Fancy a workout of a different kind? Try push-up grips exercises and strengthen your entire upper body!
Push ups are a great invention. They replace a whole range of expensive fitness equipment.
And once you get the hang of them, they're even really fun. Different hand positions allow you to get even more out of the workout.
Push-ups are one of the basic exercises in weight training. Doing them regularly is worthwhile. The entire body benefits from them, from the toes to the fingertips.
Even more effective and easier on the wrists are push-up grips exercises.
Find out which ones are the best and what to look out for here.
Table of contents
What muscles you can strengthen with push-up grips exercises
Traditional pushups are already a blast for the body. With a single movement you activate almost every muscle in your body.
Especially the large muscle groups such as biceps, triceps, trunk, the anterior deltoid and the lower body muscle groups are activated. And this is to support the body and stabilize you during execution.
Likewise, the entire shoulder musculature is in use.
But did you know that when you do push-ups, you also stretch your back and biceps? This improves your flexibility and can protect you from injury.
Because you're building muscle, your posture will improve. This is because the supporting muscles in your torso are working hard every time you do them.
These effects are further enhanced by push-up grips exercises. The reason for this is quite logical. Because your wrists don't hurt during execution, you'll manage more and more thorough push ups.
Also, with push-up grips, you can bring your upper body much further to the ground. This way you use up more muscles and faster.
Push-ups for beginners are guaranteed to succeed!
What you have to pay attention to when training with push-up grips
No matter which pushup grips exercises you decide to do later, there are a few little things that are important for each variation!
Body tension
As with traditional push ups, body tension is everything! By tensing your muscles, you ensure that your body forms a straight line.
Avoid a hollow back by tightening the abdomen. What also does not count is to stretch the buttocks too far into the air.
A mirror or a training partner can help you find the right posture in the beginning.
Tighten your arms, abdomen, back, buttocks and legs throughout the exercise.
Slow and controlled
The repetitions are always performed slowly and controlled. It is better to do fewer repetitions and do them very cleanly than many and do them sloppily.
Listen to your body. If you can only do 5 reps at first, don't worry. Take a short break and then try again. You will soon notice that you are getting stronger.
With these exercises you strengthen your torso!
Do not stretch the arms through
Beginners in particular tend to stretch their arms fully in the upright position. But this is not a good idea.
Your arms should always be slightly bent, so you protect them and at the same time maintain the tension in the chest.
Use non-slip handles
There is little point in buying very cheap grips. The probability that you will hurt yourself is great.
Imagine you slip or the handles break. If you only get a broken nose, you're really lucky.
Our Tip: Push-up grips from Edel-Kraft. Made in Germany of beech or walnut wood, available in two colors. Rubber is attached to the bottom of the handles, so the support is guaranteed not to slip. The feet are extra wide, so you can not tip over.
The handles are handmade and processed very high quality. But you can do much more than just push-ups with it: Also handstands or a whole series of yoga exercises work wonderfully with it.
Get smart about push-up grips here!
Because they are made of wood, they are at the same time stable, non-slip and very light. The handles are ergonomic and thus fit very well in the hands.
The correct execution of push ups
Whether you use push-up grips or not, push-ups require a little practice. It's important that you do them correctly, otherwise it can lead to tension and injury.
Let's take a look at how to do push-ups properly:
Kneel down and support yourself with your hands in this position. In the starting position, your hands should be at chest level. Then stretch your legs back and support yourself on your toes. Slowly lower yourself from this position by pulling your legs back and exhaling. As you lower, inhale and push up when your nose almost touches the floor; then exhale and push up again.
Here is what you need to keep in mind
- You should keep your back straight and avoid stretching your buttocks up or sagging at the bottom. You should have your posture checked or corrected as soon as possible in your push-up career. A fitness trainer is the ideal person to consult.
- Tense arms, abdomen, buttocks and back the entire time.
- The individual repetitions should be performed cleanly. The point is not to do as many push-ups as possible, but to do them flawlessly. Doing many repetitions per set is not very strenuous in itself!
- You can reduce the risk of injury by always bending your elbows slightly and never fully extending them - even when going up.
Beware of these typical mistakes
- Most people do not have enough body tension, which causes the hips to sag during exercise and especially the arms to be unstable. In addition, the buttocks are often pushed upwards.
- If you try to do as many repetitions as quickly as possible, you don't lower your body completely and thus don't use the full range of motion. This makes the exercise ineffective.
- Your wrists will be severely fatigued if you do not have sufficient strength in your arms and chest. As a result, you may experience pain. Push-up grips are the best option to solve this problem. You'll learn more about it in a moment.
The best pushup grips exercises
If the following exercises are too easy for you, you can make many of them harder. You can make them harder by using only one arm or lifting one leg in the air.
Knee Push Ups - Women's Neutral Grip Push Ups
If you are doing your first push-ups with grips, you should start with the easy version. It will help you develop a feeling for the grips.
- Place the handles shoulder width.
- Support yourself with your knees on the floor.
- Grab the handles. Tense the entire body.
- Lean forward and bend your arms. Keep your elbows close to your body.
Try these exercises for flabby upper arms!
Knee Push Ups - Women's Push Ups in Overhand Grip
A small variation that challenges your pecs more are overhand women's push-ups.
- The procedure is the same as for conventional push-ups with handles.
- However, you now place the handles parallel in front of you.
- Lower the upper body as far as you can and return to the starting position.
- Important: Body tension!
Knee Push Ups with Tight Grip
It gets a little more difficult when you set the handles tight. Then suddenly your triceps are much more challenged.
- Place the handles in front of your body. Place them very close together.
- Tighten abdomen, legs buttocks and slowly sink forward.
- Try to touch the handles with your shoulders before pushing yourself back to the starting position.
Want more muscles? How to build muscle at home!
Normal pushups in neutral grip
Let's start with normal push ups. If you master these well, the next push-up exercises will be much easier for you.
You train with this variant mainly chest, triceps and shoulders.
- For classic push ups, position the handles about shoulder width apart.
- Get into the starting position.
- Lower the upper body, making sure the elbows stay with the body.
- Go as low as you can before pushing back up.
- Do not forget: Do not stretch your arms!
Classic push-ups in overhand grip
This exercise is similar to the previous variation. However, you hold the handles and thus your hands a little differently.
- Place the handles ready for your shoulders. The push-up handles form a line at the level of your shoulders.
- Lower the upper body as far as you can.
- Tense the entire body and push yourself back up with force.
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Wide pushups
Your pectoral muscles are tremendously challenged during push-up grips exercises when you place your hands wide.
- Stretch your arms out to the left and right of your body. Angle them. Place the push-up handles exactly at the elbows.
- You can also set them further apart. But this is really only possible for very advanced users.
- Go to the starting position. The elbows point outward.
- Lower your upper body as far as you can and push back up.
Tip: You can also position the handles in a line (=overhand grip). This challenges the inner pectoral muscles even more.
Mountain Climber with Push Up Handles
This exercise shows that push-ups with grips can also be very varied.
You can use the grips for all exercises that put a lot of strain on your wrists.
- Place the handles about shoulder width apart.
- Lift your body off the mat so that you are only touching it with the tips of your toes.
- Tense your body and alternately pull the left and right knee to the hands.
Triceps Dips with Pushup Grips
Even very classic upper arm exercises can be done very quickly and effectively with this training equipment.
- Sit between the push-up grips.
- Stretch out your legs.
- Push off the mat with your arms until they are fully extended.
- Now lower the buttocks again by bending the elbows. Important: The upper body is tense. The head remains away from the shoulders.
Tip for professionals: If you can, lift your legs off the floor!
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One arm pushups
This exercise with push-up grips is only suitable for advanced and professionals!
- Place the handle under your shoulder.
- The legs are open and help you keep your balance.
- Tense your body.
- Start doing push-ups. They don't have to be as deep as push ups that you do with two hands.
Tip: It can help to place the second hand on the mat during the first execution. Then, when you are in starting position, take it off the floor.
Tight pushups with handles
This is also a very difficult exercise. If you find it too difficult, do the variant with the knees down.
- To do this, place both handles directly in front of your body.
- You can choose whether you want to use the neutral grip or the overhand grip. It should be a little easier in the neutral grip.
- Tense your body and lower it down in a controlled manner.
- Slowly push yourself back to the starting position.
Pike Push Ups
Extra power for your shoulders you get with Pike push-ups. And even more if you combine them with push-up grips exercises.
Because you bend forward very strongly for this and take the butt in the air, however, you already need a lot of strength in the shoulders. Not for beginners!
- Place the handles hip-width apart.
- Raise the hips. Your body forms an upside down V.
- The legs are stretched out. You stand only on your toes.
- The head is between the arms.
- Bend your elbows and lower your torso until your head almost touches the floor.
Attention: The danger of tipping your head forward is great if you have too little body tension!
But you can also use the handles for a whole range of yoga exercises. This starts with the dog looking down and goes up to the crow or the handstand.
How often you should do push-ups exercises
This depends on several factors. On the one hand, it depends on your current training condition and on the other hand, on what your goal is.
Do you want to do a certain number of push ups with push up grips in a certain amount of time? Or are you a beginner at all and want to do just one?
If you're looking to build muscle, the general rule is that working out 3 times a week is fine as long as you don't overexert yourself. It's important that you listen to your body and don't overdo it.
Combine push-ups with lower-body exercises for a total body effect. Squats are just as good as lunges or other exercises for butt and legs.
Our conclusion
With a little equipment you will quickly get a lot of variety in your workout. Push-up grips exercises will make your workout much more effective and intense. Sore muscles guaranteed :). But also muscle building and a crisp upper body.
Have fun with the training!
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