Learn how to train your biceps with push-ups
Push-ups are one of the best bodyweight exercises that you can do for your upper body. As many people know, it targets your chest, shoulders, triceps and even your abs. The biceps, however, is active to a much smaller degree which makes traditional push-ups not ideal if you want to grow your biceps.
Does that mean you cannot get stronger biceps with push-ups? Of course not!
[wpcode id=”229888″]In a video, sports teacher and YouTube fitness guru Alex Lorenz talked about how to train your biceps with push-ups. He is the co-founder of Calisthenic Movement and has trained Calisthenics since 2012, uploading videos regularly for those people interested in getting in shape using only their body weight.
Check it out.
How To Train Your Biceps With Push-Ups
When you are doing traditional push-ups, the biceps are used as a dynamic stabiliser. That means the muscle activates the elbow and the shoulder to help stabilise the joint and it counteracts the forces of the triceps. So the triceps do most of the work while the biceps keep the elbows stable.
So, how to train your biceps with push-ups? By doing a different variation of the normal push-up, of course. This is conveniently called the bicep push-up.
Change your hand placement and joints by rotating your wrist and forearm until your fingers are pointing backwards when you place your hands on the floor. You should also lean forward with your body, so to put more of your weight on top of your arms.
If you place your wrist not below the shoulder, but further down, it will force your biceps to get to work even more. The further you are from the shoulder, the more you transform this movement into a bicep exercise.
Is this the sole answer on how to train your biceps with push-ups? No. Lorenz explains two more push-up variations that you can do to target your biceps more than traditional push-ups.
One of them is the ring push-up with the turnout at the end. This is a regular push-up done on rings, but at the top of the movement, bring the rings closer together and rotate them outwards. “The outward to inward movement will work on your chest, the arm extension will work on your triceps, and the turnout at the top will work your rotator cuff and also your biceps.”
Know that you can do a similar movement with ring dips, rotating the rings outwards in front of your body at the top of the movement will work on your biceps.
However, perhaps the best bodyweight push-up exercise that will target your biceps is the pelican push-up. That is how you understand how to train your biceps with push-ups. The problem is that it is incredibly difficult to do them for most people.
You will also need to use the rings for the pelican push-up. You can use resistance bands to help alleviate the bodyweight that your biceps will lift on each rep.
To learn how to do the pelican push-up, the ring push-up with turnout at the end, or the bicep push-up, click on the video below presented by Alex Lorenz. And that is how to train your biceps with push-ups.
VIDEO – How To Train Your Biceps With Push-Ups
If you want to improve your fitness, check out this curated list from BOXROX that we think you might find useful.
The Perfect Push-Up Workout for Every Fitness Goal
What Happens to your Body when you do 100 Push-Ups a Day for 30 Days?
How to Build a Bigger Chest at Home in 30 Days
6 Tough Chest Workouts to Build Strength, Muscle and Mass
FAQ: Training Your Biceps with Push-Ups
Can push-ups really help build biceps?
Yes, push-ups can help build biceps, although they primarily target the chest, shoulders, and triceps. By using specific variations and techniques, you can increase the engagement of the biceps during push-ups.
What is a pseudo planche push-up?
A pseudo planche push-up involves leaning your body forward while in a push-up position. This increases the demand on your biceps. Here’s how to do it:
Start in a standard push-up position with your hands turned slightly outwards.
Lean your body forward as far as comfortable, shifting more weight onto your hands.
Perform a push-up in this leaned-forward position.
How often should I do these push-up variations to see results?
Consistency is key. Aim to incorporate these push-up variations into your workout routine 2-3 times per week, allowing for rest and recovery between sessions.
Can push-ups replace traditional bicep exercises like curls?
While push-ups are beneficial for overall upper body strength and can target the biceps to some extent, they should not completely replace traditional bicep exercises like curls. A balanced workout routine that includes both push-up variations and isolation exercises like curls will yield the best results.
image sources
- Biceps Enhanced: Mahmood Sufiyan / Pexels
- tobias-nii-kwatei-quartey-eGdGkZAI6h4-unsplash: Tobias Nii Kwatei Quartey on Unsplash
