Wide Grip Pushups are a simple, yet effective way to build upper body strength, including the core muscles. If you've mastered traditional pushups and want to target your muscles a little differently, wide pushups are a great option!
Wide pushups target the chest and shoulder muscles more than regular pushups, thanks to the wider distance between the hands.
The advantage is that to do wide push-ups, you don't need any equipment: only your body weight. So you can do them anywhere and anytime you want.
But if you want to challenge yourself more, we're also going to present you with an ideal weight training accessory to take it to the next level. So check out our Complete Guide to Wide Grip Pumps!
The benefits of wide grip pumps
Wide Grip Pushups offer many benefits, including increasing muscle strength and endurance in your chest (pectorals), shoulders (anterior deltoid) and your arms (triceps).
This variation of the classic push-ups also allows you to work the abdominal muscles and the serratus anterior muscle, an often neglected muscle that extends over your upper ribs. It helps you move your arms and shoulders.
It also provides support for the neck and back muscles. Wide-grip push-ups are also a great core stability exercise: having strong abdominal muscles improves your balance and posture, protects your back from injury, and makes almost any movement easier. but also to shedarm fat.
Also, changing the position of your hands during push-ups provides a different range of motion, which can help prevent possible injuries from overtraining.
And as we said in the introduction to this article, you don't need to subscribe to a gym membership or any other financial investment: you can simply perform workouts incorporating the wide grip push-ups at home, whenever you want and with just your body weight.
To find out more, also read: Top 6 pectoral exercises without equipment with training examples
The wide grip push-up movement
Wide push-ups exercise
As with all exercises, it is important to useproper form of execution. This is what will allow you to get the most benefits and avoid injuries.
To do wide-grip push-ups, keep your shoulders, spine, and hips in a straight line. To do this, lengthen your spine to keep your back straight. Make sure your hips don't sag or point up.
Also, try looking at a spot on the floor in front of you while keeping your neck in a neutral position. Engage your abdominal and gluteal muscles when doing the exercise.
The key is to start slow and gradually increase the number of sets and reps as you get used to this exercise of wide grip push-ups.Once you're ready to begin, follow these instructions:
- start in a plank position with your hands wider than your shoulders;
- place your fingers forward or slightly outward;
- Slowly bend your elbows out to the side as you lower your body towards the floor;
- pause when your chest is just below your elbows;
- contract your core by pressing down on your hands to bring your body back to the starting position
- do 1-3 sets of 8-15 reps;
- If you have good upper body strength, you can do 3-4 sets of 20-30 reps.
Safety Tips
While wide grip push-ups are a relatively simple exercise, here are some additional issues to keep you safe. To start, make sure to warm up before doing a set of wide push-ups.
Try doing some dynamic stretching to warm up and relax your muscles. Then perform the exercise with caution, especially if you have injuries or have had an injury in the past: this is especially important for shoulder, back or wrist injuries.
If you're unsure whether wide-grip push-ups is an exercise you can do or not, talk to your doctor, physical therapist, or certified personal trainer before trying them.
Furthermore, to avoid muscle tension and aches, do not exceed your limits. Either way, stop immediately if you feel any pain (other than muscle burn).
Variants of wide grip pumps
Easier variation
The advantage of push-ups is that this type of exercise can be done regardless of your athletic level. All you have to do is adapt the intensity and difficulty of the movement to your strength and experience. If you are a beginner, you can start by performing the wide grip push-ups on your knees instead of your toes.
This can help you maintain good form in the execution of the movement and proper alignment of your shoulders, back and hips. You will gradually grow in strength and confidence. When you feel ready, you can try doing one or two sets of wide push-ups to get used to it.
Remember: the key is not to progress quickly, but rather to progress in a clean and linear way. You will get better results with slow and controlled movements, well executed, than trying to go fast and rushing your exercise.
More difficult variation
On the contrary, do you need to be challenged and to intensify your weight training? Try wooden parallettes! As you progress, your body weight may not be enough and you may need to make the initial movement a little more difficult.
So to make wide-grip push-ups more challenging, there are several solutions available to you:
- place your feet on a raised surface, such as a bench, step, or box;
- place one foot on a basketball or volleyball and the other foot on the ground;
- put both feet on a ball;
- place extra resistance on your back;
- try staggered hand pushups by placing one hand in the usual position, under your shoulder, and your opposite hand in a wide grip (this works only one side of your chest at a time)
The accessory to maximize your muscle progression
The wide grip push-ups as presented in this article are therefore performed at body weight. The body weight may be sufficient to progress effectively, but for those who would like greater muscle gains , it could be interesting to add additional resistance to your workouts. To find out how to gain muscle and strength with the weight vest, this article might interest you.
The 50 kg™ military weighted vest from Fitness Super-Humain™ allows you to easily modulate the intensity of your workouts at home. To benefit from more intense sports sessions, this weighted vest allows you to add between 5 and 50 kg of additional weight thanks to 12 pockets specially designed for the additional charges.
The idea behind this weight training accessory is to simplify improving your physical performance and strengthening your upper body. You'll be able to build your pecs, triceps and shoulders with simple exercises like wide-grip push-ups.
This weighted vest is made with strong and comfortable materials: an Oxford fabric that stands the test of time and loads, and a Velcro support system for more comfort. So you can stay 100% focused on the quality of your movement, allowing you to maximize your muscle gains without worrying about sweating or binding the vest. This weighted vest adapts to all morphologies thanks to the adjustable sizes.
Summary: Wide grip pumps
The wide grip push-ups are therefore an excellent way to strengthen the muscles of the upper body. The ideal is to perform them in workouts that combine various variations of push-ups (classic push-ups, diamond push-ups, wide push-ups, etc.) in order to benefit from a complete and deep work of all the upper muscles of the body.
Suitable for beginners and advanced alike, wide grip push-ups are an exercise that can be made easier or more difficult with simple adjustments.
If you are a seasoned athlete and want to maximize your muscle gains, we recommend using the Military Weighted Vest 50 kg™ for more intense and more effective sessions! Go ahead and incorporate wide grip push-ups into your weight training program.
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