X Push-Up Video and Image Guide

Video Example

The X Push-Up is a compound pushing exercise. It will help you to create significant chest and shoulder strength.

X Push-ups focus less on your core than the traditional push-up. However, it places a higher focus on your arms, shoulders, and chest compared to the regular version.

Read on to learn how to perform this exercise.

This article will include video and image examples.

A step by step description on how to do the movement.

The different muscles that get worked, its difficulty level and equipment you will need.

The benefits it offers and some training tips you can use when adding it into your training routine.

X Push-Up How to Guide

Image Example

Step by Step Description

1. Step 1: Move into the top of push-up position by lying face down on the floor. Put the palms of your hands in line with the shoulders. Have your arms extended holding up your torso.

2. Step 2: Move your feet out to a wider than shoulder width stance. Move the palms of your hands out in line with your feet. Now slide your palms forward (so your palms are more in line with your head) approximately one foot above your shoulders.

3. Step 3: Exhale and bend at your elbows to lower your body. Keep lowering until your chest is almost touching the floor and your elbows at a 90-degree bend. Now pause in this position for 1 to 2 seconds.

4. Step 4: Breathe out and slowly extend your elbows to press your upper body back to the raised position while squeezing your chest.

5. Step 5: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Muscles Worked

The X Push-Up is a full body exercise with the primary focus on your Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps.

It also works your Lower Back, Abdominals and Legs but to a much lesser extent.

When your feet and hands make a wide stance like this exercise, it provides a strong base. The wide stance reduces the core muscles needed to balance your body.

Difficulty Level

The X Push-Up is an intermediate level exercise.

You will need average strength in your shoulders, chest, and arms to correctly complete this movement.

Equipment Required

Being a calisthenics (body weight) form of training, you do not need any equipment.

To make the exercise more challenging try using weighted clothing when you perform it.

Use a weighted vest or balance a weight plate on your back to add extra resistance to the exercise.

You can also hold resistance bands with it wrapped around your back to increase the difficulty.

Benefits

Moving from the regular push-up to harder variations helps you to continue enhancing your body.

This variation will increase your pressing power and endurance

Push-ups can help to increase the amount of weight you can bench. They achieve this by training your stabilizing muscles required with the bench press.

You target multiple different muscle groups

Since so many muscle groups get recruited by this lift, you will use more energy to complete the movement.

More energy needed for a lift translates into a higher number of calories being burned by your body.

Inclosing

The X Push-Up is a useful variation to place more emphasis on your pushing muscles.

You can use this exercise to create some serious strength. Especially when you add additional resistance when performing it (weighted vest or balance weight plate on your back).

Remember to use a slow and controlled movement to get all the benefits this exercise has to offer.

Focus on flexing your entire body to recruit as many muscle fibers as you can.

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