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Many of you might have heard people saying that bodyweight exercises are great in building strength and performance. Yes, that is right. And one of the most popular bodyweight exercises for training the tricep is a ‘Diamond Pushup’. But what if you cant do diamond pushups? Or maybe you want to try something?

In this article, you will find the list of the best alternatives to diamond pushup which you can do easily at home. Along with that, there is one way of doing diamond pushups that everyone can do it very easily. You will find that at the end. So make sure that you read the entire article. But let’s first look at the muscles worked during diamond pushups.

Diamond Pushups- Muscles Worked

The diamond pushup is a compound, multi-joint exercise that involves multiple joints to perform the movement. The primary muscles which are worked during diamond pushups are the triceps and chest.

Along with that, secondary muscles like forearms, anterior deltoids, and abs are also involved to assist during the movement.

When it comes to choosing the best alternatives, it’s important to consider some factors like the body positioning, muscles targeted, and whether the exercise is a multi-joint or single joint. By considering all these factors, here are the top 6 triangle pushup alternatives for you.

Alternatives To Diamond Pushups

1. Close Grip Tricep Press

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If you are looking for a perfect alternative to triangle/ diamond pushup, then this exercise is for you. Close grip dumbbell press is similar to the triangle pushup when it comes to the movement pattern. The only difference here is that your back is resting on the bench and you are pushing up.

One best part about this exercise is that you can select your weight according to your strength. So beginners can start with lighter dumbbells. So if you struggle with diamond pushups, then do this!

How to do

1. Hold one dumbbell on each hand and lay down on a flat bench. Point your feet back. Hold two dumbbells together.

2. Go down without changing the wrist position. Touch your lower chest with dumbbells and then go back straight up. You should always maintain that v position throughout the movement.

3. You can also perform this on an incline bench. But make sure that you are going straight up and down and maintaining that v angle.

If you want fully developed triceps, then you must perform heavy compound movements like this one. This is an exercise for those who want to increase size and strength. Another benefit of close grip dumbbell press is that it targets the medial head of the tricep which is the most overlooked muscle.

2. Bench Dips

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Dips are a great way to train the medial and lateral head of the tricep. This can be done on the bench or the bar. Make sure to completely extend the elbow at the top to activate all heads of the tricep.

So you can replace diamond pushups with dips as both are compound movements that are meant to increase the strength and size of the tricep.

How to do

1. Place your hands on the edge of the table with your back facing the table. Both hands should be at a shoulder-width apart.

2. With the help of an arm, take your legs forward and take your body in front of the table without moving the arms.

3. Keep your legs straight with both feet together. Your shoulders should be rolled back and your chest should be up.

4. Now start moving your body down by flexing your elbows. Reach the bottom and then come back straight up.

You can make this exercise easy by bending your knees and bringing your feet back rather than keeping them straight. Always breathe in on the way down and breathe up on the way up. Also, remember to keep your neck neutral and your abs engaged throughout the movement.

3. Close Grip Pushup

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The close-grip pushup is similar to the diamond pushups. The only difference is the hand position. Triangle pushups are a little harder than the close grips because you can’t use too much of your shoulders and there is an extra load on your arms. But close grips are a little easier so if you can’t do triangle pushups then you can try this!

How to do

1. Place both hands close to each other on the mat. Move your legs back and keep your knees extended.

2. Keep your shoulder retracted and your elbows extended. Your core should be tight. This will be your starting position.

3. Start the exercise by lowering your torso while keeping your elbows slightly in. Stop until your arms are at a 90° angle.

4. Slowly push on the floor with your arms and return to the starting position.

Make sure that when you start lowering the body, your elbows should point inward to keep maximum tension on the tricep. If your elbows are out, then the chest and shoulder will dominate the movement.

4. Side-Lying Tricep Dips

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This is another great bodyweight exercise you can do easily at home. It is a unilateral movement, so you can separately work on each side of your tricep. So definitely try this alternative.

Targeted muscles– triceps brachii

How to do

1. Lay down on a flat surface with your sides on the floor. You can use a yoga mat if the floor is not clean!

2. Place the above hand on the floor, just in front of the chest. Your other hand should be placed at the back of your head. This will be your starting position.

3. Start pushing the ground with your hand and bring your body up. Your leg and torso should remain still.

4. Pause at the top when your elbow is fully locked and then slowly return to the starting position and then repeat.

You can very easily do this exercise at home. But keep in mind that you should not feel any pain in the joints during the exercise. Stop the exercise whenever you feel pain.

5. TRX Tricep Extension

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If you want to increase the strength and size of your tricep then you should do bodyweight exercises like TRX tricep extensions. This is a great alternative to diamond pushups as both are perfect multi-joint compound exercises.

When it comes to bodyweight exercises, TRX suspension is the perfect equipment to have with you. You can perform many bodyweight exercises with TRX. You can buy TRX suspension by clicking here.

How to do

1. Attach a TRX suspension at the top wherever you can fix the strap. You can find how to attach TRX here.

2. Grab the handles of X and stand forward with your body leaning forward. Keep your arms straight. This will be the starting position.

3. Start the exercise by moving your body forward and moving your hands back and behind your head. Don’t move your elbows during the movement.

4. Pause at the end when the tricep is fully extended and then push forward to bring your arms back to the starting position.

If you are a beginner, then use a limited range of motion and don’t go too down. As you get used to the exercise, then increase the range of motion and go deep.

What If You Can’t Do Diamond Pushups? Do This

So we discussed some best alternatives to the diamond pushup. Now if you want to do the exact diamond pushups but you can’t perform them. Then you can do the same exercise on your knees. This is an easier version of the diamond pushup.

You should do this on a mat otherwise your knees gonna hurt! It’s always better to have an exercise where you can perform different exercises like ab crunches pushups and many stretching exercises. You can find the mat here.

6. Diamond Pushups (On Your Knees)

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How to do

1. Get down on your knees and place your hands on the mat with both the tips of your thumbs and forefinger touching each other. It should look like a diamond!

2. Keep your torso straight and your knees on the mat. Keep both feet together. This will be your starting position.

3. Start the exercises by bringing your chest down by keeping your back straight and your abs engaged.

4. Pause at the bottom when the chest is almost touching the fingers.

5. Then push from the bottom by using your arms and bring your body back to the starting position.

After 2-3 weeks, you can try regular diamond pushups with your knees above the floor. If you still cannot do it, then do other alternatives which I have shared above. That will give you the same results you can get if you would do diamond pushups.

Final Review

So these were some of the best alternative options for you if you can’t do diamond pushups! With all of these exercises, you can easily add in your tricep workout in place of triangle pushups. However, you should do some other exercises to obtain a well-developed tricep.

Performing just these alternatives is not enough. You should do many other exercises like tricep pushdowns and kickbacks which will isolate your tricep muscles to give them a well-defined shape. You can find more amazing tricep exercises here.

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