Calisthenics Push Workout for Beginner (9 Best Exercises)

If you’re a beginner and looking for calisthenics push exercises, then you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, I’ve shared some of the best calisthenics push workouts for beginners that can be helpful if you’re starting a training program.

Calisthenics is one of the effective ways of training and building a strong and athletic physique.

It includes primarily bodyweight exercises that help improve posture, strength, and body composition without the use of any major training equipment.¹Thomas, Ewan & Bianco, Antonino & Mancuso, Esamuela & Patti, Antonino & Tabacchi, Garden & Paoli, Antonio & Messina, Giuseppe & Palma, Antonio. (2017). The effects of a calisthenics training intervention on posture, strength and body composition. Isokinetics and Exercise Science. 25. 1-8. 10.3233/IES-170001.

Related: The Ultimate List of Calisthenics Exercises

Muscles Worked During Calisthenics Push workout

The calisthenics push exercises work on several muscles, such as the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core.

Chest: The chest is one of the largest upper body muscles. It is also known as pectorals and is divided into three parts, upper, middle, and lower. These muscles work when you perform pushups and dips.

Shoulder: The shoulder is made of multiple muscles, such as the front delt, medial deltoid, rear delt, and rotator cuff. Delts are visible from the outside, but the rotator cuff is located within the muscles. All these muscles work when you perform push workouts like pike push-ups and wall handstand.

Triceps: The Tricep is one of the superior arm muscles located on the back of your upper arm. It has three heads; long, medial, and short. Callisthenic push workouts like dips, triangle pushups, and triceps extensions bolster these heads and build up burly triceps.

Core: The core is the mid-section of the body, including the rectus abdominish, transverse abdominis, and oblique. Usually, most calisthenics push exercises activate these muscles.

The push workouts also activate the biceps, wrist, and forearms to some extent.

9 Best Calisthenics Push Exercises to Build Strength and Muscles

1. Regular Push-ups

• Get into a high plank position with your arms straight under your shoulder and feet together.
• Keep your body as straight as possible from top to bottom.
• Brace your abdominal muscle and lower your torso toward the floor until you feel a stretch in your chest.
• Hold for a second or two, and then extend your elbows to return to the starting position.

Tips:

• Keep your spine as neutral as possible during the entire movement.
• Perform each rep in a controlled fashion so that you can feel the proper contraction.
• If regular push-up is too difficult for you, you can try on your knees.

2. Parallel Bar Dips

• Grab the handles firmly and hoist yourself up.
• Slightly lean your torso forward, bend your knees and clamp your feet behind you. That’s your starting position.
• Brace your core, take a deep breath, and bend your elbows to lower yourself until your shoulder is below your elbows.
• Press the bar until your arms return to the starting position. That’s your one rep.

Tips:

1. If doing a full dip on a parallel bar is difficult, then you can do half dips (for example, you can lower your body as low as possible), or you can do it with the support of another person.
2. Keep your shoulders back and down, and avoid shrugging.

3. Kneeling Pike Push Ups

• Get into a downward-facing dog pose, keep your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and arms underneath your shoulders, and place your knees on or slightly off the floor.
• Keep your head down, your core tight, and maintain a neutral position, lower your upper chest toward the ground.
• Hold for a couple of seconds, and then press back to the start. That’s your one repetition. Do as many reps as you can.

Tips:

• Focus on engaging your shoulder muscles during the movement.

4. Triangle Push up on your knees

• Sitting on your knees, place your hands on the floor in a way that they make a triangle shape. Keep your arms straight below your chest. That’s your starting position.
• Brace your core and bend your elbows to lower your chest until it reaches close to the floor.
• Squeezing your triceps, press into the floor to extend your arms until they are straight. This is your one repetition.
• Try to perform as many reps as possible.

Tips

1. If this exercise is difficult for you, you can try a narrow-grip push-up. The narrow push works the same as the diamond pushup for increasing triceps mass and strength.
2. First, try a regular diamond pushup; if it is challenging for you, then only perform on your knees.

5. Tricep Extension on your knees

The tricep extension props your arms, especially the triceps. Having solid triceps is essential for performing calisthenics push workouts efficiently.

I even perform this exercise in the gym to build up my fundamental strength.

• Get on all fours and put your forearm on the floor with your hands shoulder-width apart and elbows underneath the shoulders. This is your starting position.
• Engaging your triceps, lift your elbows off the floor and extend your arms fully, so your triceps muscle gets fully activated. And then lower your elbows back to the start.
• And without placing your elbows fully on the floor, go for the next repetitions.
• Do as many reps as you can.

Tips:

1. Perform each rep slowly and in a controlled fashion so you can engage your triceps fully.
2. Keep your back straight and core tight during the movement.

6. Chair Dips

You can do dips in various ways at home, but the most effective one is chair dips. Chair dips strengthen and tone triceps muscles and build up a strong upper body.

How to do it:

• Place your hands on the edge of a chair beside your hips. Hold your arms straight and heels on the ground.
• Keeping your arms straight on the chair, lift your Glutes off the chair and slightly move your torso forward.
• Keep your legs straight in front of you, with your toes pointing toward the ceiling. This is your starting position.
• Lower your body as low as possible, and then squeeze the triceps and press back to the start. That’s one rep.
• Do as many reps as you can.

Tips:

1. You can keep your entire feet on the ground or only the heels.
2. You can do this exercise not only on chairs but also tables, beds, or any higher object.  

7. Incline Pushup

Incline pushup is excellent for beginners. It targets the upper pecs and adds definition to your chest muscles.

How to do it:

• Place your hands on an elevated object, such as a chair, bench, or box.
• Keep your arms straight, and get into an up position of an incline pushup.
• Bending your elbows, lower your torso until you feel a stretch in your chest.
• Pause for a moment and push yourself back to the start.

Tips:

• Keep your body straight and focus on contracting your chest, triceps, and shoulder muscles.

8. Negative Push-Up

The negative pushup is one of my favorite bodyweight exercises. It is almost similar to a regular push-up, except you need to take it slow and steady so you can feel the proper stretch and contraction around your chest, triceps, and shoulder muscles.

The negative pushup can also help you increase your overall pushing strength, including your bench press.

How to do it:

• Start: The starting position will be the same as a standard pushup.
• Execution: Lower your chest in a slow and controlled manner (feeling the contraction in your pecs) until your torso, hips, and knees touch the floor. Return to the starting position and repeat for the desired reps and sets.

Tips:

• Focusing on contracting your pectoral muscles, lower your torso toward the floor.
• Keep your spine in a neutral position during the movement.

9. Hindu Pushups

The Hindu or dive bomber pushup is one of the core exercises for increasing pushing strength and developing upper body muscles.

It also helps enhance balance and flexibility and progress your fitness for tougher exercises.

How to do it:

• Put your hands on the floor and get into a starting position of a normal pushup.
• Pull your torso back and lift your hips up toward the floor simultaneously so that your body forms an inverted V shape.
• Pushing your torso forward, lower your chest toward the floor until it is close to the ground. And continue till your chest is facing up, hips close to the floor (like in an upward-facing dog pose).

Tips:

• Keep your elbows tucked at your sides during the movement.
• Perform each rep in a slow and controlled fashion.

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Beginner Calisthenics Push Workout Routine

15-minute Calisthenics workout to do on your Push Day

Do as many rounds as possible:

• 10 Hindu Pushups
• 10 Triangle Push-Up
• 15 Chair Dips
• 10 Negative Pushups
• 10 Tricep Extension

30-min Calisthenics Workout to Level Up Your Fitness

Perform as many rounds as possible in thirty minutes.

Exercises	Reps
Hindu Pushups	8-10
Incline Pushups	10-12
Parallel Bar Dips	8-10
Kneeling Pike Push-Ups	8-10
Triangle Push Up	8-12
Tricep Extension	8-10
Chair Dips	10-12
Negative Pushups	8-10

Summary

You can do as many as nine calisthenics push exercises, such as pushups, dips, and tricep extensions, to build your strength and muscles at home.

They bolster multiple upper body muscles, particularly the chest, deltoids, triceps, core, and forearms, and help improve strength, balance, flexibility, and shape.

The above push exercises are low-intense and suitable for beginners. You can also combine them with calisthenics pull and leg exercises to train your entire body efficiently.

References

• 1
  Thomas, Ewan & Bianco, Antonino & Mancuso, Esamuela & Patti, Antonino & Tabacchi, Garden & Paoli, Antonio & Messina, Giuseppe & Palma, Antonio. (2017). The effects of a calisthenics training intervention on posture, strength and body composition. Isokinetics and Exercise Science. 25. 1-8. 10.3233/IES-170001.