Push-up variations

Every push-up variation, from first rep to one-arm

Push-ups scale further than almost any exercise: regress them to a wall when you're starting out, or load them until a single rep is a feat. This is the map — pick your level and follow the guides.

Count your reps See all guides

Beginner to advancedForm guide per variationMuscle-focus picksAI counting for every set

PUSHapp dashboard with daily push-up goal progress, streak and form score rings — Daily goal, streak & form

PUSHapp global pushup leaderboard with weekly rankings and community rep totals — Global leaderboard

PUSHapp training calendar showing 30 days of push-up sessions and closed goals — Your training month

Beginner: build your first clean reps

If a full push-up isn't there yet, shorten the lever instead of cutting depth. Wall and incline push-ups keep the same movement pattern at a lighter load, and negatives build the strength for the way up.

Wall pushups →Incline pushups →Negative pushups →Scapular pushups →How to do a pushup →Proper pushup form →

Intermediate: change the target

Once standard reps are comfortable, hand position and body angle let you bias different muscles — triceps with a narrow grip, upper chest with decline, shoulders with pike.

Diamond pushups →Decline pushups →Pike pushups →Wide grip pushups →Close grip pushups →Hindu pushups →T pushups →Knuckle pushups →

Advanced: power and single-arm strength

At the top end, push-ups become a strength and power discipline of their own: explosive variations for speed, weighted reps for load, and long progressions toward the one-arm push-up and planche.

Clap pushups →Explosive pushups →Weighted pushups →One arm pushups →Pseudo planche pushups →Spiderman pushups →Superman pushups →Feet elevated pushups →

Track every variation the same way

Whichever variation you train, PUSHapp's camera counts the reps and keeps your totals, streaks, and records in one place — so progressions are measured, not guessed.

Frequently asked questions

Which push-up variation should I start with?

Start with the hardest variation you can do for clean sets of five or more. For most beginners that's incline push-ups; if those are too hard, start at the wall.

What's the hardest push-up variation?

One-arm and planche push-up progressions are generally the hardest — both demand strength well beyond the standard push-up and take months of structured progression.

Do different variations work different muscles?

Yes. Narrow grips bias the triceps, decline angles bias the upper chest and shoulders, pike push-ups target the shoulders, and standard reps train the chest, triceps, and core together.