Staggered hands press-up

Give the traditional press-up a makeover with the staggered hands press-up

The press-up is a pretty humble exercise: it requires no equipment, it can be done anywhere, anytime and it works loads of muscle groups at once – even the bum and legs need to remain engaged throughout the whole move in order to maintain form. But one of the things we love the most about the press-up is that it can be done in so many ways. In fact, we never get bored of it.

The staggered hands press-up is almost exactly like the regular move – only the hand position changes. There are no other movements such as rotation or rows, it really is just a press-up with a staggered position in the hands – does what it says on the tin!

So what’s the point?

Well, by taking the hands to  different positions, you’re forcing your body to recruit slightly different muscles – it follows the same principle as doing a wide press-up to work the chest more, or doing a narrow press-up to work the triceps more. Calling on these different muscles wakes them up and ensures you’re still challenging yourself while getting all the benefits of a press-up.

Try replacing the regular press-up in your workouts with this version for the next 4-6 weeks and see if you notice a difference in strength or tone in the upper body.

Staggered press-up – We Heart Living

Instructions

Start in a high plank position but with one hand under the shoulder and one hand under the hip.

Keeping your body in a straight line, bend both arms to lower your body as close to the ground as possible.

Push back up to the start and repeat a full set of 5-10 reps. Then swap hand position so the opposite hand is under the shoulder and the other is under the hip.

Top tips

Make sure your hips stay in line with the rest of your body throughout

Look directly in between your hands – don’t drop the head or strain the neck