Push · Tier 2
Diamond Push-up
A close-grip push-up with the hands forming a triangle under the chest, shifting load onto the triceps to build the elbow-extension strength that feeds dips, pike work and planche.
Also known as: Close-grip Push-up · Triangle Push-up- Difficulty
- 3/10 · Novice
- Tier
- 02
- Equipment
- none
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The diamond push-up is the triceps specialist of the early push tree. You earn it off a solid standard push-up (15 clean reps), and it sharpens the elbow-extension strength that later pays off in dips, pike push-ups and the long road to planche.
Treat the narrow hands as a feature, not a party trick: the close grip is what forces the triceps to carry the lockout. Chase clean depth and locked-in elbows over rep count, own the bottom position, and the harder presses upstream will feel far less foreign when you get there.
Readiness gates
Clear these measurable conditions before forcing the skill.
15 clean reps
Technique, step by step
Four checkpoints for one honest repetition or hold.
- 01Setup
Build the triangle
Set hands under your sternum with index fingers and thumbs touching to form a triangle. Stack shoulders directly over the hands, brace your glutes and abs so the body is one straight plank, and pull the shoulder blades slightly apart. Look at the floor a hand's length ahead, not at your hands.
- 02Lower
Elbows back, not flared
Descend under control over 2-3 seconds, driving the elbows back toward your hips rather than out to the sides. Keep them tracking close to the ribs and let the chest sink toward the triangle, not the head. Stop when the lower chest grazes the back of your hands.
- 03Drive
Push the floor away
Press explosively without losing the plank, thinking "straighten the elbows" rather than "lift the body." Keep the hips locked in line with the shoulders and the elbows hugging in. The triceps should be the loudest muscle in the room.
- 04Top
Lock and reset
Finish with elbows fully extended and shoulder blades protracted, ribs down, glutes tight. Pause for a beat to own the position before the next rep. Reset your breath at the top, not at the bottom.
Skill practice guide
Public skill guidance — not your protected personalized eight-week plan.
Build triceps-led pressing strength and lockout power to feed dips and the pike/planche line.
4-5 sets of 6-12 strict reps, last set 1-2 reps shy of failure.
2-3x/week with at least 48h between hard pressing sessions.
When you clear 5x12 with clean form, add a 3-second negative, then elevate the feet to bias the upper chest and front delts.
Common faults
My elbows flare out to the sides on diamond push-ups+
Flaring turns it back into a chest-dominant push-up and stresses the shoulder. The cause is usually a grip too far forward or letting the chest lead. Place the triangle under your sternum, not your face, and cue "elbows to hips" on every descent.
My wrists hurt doing diamond push-ups+
The close, often slightly rotated hand position loads the wrist into extension hard. Warm up wrist circles and loaded extension first, and try elevating the hands on parallettes or fists to keep the wrist neutral. Build volume gradually; tendons adapt slower than the muscle.
My hips sag and my lower back arches+
A sagging midline means the glutes and abs switched off, dumping load into the spine. Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs as if bracing for a punch before you lower, and posterior-tilt the pelvis slightly. If you still sag, regress to an incline until you can hold a rigid plank for all reps.
I can't reach the bottom, my chest stops well above my hands+
Usually a mobility or strength gap at end-range, sometimes the hands set too narrow for your build. Let index fingers and thumbs touch rather than fully overlapping, and grease the bottom range with slow 3-5 second negatives. Partial reps to a target (a folded towel) also build the missing depth.
My triceps barely feel it, it just hits my chest+
You're letting the elbows drift wide and leading with the sternum, so the chest steals the work. Keep the hands directly under the chest, drag the elbows back and in, and slow the lowering phase. If form is clean and it's still easy, you've outgrown it, add tempo or elevate the feet.
Useful setup
Keep the wrists neutral and let the chest sink below the hands for a deeper, more honest range.
Pads the hands and knees for negatives without sinking and softening the plank.
Stack it under the chest to set a consistent bottom and prove full depth on every rep.
Primary muscles
Triceps · Chest · Front delts