Kind of like the explosive push up, but now you clap your hands when you’re up. It is not much harder, but it looks cooler, and it’s more fun.

Step 1: Get into the standard push up position.

Step 2: Lower your chest down to the ground.

Step 3: Instead of rising up like normal, you explode up. That way, your hands come up off the ground. Then, clap your hands together in front of your chest!

When your hands hit back down, absorb shock with arms.

Repeat.

Hand Clap Push Up video:

[video coming soon]

See more exercise guides in The Bodyweight Exercise Collection.

Explosive push ups take the standard push up to a new level. And that level is, mid air!

Step 1: Get into the standard push up position with your hands and toes on the floor.

Step 2: Lower your chest to the ground, as usual.

Step 3: Instead of rising up like normal, you explode up. That way, your hands come up off the ground a few inches.

When your hands hit back down, absorb the shock with your arms.

Repeat.

(Explosive push ups are a good prerequisite to doing clapping pushups.)

Explosive Push Up video:

[video coming soon]

See more exercise guides in The Bodyweight Exercise Collection.

The scapular push up is an exercise designed to strengthen your shoulder blades, which is great for reducing injuries and providing more stability for tougher shoulder exercises.

Step 1: Start out in the top of a push up position. Your hands and toes should be touching the floor, and your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles.

Step 2: The main goal here is to squeeze your shoulder blades together. As you squeeze your shoulder blades together, your chest will move towards the floor, but your back should stay straight, and your elbows should not bend.

Each rep has you squeeze your shoulder blades together. Then you return to the starting position and repeat.

Tip: As with all push ups, you don’t want to let your lower back and hips sag towards the floor. It’s especially easy to do this inadvertently during the scapular push up, so pay close attention to keeping your body stiff and straight (mainly by contracting your abs and glutes.)

Scapular Push Up video:

[video coming soon]

See more exercise guides in The Bodyweight Exercise Collection.

To make the decline push up even harder, you can do the one-leg variation by holding one leg in the air the entire time you are doing these push ups.

Step 1: Start in the standard decline push up position, where your hands are on the floor and your feet are on a step. Then raise one foot into the air so only one foot is on the step. Keep your body stiff and straight.

Step 2: Lower your body down to the floor until your chest brushes the ground. Keep your elbows tucked in by your sides. Your elbows should go down and back, not flare out to the side.

Then push back up to the starting position.

It is best to use a 2-0-1 cadence for push ups. That is, take 2 seconds to lower your body down, 0 seconds rest at the bottom, and 1 second to push back up.

Do at least two sets of these push ups, alternating the raised leg each set.

One-leg Decline Push Up video:

[video coming soon]

See more exercise guides in The Bodyweight Exercise Collection.

The decline push up is a push up where your feet are elevated above your hands. This can be done by placing your feet on a step, chair, or exercise ball.

While the decline push up is already harder than a regular push up, placing your feet on an exercise ball will make this exercise especially difficult.

Step 1: Get in the standard push up position with your hands flat on the ground about shoulder width apart, and have your feet propped up on whatever object you have handy. Keep your body stiff and straight.

(Just holding yourself in this position can be a challenge if you are just starting a workout program.)

Step 2: Lower your body down to the floor until your chest brushes the ground. Keep your elbows tucked in by your sides. Your elbows should go down and back, not flare out to the side.

Then push back up to the starting position.

It is best to use a 2-0-1 cadence for push ups. That is, take 2 seconds to lower your body down, 0 seconds rest at the bottom, and 1 second to push back up.

Decline Push Up video:

[video coming soon]

See more exercise guides in The Bodyweight Exercise Collection.