Diamond push-up
A push-up with your hands together under your chest. The strongest bodyweight triceps exercise available.
The movement
Top
01 Top
Hands together under the chest, thumbs and index fingers touching.
02 Bottom
Elbows track back along the ribs as the chest lowers to the hands.
↓ Hand placement (from above)
Thumbs and index fingers touch under the sternum; the gap between them is the diamond.
How to do it
Setup
- From a solid push-up position, slide your hands together under your chest so your thumbs and index fingers form a diamond.
- Keep your elbows slightly bent rather than locked before the first rep.
Execution
- Lower your chest toward your hands with your elbows brushing your ribs.
- Press back up until your elbows are completely straight.
Form cues
- Elbows travel back along your ribs, never out to the sides.
- Straighten the elbows fully at the top of every rep.
Common mistakes
- Flaring the elbows wide, which strains the wrists and takes work off the triceps.
- Letting the hips rise first and the chest follow.
Worth knowing
- This is the hardest push-up on the wrists. Widen your hands slightly if you feel strain.
General guidance, not medical advice. See how Setkit works.
Notes
Bringing your hands together moves work from the chest onto the triceps. The diamond push-up is close to a close-grip bench press that you can do anywhere, and for most people training at home it is the most useful triceps exercise there is.
Expect to lose several reps compared with your normal push-up. The triceps are a much smaller muscle than the chest, and that gap is the whole reason the exercise works. Keep the tempo controlled and fight for a full lockout on every rep. Without the lockout you are doing a chest exercise with sore wrists.