If you thought diamonds were just for jewelry, think again.
If you are a classic push-up champion, maybe it’s time to up the ante. It’s always an excellent idea to add some different workouts to your fitness routine, especially when it comes to chest exercises.
It will have your pec muscles working harder and differently. That leads to better muscle hypertrophy.
If you are intrigued by the idea of diamond push-ups, pull up a chair and stay awhile. We’ve got all of the information that you need right here.
Diamond Push-Ups
Let’s get you started on these diamond push-ups so that you can add this as a regular exercise to your fitness workout routine.
Once you get started on diamond push-ups, you’ll discover there are many push-up variations out there, and you will be a push-up maniac in no time.
To perform a diamond push-up, it’s relatively simple. Starting position is to place your hands on the floor directly in front of your face forming a diamond shape.
Get why they are called diamond push-ups now? Your hands should be touching at your index fingers and thumbs.
Now place your feet behind you on the floor in a plank position, making sure to keep your body in a straight line.
Press down into a push-up and then push up, the diamond shape of your hands never faltering as you work yourself back up to the starting plank position. Easy peasy, right?
What did you notice? For one thing, your chest muscles are activating, specifically your pec minor, the small thick muscle located under the pec major in the chest.
Another thing you might have noticed is how intensely diamond push-ups work your triceps. While regular push-ups engage the triceps, diamond push-ups take the triceps to the next level.
If you are looking for an excellent tricep workout, look no further than a diamond push-up.
Also, the diamond push-up activates your shoulders even more than the classic push-up. Shoulder strength is key to your functional fitness.
Why Are Diamond Push-Ups Difficult?
Maybe you’ve heard people complain about diamond push-ups being difficult, and you are a bit wary of them. We’re here to tell you that you can do them.
Depending on your current fitness level and upper body strength, there’s a chance that you will find them more accessible than regular push-ups. If you do find them difficult, there are a few reasons why.
Diamond push-ups work your triceps a lot more than regular push-ups. The tricep muscle or tricep brachii is the muscle found on the back of the arm that has three parts, the long, lateral, and medial head. It’s the muscle that is used to extend the elbow.
We tend to put a lot of work into the bicep muscles but often ignore the tricep. The great thing about diamond push-ups is that they work the triceps.
However, because the triceps are usually weaker than the biceps, they will fatigue easier. Because of this, people find diamond push-ups to be harder than regular push-ups.
Another reason diamond push-ups are harder is due to the amount of balance that is required. Because your hands are placed together rather than apart, you have less stability than performing a standard push-up.
If you work on your core and engage your oblique muscles (side abdominals) and your rectus abdominal muscles, you will notice an increase in your balance.
Speaking of abs, if you need some great five-minute ab workouts, we have you covered. Diamond push-ups will be so easy once you build that core.
Finally, diamond push-ups engage your deltoids (shoulder muscles). If you have weak shoulders, it might make sense to master the regular push-up first before attempting the diamond push-up. That said, once you perform diamond push-ups, you will notice a significant increase in your shoulder strength.
We cannot express enough how essential shoulder strength is for functional fitness. Lifting anything over your head requires deltoid engagement. Think about how many times you do that, and now you see what we mean.
Diamond Push-Ups vs. Regular Push-Ups
Is one better than the other? The answer is not really. These two push-up variations are just different. Performing the push-up means engaging the pec major, triceps, and deltoids.
For the most part, people like to master the regular push-up before moving on to other variations. That way, you can develop the upper body strength required to perform diamond push-ups.
Like we said before, diamond push-ups engage your triceps and pec minor much more than regular push-ups due to your hand placement.
If you are looking to engage those muscles more, this variation might just be the thing. It’s similar to how decline push-ups put more focus on the upper chest muscles.
Certain push-ups target different muscle groups, so incorporating regular push-ups and diamond push-ups in your workout will lead to better upper body strength.
How Many Diamond Push-ups Should You do?
We totally sold you on the diamond push-up, but how many should you perform? As always, this will depend on how long you have been training, your current fitness level, and your upper body strength. Like most exercises, when it comes to a diamond, push-up progression is everything.
Since the hand placement is different from other push-variations, it might take some time to get used to that. Plus, you need to establish your balance because your hands are together, requiring more core strength.
For a beginner, try to set a smaller goal of 10-15 diamond push-ups. Once you achieve that, set your goals higher.
In the end, performing 50 diamond push-ups is a fantastic achievement and something to strive towards. That being said, make sure that your 50 diamond push-ups are not done in the same set.
There is no problem with breaking them up a bit in sets of 10 or 15.
Shine Bright Like a Diamond
Did you sing that as Beyonce would? We sure hope so.
Hopefully, you are working on your diamond push-up and rocking it with terrific triceps and deltoids. Remember, like any push-up variation, the diamond push-up requires practice and progression.
Get comfortable with the diamond hand position and holding that in a plank position.
Exercise classic push-ups to engage your pecs and increase your upper body strength. Once you do all of that, a diamond push-up will be a regular in your workout routine.
The benefits are through the roof with this push-up variation.
Better toned muscles, increased balance and core, and shoulder strength are what you need in your life. Are we right?
Kristen holds a bachelors in English from Louisianna university. With a longstanding passion for fitness, she owns and operate her own gym and is a certified jazzercise instructor.