After finally getting rid of a shoulder injury / niggle I had for over a year, I’m keen to rebuild my upper body strength, including working on regular push-ups and their many variations.
On the blog, I’ve shared decline push-ups and their benefits, as well as wall push-ups but one push-up variation I seem to have avoided for quite a while are diamond push ups. So this post covers how to do diamond push ups – with proper form of course.
Now I’m gonna be completely honest here and say, at the time of writing this post (post injury), I can do a standard push-up much better than I can do in the diamond position. My elbows definitely should be more tucked into my body in the photos I’ve captured.
But we move. That’s the premise of being a good coach, right?! I don’t need to be able to do everything perfectly – my role is to support you with the most effective exercises for hitting up various muscle groups.
What Are Diamond Push Ups?
Diamond push-ups are a variation of the traditional push-up exercise. The primary muscles worked when performing diamond-triangle push-ups with correct form are the triceps muscles. This exercise also engages the chest muscles, shoulders, and core muscles to stabilise the body throughout the movement.
In my opinion, they are definitely more challenging than traditional push-ups due to the increased emphasis on the triceps. The emphasis on the triceps is achieved through your hand placement, making a diamond shape figure.
Your triceps, aka the triceps brachii is the large (I feel this is subjective lol) muscle located on the back of your upper arm. It’s in fact a group of muscles made up of the the long head, lateral head, and medial head.
Benefits of Diamond Push-Ups
The main function of the triceps are to extend the elbow joint, which involves straightening the arm from a flexed (bent) position. This movement is of course essential for various activities, including pushing, lifting, and stabilising objects.
Additionally, the triceps play a role in stability of the shoulder joint and contribute to overall upper body strength and aesthetics. Strengthening the triceps is vital for enhancing arm strength, to work antagonistically with the bicep muscles and for improving performance.
Needless to say, using body weight means you can do these absolutely anywhere, including for at home workouts to build greater strength in your upper body.
How To Do Diamond Push Ups
Start in a high plank position on your exercise mat with your hands directly under your shoulders and your body forming a straight line from your head to your heels, as you would for a regular pushup.
Ensure you engage your entire core, rolling the shoulder blades and back and down away from the ears
Bring your hands closer together so that your thumbs and index fingers form a diamond shape directly below your chest. Fingers and opposing thumbs should be pointing toward each other.
Lower your body toward the ground by bending your elbows while keeping them close to your sides. Aim to lower your chest as far as you can towards the backs of your hands. With practice and good form, you’ll be able to move through a full range of motion.
From the bottom of the movement, push yourself back up to the starting position by straightening your arms.
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Try 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps to begin with (of the variation you can do with the best form)
Common Mistakes to Avoid
A few things to remember when performing this exercise include maintaining a neutral spine, not allowing your hips to sag, causing your lower back to arch excessively.
Hand placement is also important; placing hands too close together or too far apart can compromise form and put excessive strain on the wrists and shoulder muscles.
Try to avoid locking your elbows at the top of the movement to prevent joint strain and maintain a controlled pace. I like to aim for the same pace / count for the down and up phase of the movement.
How To Progress / Regress Your Diamond Push-Ups
As with most exercises there are easier variations and more challenging options
A more challenging variant you can try would be a decline diamond push-up – a decline push up using the triangle shape hand position.
Dropping down to the knees from the start position of a diamond push up and / or using an elevated surface (as per wall push ups and the variations), is a great way to regress the movement by reducing the length of the lever (your body).
Incorporating Diamond Push-Ups Into Your Fitness Routine
Diamond push ups are a great bodyweight exercise to add to your workouts. You could use them in an upper body workout, combine with lower body and core exercises for a full body workout, or combine with some more of the other best triceps exercises to make a superset (i.e diamond push ups with tricep dips).
I highly recommend a good stretch post tricep workout ‘cos sore upper arms are no joke. But its worth it for the triceps strength gains and for taking a step closer to your fitness goals!
Reckon you’re gonna add some diamond pushups into your workout routine?! Or were you already a fan? Drop a comment below to share your thoughts. If there’s another move you’re keen to master, I’d love to know!
Elle
p.s Safety always comes first. If you are new to exercise ensure you seek advice from your GP. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids, wear appropriate clothing and carry out drills in a suitable space. Technique is paramount, and nothing should hurt. Should you experience pain, discomfort, nausea, dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breath etc, STOP and consult your GP.
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