The 22 push-up challenge has been encouraging people to do 22 push-ups a day for a month to raise awareness about veteran suicides.  My brother-in-law sent me the challenge months ago.  I didn’t do it because I wasn’t feeling well.  Turns out I had Lyme disease.  But I did finally get around to creating a list of over 22 ways you can do a push up so that anyone doing the challenge can add some variety. Remember, never pick a version if it hurts in a bad way or seems to aggravate your body.  Here goes:

The Basics

  1. On your toes:
  2. On your knees:
  3. In tabletop

Gentler Versions for Individuals who need to go lighter on the wrists and shoulders

  1. Wall
  2. Wall Toss
  3. Flex Band Lying on Back

Playing with Speed

  1. You can slow down on the way down and come up at the normal speed.
  2. You can go down the normal speed and come up slowly
  3. You can go slowly in both directions
  4. You can hold for a count of three on the bottom and the top or one or the other
  5. You can stop midway and do little pulses.

Challenging Versions

  1. Add a clap!
  2. Narrow Grip
  3. Triceps Push-ups (on knees, toes or tabletop)
  4. With a Stability Ball Under Your Hands
  5. With a Stability Ball Under Your Feet
  6. When your chest touches the floor each time but your pelvis doesn’t
  7. Add an alternating side plank each time you come up
  8. Add and alternating leg lift
  9. Spider-Man Push-ups bringing your knee toward your shoulder
  10. Elbow to Plank 

Playing with Props

  1. Put a Flex-band around your shoulder blades to create more resistance
  2. Use a Bosu for a stability challenge and add protracting each shoulder before the push-up
  3. Use a step or a box to do push-ups on a incline
  4. Use a step or a box to do push-ups on a decline

 

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