Diamond Push Up
Category
compoundDifficulty
intermediate
Equipment
bodyweight
Force Type
push
How to Perform the Diamond Push Up
- Get into a push up position and place your hands close together beneath your chest so your thumbs and index fingers form a diamond or triangle shape.
- Extend your legs behind you and align your body in a straight line from head to heels, bracing your core.
- Lower your chest toward your hands by bending your elbows, keeping them tucked close to your sides.
- Descend until your chest lightly touches or nearly touches your hands.
- Press through your palms and extend your arms to push back up to the starting position.
- Squeeze your triceps hard at the top of each rep and repeat for the prescribed number of repetitions.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Flaring elbows outward
Keep your elbows tucked close to your body to maximize triceps engagement and protect your shoulders.
Letting hips sag or pike up
Maintain a rigid plank position by engaging your core and glutes throughout the movement.
Not achieving full range of motion
Lower your chest all the way to your hands and fully extend your arms at the top for maximum benefit.
Muscles Worked
Benefits
- ✓One of the most effective bodyweight exercises for triceps development.
- ✓Also builds inner chest strength due to the narrow hand position.
- ✓Requires no equipment and can be performed anywhere.
Pro Tips
- ●If you cannot perform the full movement, start from your knees and gradually progress to your toes.
- ●EMG studies show the diamond push up produces the highest triceps activation of any bodyweight push up variation.
- ●Focus on squeezing the triceps at the lockout for maximum contraction.
Variations
Recommended Sets & Reps
Strength
4-5 sets of 3-5 reps at 80-90% 1RM
Hypertrophy
3-4 sets of 8-12 reps at 65-75% 1RM
Endurance
2-3 sets of 15-20 reps at 50-60% 1RM
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