Push-ups are a classic and very effective strength training exercise. Its practice not only involves an increase in muscle – something that has traditionally been avoided in women, but which has now changed – but also the loss of body fat and an improvement in quality of life and health in general. Now, there are many types of push-ups and not all of them work the muscles in the same way.
In this case, we want to talk to you about the diamond pushupsa demanding and ideal variant for those who want to tone and strengthen their arms and chest. Do you want to know how they can benefit you and how you can integrate them into your strength routine?
How do you do diamond push-ups?
As with other modalities such as Spiderman push-ups, this variant of the classic push-ups is considered a higher level than traditionalso we recommend that before integrating them into your routine you work until you master the first ones. Here’s a reference for how many push-ups you should be able to do based on your age.
- Starting position: Lie on the floor in a plank position with your hands together forming a diamond with your index fingers and thumbs. The arms should be stretched and the elbows and wrists should be aligned with the shoulders.
- Flex your arms with your elbows close to your body until the chest is close to the hands. Go down with your entire body as a block, avoiding arching your back or raising your gluteus. Descend as far as you are able to control the movement and return to the plank position.
- Push the ground with your palms to raise the body again, stretching the arms and returning to the starting position.
Tips to do them correctly
- Remember keep the abdomen activated to keep the body aligned during push-ups.
- Go down as far as the strength of your arms allows you ascend again without loading the lumbar spine.
- Too much for you? Try adapting the flexion by resting both knees on the floor for extra support and focusing on aligning your glutes, hips, and torso. This adaptation will allow you to reduce the load on your arms to be able to execute the complete movement. When you have gained strength, you can work them with your legs straight.
- Do you want to raise the level? Try a declined posture, placing your feet on a higher support point such as a bench or chair, to increase the load on your arms.
The benefits of diamond push-ups
Experts from the Mayo Clinic have determined how many push-ups a man and a woman should be able to do depending on their age.
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This challenging form of push-ups focuses on strengthen triceps, shoulders and chest through the modified stance with hands together.
On the one hand, you will notice that these push-ups involve greater intensity in the back of the arm, specifically, in the triceps brachii, an essential muscle for arm mobility and strength. On the other hand, the placement of the joined hands allows the activation of the chest areastrengthening your muscles and promoting greater definition.
Diamond push-ups also activate the shoulder stabilizer musclessuch as the rotator cuff and the anterior deltoid, which improves the stability and resistance of the shoulders, improving posture and preventing certain injuries.
Finally, the abdominal muscles also contract with each push-up, which favors intense core work in each series in order to stabilize and align the body. This type of work results in greater body stability and strengthening of the back, which prevents those imbalances and falls that increase over the years.
Additionally, since it is a high intensity exercisestrength and endurance are worked on, especially in the torso and arm area, which will undoubtedly benefit the practice of other sports and disciplines.
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