Diamond Push-up

What is Diamond Push-up:

The Diamond Push-up is a bodyweight horizontal pushing exercise working primarily the elbow extensors, specifically the triceps brachii. Similar to the narrow push-up, it involves assuming a narrower grip width and forming a diamond shape with your hands. Individuals who experience wrist discomfort can modify it to relieve wrist strain while maintaining the same hand position, ensuring a safer and more comfortable experience.

Key Benefits:

  • Size and Strength: Works primarily the triceps brachii, as well as the pectoralis major and the anterior deltoid, promoting muscle growth and strength improvement.
  • Triceps Emphasis: Targets the triceps more effectively than standard push-ups.
  • Joint Stability: Enhances shoulder, elbow, and wrist stability by engaging supporting muscles throughout the movement, contributing to joint health and injury prevention.
  • Core Activation: Requires core engagement to maintain stability and control throughout the movement, contributing to core strength and stability.
  • Functional Strength: Improves elbow extension strength, as well as shoulder adduction and flexion strength, and overall fitness, translating to improved performance in daily activities and sports.
  • Versatile and Scalable: This can be performed with or without added resistance and can be modified in terms of body positioning to adjust difficulty, making it adaptable for all fitness levels.
  • Convenience: This exercise can be performed virtually anywhere without equipment, making it accessible and convenient for most individuals.

Variations:

  • Narrow Push-up: A similar push-up variation biasing the triceps but without the diamond shape with your hands and placed shoulder-width apart.
  • Sphinx Push-up: A bodyweight triceps isolation exercise that involves starting in a sphinx-like position where the forearms are placed on the floor, then doing triceps extensions or push-ups using only the triceps.
  • Bodyweight Triceps Extension: A bodyweight triceps overhead isolation exercise. The bodyweight counterpart of the overhead triceps extensions commonly done in gyms.
  • Weighted Diamond Push-up: Increase the intensity by adding resistance with a weight vest or a backpack.

How to perform Diamond Push-ups:

  • Starting Position: Begin in a high plank position with your hands narrower than shoulder-width apart, forming a diamond shape with your hands beneath your chest. Maintain scapular depression and core engagement.
  • Execution: Initiate the movement by lowering your body towards the floor until your chest touches your hands, or at least close to it. Hold this position briefly, then push up back to the starting position.
  • Repetition: Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Breathing Technique:

Proper breathing is crucial for maximizing performance and maintaining stamina throughout the exercise. Experiment with what you're comfortable with and let you perform your best. For starters, you can try the following:

  • Inhale: Inhale at the starting position or as you descend.
  • Exhale: Exhale at the top/starting position.
  • Wrist Strain: Due to the awkward hand position, this exercise may strain your wrists if your wrists are not well-conditioned for it. In cases where that happens, either adjust your hand placement to ease the stress on your wrists or avoid this exercise altogether, then do narrow push-ups instead since there's no significant difference between the two variations in engaging the triceps.
  • Scapular Engagement: Maintain scapular depression while allowing your scapula to protract at the top/starting position and retract at the bottom.
  • Shoulder Rotation: Maintain shoulder external rotation for better stability throughout the exercise.
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    Additional Information:

    Ways to make it easier:

    • Focusing only on the Concentric or Eccentric phase
    • Doing the exercise on an inclined position
    • Decreasing the Range of Motion - partial reps, only go as far as you can handle
    • Using external force for support - resistance bands, a partner, or something
    • Regressing to an easier variation/exercise

    Ways to make it harder:

    • Playing with the Tempo & adding an Isometric phase (pause/hold)
    • Doing the exercise on a declined position
    • Doing the exercise with your hands placed above chest level
    • Adding resistance - wearing weight vest or backpack
    • Progressing to a harder variation/exercise