Spiderman press-up

Mastered the press-up? Try a spiderman press-up to up the ante and boost your toning results

The humble press-up is one of the most useful exercises around. Often thought of as an upper-body move, it’s true that it really challenges your chest, arms and shoulders, but it also offers a serious core workout throughout the entire move. Think about it – performing an entire set of press-ups requires holding a plank with good form throughout.

Once you’ve mastered the full press-up and are looking to give yourself even more of a challenge, try the spiderman press-up – one of our favourite variations on the classic. It’s certainly a tough one, but boosts the use of the core as well as introduces the use of the oblique muscles. Make sure you’re comfortable with full press-ups with good form before trying these.

We Heart living – workouts for women – Spiderman press-up

Instructions
Start in a high plank position with feet hip-width apart.
Bend your arms to lower your chest towards the floor, at the same time bringing your knee out to the side towards your elbow.
Push back up to the start and repeat on the opposite side for the following rep.

Top tips:
Make sure your core stays strong throughout, not letting your hips drop lower than the rest of the your body
Don’t let your lower back overarch
When bending the arms, direct the elbows behind the wrists rather than out to the sides
Keep your neck long
Don’t hinge at the hips