Diamond Pumps : All you need to know about this exercise
How to do push-ups? How do you develop your triceps and inner pectoral muscles without the use of weight training equipment? Diamond push-ups are part of the answer!
Many bodybuilders think that you have to develop your biceps to get the best results. big man while from an anatomical point of view, the triceps represent almost 2/3 of the volume of the arms. Therefore, the larger the triceps, the more impressive the arm muscles will appear. The portion of the triceps is also called the horseshoe. But how can we work our triceps when we don't have access to a gym or when we want to build up our triceps at home? Answer: with diamond push-ups of course!
Which muscles are used during the Diamond push-ups?
The diamond push-ups or triangles are a body weight exercise that will allow you to use the arm muscles in general but mainly the triceps and pectorals. Then, you will work in gainage the abdominal muscles. To make push-ups can appear at first sight a simple exercise of muscular reinforcement to build up the pectoral muscles but that can be a formidable very effective exercise to build up the triceps in particular in completion at the end of the session. Indeed, while tending to the maximum the arms, the triceps will be contracted thoroughly and with the opposite while returning on the starting position, it will be the pectoral ones which will be muscled. The anterior deltoids will also be worked thanks to the pumps, just like the quadriceps slightly which maintain the balance of the movement. A multifunctional exercise in a way to develop its musculature.
You should include this exercise in your weight-training program whether to lose fat or to gain muscle. There is no need for a weight room, dumbbells or other equipment to perform this bodybuilding exercise and even less need for loads because it is self-sufficient. Diamond push-ups are absolutely essential if you are doing bodyweight training at home. It is the body weight that counts and it is made for beginners in bodybuilding as well as for athletes already seasoned.
How to make the diamond pumps?
Starting position: Place your feet parallel on their tips and both hands on the ground, feet together, and the tips of the feet on the ground. Arms outstretched with hands clasped flat on the floor so as to form a diamond by joining the two index fingers and two thumbs together to form a sort of triangle. Then bend your arms by lowering your trunk until your pectoral muscles are close to the ground and push in a slow and controlled way by stretching your arms while keeping your back straight.
The chest should remain straight throughout the movement without arching the lower back. Repeat this sequence and make sure to contract your triceps thoroughly during each series. If the exercise is too difficult, you can instead of putting the toes on the ground put the knees on the ground, so the body weight will be less important.
You can watch the video explaining the diamond push-up exercise to perfect your execution to build up your arms.
It is not necessary to do 100 push-ups, if you master the movement and contract your muscles correctly, you will feel a burn in the muscles involved and that will be enough.
Finally, no weight training equipment or benches are required to perform diamond push-ups.
CAUTION: diamond pumps exert a lot of pressure on the wrists, shoulders and elbows. Warming up of these muscles is necessary.
Tips
- Inhale as you bend your arms and exhale as you push up.
- Glue your index fingers and thumbs together to form a diamond shape, both hands flat on the floor
- This exercise can hurt your wrists, if this is the case you can use a ball and squeeze your hands on it to make the grip more comfortable.
- To build up your arms optimally with diamond push-ups, fully extend your arms at the end of the movement to target the triceps, then lower your rib cage to within a few centimetres of your hands.
- Depending on your body type, this exercise may not be suitable for you: reduce the amplitude if you have elbow or wrist pain.
Variants
- Kneeling diamond push-ups if the exercise is too difficult at first.
- Classic push-ups that are more of a muscle building exercise for the pectoral muscles.
- Push-ups with a wide grip that is wider than shoulder width: your hands should stay in line with your shoulders and your elbows should not be too far apart.
- Slam push-ups: a good explosive exercise
- Pushups slammed behind the back that require a huge explosiveness, it is a formidable plyometric exercise that can be integrated into a HIIT session cardio for example.
- One-armed pump: even if it seems impossible to realize at first sight, it is in fact all a question of technique which consists in making a kind of triangle with its feet and its hand on the ground by placing the other in the back then a better stability then to go down with the force of only one arm and pectoral.
- Declined push-ups: Your feet rest high on a bench or gym ball (to work more on balance and sheathing exercises) while your hands are on the floor with your hands shoulder width apart. This allows you to work the upper part of the pectoral muscles (upper and clavicular muscles).
- Incline push-ups: This time the feet are on the ground and the hands on a bench, you are going to bring the chest towards the bench then to stretch the arms to go up, which solicits more the lower part of the pectoral and it is an ideal exercise for the beginners to learn how to make the classic push-ups or to gain in strength.
- Push-ups with a kettlebell.
According to the Harvard health publishing Medical schoolA study has shown that men over 50 who do 40 push-ups in 30 seconds every day have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. This is all theory, of course.
How many push-ups per day to build muscle?
You have access to this article on the blog here.
Find this exercise in the following complete program:
Additional articles :
Average arm circumference: Are your biceps in the average range?
