Pushups (Close and Wide Hand Positions)
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, needing no equipment.
Starting position
End position
How to Do Pushups (Close and Wide Hand Positions)
- Lie on the floor face down and body straight with your toes on the floor and the hands wider than shoulder width for a wide hand position and closer than shoulder width for a close hand position. Make sure you are holding your torso up at arms length.
- Lower yourself until your chest almost touches the floor as you inhale.
- Using your pectoral muscles, press your upper body back up to the starting position and squeeze your chest. Breathe out as you perform this step.
- After a second pause at the contracted position, repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to Pushups (Close and Wide Hand Positions)
10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.
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1
Plyo Kettlebell Pushups
An advanced compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a kettlebell.
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2
Alternating Floor Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a kettlebell.
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3
Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a barbell.
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4
Bench Press - With Bands
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a resistance band.
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5
Cable Chest Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a cable machine.
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6
Decline Barbell Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a barbell.
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7
Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.
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8
Decline Push-Up
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest.
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9
Decline Smith Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a machine.
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10
Dumbbell Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do pushups (close and wide hand positions) work?
Pushups (Close and Wide Hand Positions) primarily works the chest. The shoulders and triceps assist as secondary muscles.
What equipment do I need for pushups (close and wide hand positions)?
None. Pushups (Close and Wide Hand Positions) is a bodyweight movement you can do anywhere you have floor space.
Pushups (Close and Wide Hand Positions): is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. Pushups (Close and Wide Hand Positions) is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.
What can I do instead of pushups (close and wide hand positions)?
Plyo Kettlebell Pushups, Alternating Floor Press, Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
Can Fitnit count my pushups (close and wide hand positions) reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; pushups (close and wide hand positions) can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.
Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.
Track Your Pushups (Close and Wide Hand Positions) with AI
Fitnit automatically tracks push-ups, crunches, squats, pull-ups, and curls with advanced body tracking technology — and you can manually input any other workout too. Start free — Pro is $8.99/month.