Beginner and intermediate push-up variations

I played around making these animated images -hope you don’t suffer from epilepsy if you’re watching this page :). Here are a few push-up variations to mix things up.  No ‘super advanced’ bad ass push-ups like Rocky Balboa’s clapping push-ups or one-arm push-ups, but the last 4 variations should be interesting for women who master regular push-ups on their toes. The first 4 variations are meant to “raise the bar” for women who can do several knee push-ups but are struggling with full regular push-ups.

Knee push-up variations

	Child’s pose push-up Start in a child’s pose position and slide forward extending your legs, keeping your nose only a few centimeters from the floor. It is normal for you butt to stick out on this one. Push yourself back up into child’s pose.
	One leg up knee push-up A knee push-up maintaining one leg in the air. Alternate legs for each set.
	Bent leg push-up A push-up on your toes but with your legs bent.
	Tricep push-up on your knees Arms underneath your shoulders, slowly bend your elbows down as you focus on holding your elbows against your sides.

Intermediate push-up variations
These are variations for women who can do several push-ups on their feet. My form on these push-ups is far from being perfect ; 10 reps per set are already quite challenging!

	Push-up jacks Jump the feet apart as you bend the elbows into a pushup, going as low as you can. As you push back up, jump the feet back together.
	Tricep push-up Get in plank position with your hands under your shoulders. Lower your chest toward the floor while keeping your upper arms parallel to your sides and your elbows pointing straight back.
	Power push-up Do a push-up and pop yourself back up trying to keep your feet together
	Squat push-up: Bend your knees into a squat, get down and push yourself back up.

Staggered hand push-ups and spiderman push-ups are also great ‘twists’ on the traditional push-ups. Any other ideas for push-up variations? What are your favorite kinds of push-ups?