateral Heads

Muscles located on the back of your arm between your shoulder and elbow.

Triceps Medial Heads

Small muscles located at the back of your arms. Deep to the triceps long heads between the shoulder and elbow.

Triceps Long Heads

Large muscles located at the back of your arms between your shoulder and elbow. Most outside portion of the tricep.

The triceps brachii muscles are a large muscle group located on the back of the upper arm, making up about two-thirds of the upper arm’s total muscle mass. They consist of three distinct heads: the lateral head, medial head, and long head.

The lateral head, found on the outer part of the triceps, originates from the upper arm and inserts into the forearm. It is the strongest of the three heads but activates only under resistance, such as in loaded or challenging bodyweight movements.

The main job of the triceps is to perform elbow extension, straightening the arm by increasing the angle between the upper arm and forearm. This action is crucial during the lockout phase of pressing exercises, making the triceps especially important in many push-up variations for the triceps.

The medial head, which lies underneath the lateral head, is active across all resistance levels. Like the lateral head, it also runs from the humerus to the ulna, contributing to elbow extension during each push-up rep.

Lastly, the long head originates from the scapula rather than the humerus. It not only assists with elbow extension but also plays a key role in stabilizing the shoulder during movement.

Shoulder Anatomy And Function

Anterior Deltoid

Muscles located at the front of your shoulder region

Lateral Deltoid

Muscles located at the side of your shoulder which gives your shoulders a rounded appearance.

Posterior Deltoid

Muscles located at the back of your shoulder. Helps with posture.

The shoulders, or deltoids, are divided into three main muscle heads: the anterior deltoids, lateral deltoids, and posterior deltoids. Each plays a unique role depending on the movement.

The anterior deltoids, or front delts, originate from the clavicle and attach to the upper arm. Their main job is to flex the shoulders, helping raise the arms in front of the body. They are heavily engaged in most push-up variations for shoulders, especially those involving a forward lean or overhead angle.

The lateral deltoids, or side delts, are located between the front and rear delts. They help lift the arms out to the side and assist the anterior delts during shoulder flexion. In push-ups, they become more active when the arms move slightly outward at the bottom of the rep, depending on the variation.

The posterior deltoids, or rear delts, are found on the back of the shoulder. Their job is to extend the shoulders, pulling the arms behind the torso. While they are less dominant in push-ups, certain variations may still activate them for stability and control.

How To Program Push-Ups Into Your Regimen

Push-ups are versatile bodyweight exercises that require no equipment. Each variation introduces subtle changes in movement patterns, altering muscle activation and overall benefits.

Here are some recommendations based on your experience level:

• As a beginner lifter, start with the incline push-up. This is one of the most effective beginner push-up modifications, as the inclined angle reduces upper-body loading, making the movement more manageable.
• As an intermediate lifter, try the clap push-up or Hindu push-up. These build on the standard version by adding explosive or full-body control elements to increase difficulty and engagement.
• For advanced lifters, challenge yourself with the one-arm push-up or the handstand push-up. These advanced push-up techniques demand high levels of strength, stability, and body awareness. They also offer a suitable exercise stimulus to drive muscle growth and build serious upper-body strength.

Here are a few effective ways to program push-ups based on your training goals and target muscle groups:

• Home Bodyweight Workout — Push-ups are ideal for a push-up workout at home since they require no equipment. You can combine them with bodyweight moves like mountain climbers or burpees for full-body conditioning and cardiovascular benefits.
• Circuit Training Session — Because they require little to no setup, push-ups work great in a push-up circuit training plan. Try mixing them with exercises like squats, lunges, and high knees to maintain intensity and engagement throughout the circuit.
• Bodybuilding Push or Upper Workout — Since push-ups target the chest, shoulders, and triceps, they’re an excellent addition to any push or upper-body session. Include them as part of a structured 3-day workout split alongside lifts like the barbell bench press or barbell pullover.

Conclusion

Thanks to their simple yet effective movement pattern, push-up variations continue to grow in popularity. Each one offers a unique way to target specific muscle groups or adjust the difficulty, making them a staple in any functional strength bodyweight routine.

All 15 variations above bring something different to the table when performed with proper form. Whether you’re adding them to a push day workout or building a bodyweight circuit, they deliver real benefits in strength, stability, and control. Try mixing them into your next training session as a fun push-up challenge, and see which ones push you the hardest.

Frequently Asked Questions