Tired of doing pushups? Try these 7 alternatives for upper body strength

It might look easy to just lie face down, place your hands on the ground, and push your body up and down using your arms and chest. But pushups, a bodyweight exercise where your body stays in a straight line from head to heels throughout the movement, can be difficult for some people. If not, you might just want to go beyond pushups to strengthen your upper body. This exercise mostly works on the chest, shoulders, triceps and core. So while looking for alternatives to pushups, you would search for exercises that target more or less the same muscles. Don’t sweat! Let us tell you some alternatives to pushups.

What are the benefits of pushups?

You may be a fan of pushups due to the following health benefits:

• Builds upper body strength: There are many upper body strength training exercises, and pushups is one of them. Pushups can be used for upper body strengthening, according to research published in the Journal Of Athletic Training. “When you do a pushup, you lift your body weight using your chest, shoulders and arms. This makes your upper body stronger without using any weights,” says fitness expert Abhi Singh Thakur.
• Improves posture: This exercise can strengthen the muscles that help you stand and sit upright — like the core and upper back. Better posture means less stress on your joints, especially the spine.
• Burns calories: “This exercise uses multiple muscles at once, which increases your heart rate and burns calories,” says the expert. You can burn around 7 calories in one minute. If done in sets or as part of a workout, the exercise can help in fat loss and toning your body.
• Good for the heart: Engaging in physical activity is important, as it can strengthen your heart muscle. This means it can improve your heart’s ability to pump blood to your lungs and the rest of your body, according to the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Pushups in particular may be good for your heart. A 10-year long study, published in JAMA Network Open, showed that participants who completed over 40 pushups a day saw a significant reduction in cardiovascular disease event risk compared with those who completed less than 10 pushups.

What are the alternatives to pushups?

It is true that pushups have benefits. But if you place your hands too far, sag or arch your lower back or don’t engage your core, there will be an increase in injury risk with no benefits. Instead of pushing yourself too hard, try alternatives to pushups. These exercises can also be done if you want to break the monotony of your workout routine.

1. Dumbbell bench press

“This exercise works on the chest, triceps and shoulders,” says Thakur.

How to do dumbbell bench press:

• Lie on a bench with one dumbbell in each hand.
• Start with dumbbells at chest level.
• Push them up until your arms are straight.
• Lower them slowly.

2. Dumbbell chest fly

This exercise, one of the alternatives to pushups, engages the chest, front shoulders and biceps.

How to do dumbbell chest fly:

• Lie on a bench or floor with a padded mat.
• Hold dumbbells above your chest, with your palms facing each other.
• Slowly open your arms wide like hugging a barrel.
• Bring your arms back together.

3. Dumbbell floor press

It works on the chest, triceps and shoulders. “It is safer for shoulder joints, as your elbows won’t be able to go past your shoulders,” says the expert.

How to do dumbbell floor press:

• Lie on the floor with dumbbells at your chest.
• Press up while straightening your arms.
• Lower the exercise equipment till your elbows touch the floor.

4. Resistance band chest press

If you don’t have weights to perform alternatives to pushups, then you can use a resistance band for exercise. It works on the chest, triceps and shoulders.

How to do resistance band chest press:

• Anchor the resistance band behind you. You can loop it around one of the doorknobs.
• Hold the handles, and step forward.
• Press your hands forward like a pushup motion.
• Slowly return to the starting position.

5. Side plank

If you plan to use side plank as one of the alternatives to pushups, it will not only benefit your triceps, but also your back, core, glutes and legs.

How to do side planks:

• Kneel on all fours, straighten your legs, raise your heels and push your hips up.
• Straighten your spine and engage your upper body along with your core and leg muscles.
• Take your left hand and rotate your body open to the side.
• Put your right foot in front of your left one.
• Keep your right hand on your hip and look up toward the ceiling.

6. Standing dumbbell rotational punches

This exercise, one of the best alternatives to pushups, engages shoulders, triceps and core.

How to do standing dumbbell rotational punches:

• Stand up with your feet a little bit wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Hold a dumbbell in your hands at chest height.
• Keep your right foot firmly planted on the ground and rotate your torso to the left.
• Extend your right hand to the left side then go back to the starting position.

7. High plank

This variation of planks targets the shoulders, upper back, abs, glutes, wrists and hamstrings

How to do high planks:

• Get on your hands and knees like the pushup position.
• Straighten your legs as you lift your knees off the ground to form a straight line from your head to heels.
• Squeeze your glutes to engage your core.
• Tighten your abdominal muscles to ensure your body continues to form the straight line.
• Maintain this position for as long as you can.

Who should avoid performing these alternatives to pushups?

There are some people who should not try alternatives to pushups:

• People with shoulder, wrist, or elbow injuries, as these alternatives to pushups can worsen pain.
• If you have heart conditions or high blood pressure, get medical advice before doing these strength exercises.
• Obese beginners should start with wall or incline pushups to prevent injuries.
• Pregnant women should avoid lying on their backs, which is done in some of the alternatives to pushups.

Pushups are beneficial, but there are more exercises that can target same or more muscles. These alternatives to pushups can be easily done, but make sure to discuss with your doctor if you have any health condition.