Push-Ups For Back Muscles

I’m not sure if you have ever heard of the push-up exercise, but I am going to tell you about it anyway.

Push-ups are one of the best exercises that can be done for your back muscles. Training your back muscles is important for making sure that you are developing your strength.

This will help to improve the quality of your lifts, and also make it easier to do so. 

Doing a few push-ups every day can be beneficial in helping to build up those muscles, but what sort of push-ups can help to strengthen your back muscles? 

Although push-ups are not the best way to target your back muscles, they can help to strengthen them when you perform them in different variations.

As well as strengthening your back muscles, push-ups can help to strengthen other muscles which can help you to train your back muscles during other exercises. 

This article will show you what push-ups can help you to strengthen your back muscles and target those specific areas. These are also great exercise for back fat but of course it will only build the muscle so diet will play the biggest part in trimming back fat.

Although push-ups are not the only way that you can strengthen your back, find out how they can help!

How Can Push-Ups Strengthen Your Back Muscles?

Push-ups are known to strengthen your arms, so how can they target your back muscles? They are able to work your back extensor muscles because these are the ones that pull your body upwards. 

These muscles are located on the sides of your spine and are responsible for lifting your torso off the floor.

The more often you perform push-ups, the stronger your back muscles will become.

As push-ups can work your back extensor muscles, they can also work your core muscles.

Strengthening your core muscles is important for helping you execute other exercises as they provide you with stability and push-ups can work your TA muscles.

This strengthens your abdominal muscles and helps to keep your back strong.

What Push-Ups Work Your Back Muscles?

Find out more about what variations of push-ups can help to strengthen your back muscles.

These push-ups will make sure that you are working your back muscles and abdominal muscles, so you can feel stronger in your other workouts. 

Pike Press

A Pike Press is a variation of a push-up that works your trapezius, which is mostly found in your upper back. 

To successfully perform a pike press, position a bench on either side of you.

Leave enough room in between the benches so you can comfortably position one arm and leg on each of the benches. 

Begin the push-ups by lifting your lower back towards the ceiling so that you are in a position that is similar to a Downward Dog.

Make sure that you keep your arms, knees, and back straight and that your back isn't hunched over. 

Begin to bend your arms so that your head is lower than the benches and then return to the original starting position.

Repeat the push-ups to continue working your upper back muscles.

Make sure that you take your time to achieve a Pike Press as forcing your body into this position could injure your shoulders or back.  

Military Push-Up

A Military Push-Up is able to target several areas of your body such as your back muscles, chest, triceps, and shoulders. 

It's a great exercise to use if you want to strengthen your back muscles but don't have access to a gym. 

You are able to perform this exercise at home as it requires no equipment, but you can also do them in the gym. 

Start the push-up by positioning your feet together and placing your hands straight below your shoulders.

Keep your arms straight and then while breathing in, slowly lower yourself down until your chest almost touches the ground.

Breathe out and slowly raise yourself up again until your chest returns to its original position. Continue performing as many push-ups as you can!

Diamond Push-Up

A Diamond Push-Up is able to work on strengthening your upper body while also targeting your core muscles. 

To start the push-up, position yourself in a Plank position and place your hands together so that your index finger and thumb are touching.

When you look down at your hands, they should resemble a diamond shape. 

Start to bend your arms so that your chest is being lowered towards the diamond shape.

See how far down you can lower yourself, but you should aim to be as close to the floor without touching it as possible.

Push yourself back up to the starting position and repeat the movements. 

Make sure that you keep the diamond directly below your chest, so you are working your muscles correctly. 

Sphinx Push-Up

The Sphinx Push-Up helps to strengthen your upper body, including your back, but it can also help to work your triceps. 

To begin the Sphinx Push-Up, begin in a Plank position on your lower arms with your arms as wide as your shoulders.

Start to push up so that your lower arms are off the ground, and then push up again so that your arms are straight. 

You can make the push-ups harder by positioning your arms more forward than your body.

This will make the push-ups more difficult as you will need a strong back and core to help to keep you balanced. 

Cross-Body Push-Ups

The Cross-Body Push-Ups help to strengthen your back muscles as well as your general upper body muscles. 

They also help to strengthen your shoulders and core to help keep you stable and balanced.

To perform the Cross-Body Push-Ups, you will need to start in a Military push-up position. 

When you begin to lower yourself to the ground, lift one leg up to cross it over your body to the other side.

Rotate your hips, so your hands are still on the ground, but your hips are twisted to one side.

Come back to the starting position and then repeat the movements on the other side. 

If you suffer from hip pain, it is advised that you avoid twisting your hips during this movement as it could cause you further injuries.

Make sure that you are not putting yourself at risk of injury during these push-ups. 

Wide Hands Push-Ups

If you are looking to strengthen your upper body and back muscles, Wide Hands Push-Ups are able to help you develop your muscles and allow you to become stronger when you perform other exercises. 

Keep your hands around 3ft apart, wider than you would position them during a normal push-up. 

The further apart you place your hands, the more difficult the push-up will be.

Lower yourself as low as you can towards the floor without touching it and push yourself back up to the starting position. 

You can gradually begin to widen your hands to make the push-ups more difficult if you are a beginner. 

Flying Push-Ups

Flying Push-Ups help you to develop more power throughout your entire body, including your back muscles.

These push-ups are more difficult for beginners, but they are a great exercise to aim towards.

Begin in a Military push-up position and then lower your chest as far as you can to the floor without touching it. 

Next, when you push up, lift both your chest and feet off the floor.

You need to make sure that your back is straight during this movement to avoid injury, but you can raise your hips to help you to lift your body off the ground. 

Gently land back on the floor in the starting push-up position and then repeat as many times as you can.

It might be difficult for beginners, but people who are used to training their upper body may find them easier.

They are a great push-up variation to aim towards to help develop and increase your back and shoulder muscle strength.

What To Be Careful With

When you are starting push-ups, it can be very easy to give up if you find them too difficult.

However, there are ways of making push-ups easier to help you develop your upper body and back strength.

You can start push-ups on your knees to help you gradually develop into traditional push-ups. 

You also need to make sure that you do not force yourself to complete push-ups if you are really struggling.

This could cause you to experience an injury, so it is best to listen to your body and develop at your own pace.

If you feel like you cannot go any further, stop doing the push-ups and try again later.

Final Thoughts

To conclude, lots of people only believe that push-ups can help to strengthen your arm muscles, but they can also strengthen your back muscles.

You need to make sure that you are performing the push-ups properly to make sure that you are correctly training your muscles to avoid experiencing any injuries. 

If you experience any pain when performing the push-ups, make sure that you stop immediately.

When you carry on when it is painful, you could cause an injury, so it is always best to stop and wait until you feel well enough to try again.