I decided to reconstruct a workout I used to lead four times a week when I was a platoon sergeant, just basically for personal use, but why not post it here and all that.
This is just the push-up part (or press-ups for you Brits). The way it went was Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, hardest on Monday and easiest on Thursday because the running part went the opposite way (shortest on Monday, longest on Thursday).
It also goes in a six week cycle – the first week you do all the push-up exercises three times in supersets of 6/6. The next week 7/7, then 8/8, etc up to 12/12. Limit breaks to 10 or so second between each superset. After that we’d do sports or something fun and start the whole cycle over again because usually there were new people in. Even on the first week most people trying to finish the whole thing won’t be able to. Whenever you can’t keep going normally, modify the exercise to make it easier (without stopping) and keep going. Usually that means going to your knees and continuing. Only rest during the breaks.
Anyway, I don’t know that the way I do this kind of stuff is especially scientific, but there are at least a few good points: the variety combats boredom, the different positions work different muscle groups, you can usually complete it in an hour or less, you don’t need equipment, and you can say you know how to do different kinds of push-ups.
So pretty much here’s a list of a bunch of 20 push-up variations: (I used to have a lot more, but I can’t remember all of them)
Regular pushups
Close-hand pushups (AKA Diamonds) – hands closer together or with first fingers and thumbs touching to form a diamond/triangle shape
Superman pushups – like a normal pushup except your hands are as far above your head as you can manage while doing them
Wide-arm pushups – pushup with arms spread as far apart as possible
Maltese pushups – pushup with arms aimed toward your feet, hands approximately at waist level; nearly impossible to do these. Kind of like this --
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] but we always did them with the hands way lower/more in line with the waist
Staggered pushups (left, right) – one hand is like a superman push, one like a normal pushup; reverse hands for the second set
Fingertip pushups – pushups on your fingertips, strengthens forearms or at least hurts them
Skull-crushers– Starting position is like a pushup, but with your butt in the air and feet closer to your shoulders than normal; lower your face toward the ground and return to starting position
Dive-bombers – start as for a pushup, but with your butt in the air, swoop down into the down position rather than lowering yourself down; reverse to complete the action
Hindu Pushups – same as a dive-bomber, except once you’re down you simply push yourself back up like for a normal pushup --
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]Plyometric pushups – propel your entire body up off the ground each time you come up while doing a regular pushup. If this is too easy, clap when you bounce up. If it’s still too easy clap your hands behind your back each time you come up. I never have found it too easy, but some people do.
Cobras – more or less doing pushups on your knees. Technically it’s more like having your legs completely on the ground the whole time, but either way will work.
Knuckle pushups – pushups on your knuckles. Honestly the only reason I ever included this one was because it’s different.
Alternating T Pushups (T Stabilization Pushups) – each time you come up raise one arm up in the air and turn your body sideways --
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]Windmill pushups (you’ll need some room) – same as the T-pushups above except as you come up you carry through with the momentum to basically end up in a crabwalk position and keep going one more half turn to get back to the starting position.
Leaning pushups – you basically do a pushup but with only the right or left half of your body so that one arm is extended, the other is bent.
Three-point pushups (with transition) – as you lower yourself down you raise up one of your legs; alternate legs; the transition and the stress of maintaining balance is what makes this worthwhile
Spiderman pushups – here, just read this --
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]Yoga pushups (I dunno if this is real Yoga) – get in the push up starting position, raise your butt in the air, transition to sagging in the middle until your pelvis almost touches the ground; repeat.
Handstand pushups – you need a wall to rest your feet against unless you’re just really amazing.
If you want to add any variations, please do and if you know of similar things for abs, please post those, too. I tend to just do crunches and be mentally lazy about those.
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Subject: 20 Pushup variations 
Mon Apr 11, 2011 3:51 pm
