When push-ups are mentioned, the first thought that comes to mind is probablychest training. The truth is that push ups are a fantastic bodyweight exercise that works both the upper body and the core muscles.
Even though push ups are primarily a chest exercise, with a little modification they can become a very good exercise for your arms and shoulders.
Short answer: yes. Push-ups build the triceps, chest and shoulders. They do little for the biceps.
Can You Build Bigger Arms With Push Ups?
The answer is – yes, you can. You can use push ups to build bigger arms at home. However, you need to do push-ups multiple times a week, use the right variations of the exercise, and work to failure at least once week.
There’s some research behind this. One study found that low-load push-ups taken to failure built muscle and strength about as well as a low-load bench press: Low-load bench press and push-up induce similar muscle hypertrophy and strength gain. “To failure” matters. Easy sets that stop well short of it won’t do much.
Regular pushupsdo work your arms to a lesser degree, but push up variants such as the biceps push up or the diamond pushup work your biceps and triceps more than the regular variation.
Push Ups for Triceps
Although they target your triceps to a certain extent in their regular variation, the diamond push up is a specific variation that works mainly your triceps and front deltoids. Building a big triceps is essential for big arms as the triceps takes two thirds of the whole upper arm mass.
Diamond Push Ups
1. Place your hands shoulder-width apart on the floor. Drop to your knees or support yourself on your toes. Bring your right hand in 3-5 inches toward your left hand. Bring your left hand in 3-5 inches toward your right hand to do inside pushups.
Now your hands should be about 2 inches apart. Diamond pushups will hit your triceps harder.
2. Straighten your spine and tuck your hips. Your torso should be parallel to the floor with your arms perpendicular to your shoulders. Squeeze your abs to stabilize your torso.
3. Rotate your elbows so that they are pointing toward your feet. Bend your arms and lower yourself toward the floor. Keep your elbows pointing backward so they brush your sides as you go down.
4. Press your arms straight again and raise your body up again. Do 20 to 40 push-ups, rest for a minute, and then do a second set.
Form cues for diamond push-ups:
- Touch your thumbs and index fingers together under your chest. That’s the diamond.
- Keep your body in one straight line from head to heels.
- Lower until your chest touches your hands. Keep your elbows close to your ribs.
- Press up hard and lock out at the top.
- Too hard? Do them from your knees, or put your hands on a bench.
Hand position matters here. A 2005 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research compared muscle activation across different push-up hand positions.
Push ups with Biceps Emphasis
The truth is that the biceps gets involved in push ups to a small degree (compared to the triceps), only as a stabilizer muscle during the exercise. After all, the biceps is a pulling muscle. We can further increase the involvement of the biceps with a “biceps variation” of the exercise.
Biceps Push ups
1. Get in a regular push up position. Your legs should be straight and you should support yourself on your toes.
2. Point your hand fingers outwards to an angle of about 45 degrees.
3. Lower yourself while squeezing your biceps and come back up. Exhale on your way up.
Your biceps still just assist here. The triceps and chest do most of the work, so for bigger biceps you’ll need pulling exercises such as Arnold’s curl variations, chin-ups or rows.
Do these two exercises 2 to 3 times a week to build bigger arms.
Check out our post for more advanced versions of this traditional exercise – Upgrade Your Push Up Workout
How to Make Push-Ups Harder
Push-ups get easy fast. Once you can do around 30 clean reps, a standard push-up stops being much of a challenge, so you need to make them harder.
| Variation | How to do it | Sets x reps |
|---|---|---|
| Decline push-up | Feet on a bench or chair. Puts more load on your triceps and shoulders. | 3 x 8-15 |
| Tempo push-up | Lower for 3 seconds, pause for 1, then press up fast. | 3 x 8-12 |
| Archer push-up | Hands wide. Shift your weight to one arm as you lower. The other arm stays straight. | 3 x 5-8 per side |
| Weighted push-up | Wear a loaded backpack or have a partner place a plate on your upper back. | 3 x 8-12 |
| Feet-elevated diamond push-up | The diamond push-up with your feet on a bench. Hard on the triceps. | 3 x 6-12 |
The 100 Push Ups Workout Program is a good option for building volume.
Push-Up Arm Workout
Do this twice a week, with at least 48 hours between sessions. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets.
| Day | Exercise | Sets x reps |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Diamond push-ups | 3 x close to failure |
| Day 1 | Decline push-ups | 3 x 10-15 |
| Day 1 | Tempo push-ups | 2 x 8-10 |
| Day 2 | Archer push-ups | 3 x 5-8 per side |
| Day 2 | Diamond push-ups | 3 x close to failure |
| Day 2 | Biceps push-ups | 2 x 12-15 |
Add a rep or two each week. When you hit the top of the range on every set, move to a harder variation. And take at least one set a week all the way to failure.
Push-Ups for Arms: FAQ
Do push-ups make your arms bigger?
Yes, mostly your triceps. They also build your chest and shoulders. To keep growing, make them harder over time and take your sets close to failure.
Do push-ups work your biceps?
Only a little. Your biceps help stabilize your arms during the movement, but they’re not the main muscle. For bigger biceps, add pulling exercises and curls. Start with my complete biceps training guide.
Which push-up is best for triceps?
The diamond push-up, with your hands close together under your chest. Try it from a decline once it gets easy.
How many push-ups should you do to get bigger arms?
Take each set close to failure. For most people, that’s somewhere between 10 and 30 reps. Do two or three sessions a week. If you can do more than 30, switch to a harder variation.
Can push-ups replace weights for building arms?
For beginners, they can take you a long way. But your biceps need pulling work, and your triceps will eventually need more load than bodyweight gives you. At that point, add dumbbells or a barbell.
You might also like:
The 100 Push Ups Workout Program
4 Best Muscle-Building Triceps Exercises
Complete Biceps Training Guide
How to Get Bigger Arms
