How to Do the Diamond Push-Up

Intermediate chest exercise — bodyweight.

The diamond push-up is a push-up done with your hands together under your chest, thumbs and index fingers touching to form a diamond. The narrow hand position shifts much of the work from the chest to the triceps, making it one of the hardest standard push-up variations and one of the best no-equipment triceps exercises. It needs more wrist mobility and pressing strength than a regular push-up, so many people build up to it from an incline.

Exercise details

Muscle group: Chest
Primary muscle: Chest
Equipment: Bodyweight
Difficulty: Intermediate
Type: Compound

How to perform it

1Begin in a high plank with your hands close together beneath your chest, forming a diamond or triangle shape with your thumbs and index fingers.
2Keeping your body in a straight line and your elbows tucked close to your sides, lower your chest toward your hands as you inhale.
3Press back up powerfully to full arm extension while squeezing your triceps and chest, then repeat for the prescribed number of repetitions.

Diamond Push-Up form cues

Place your hands directly under your breastbone, not under your face.
Keep your elbows close to your body, pointing backward — not flared out to the sides.
Brace your glutes and abs so your body moves as one straight plank.
Lower until your chest is a fist's height above your hands, then press up to straight arms.

Common Diamond Push-Up mistakes

Hands too far forward

With your hands under your face, your shoulders take over. Slide them down so they're under your chest.

Hips sagging or piking up

Squeeze your glutes before every set. If your body won't stay straight, use an incline until it will.

Wrist pain

Widen the gap between your hands slightly, or turn your fingers out a little. A close-grip push-up with hands just inside shoulder-width trains the triceps almost as well.

Who the Diamond Push-Up is for

Intermediate trainees who can do about 10 regular push-ups with good form. If you can't yet, do diamond push-ups with your hands on a bench or worktop, or from your knees, and lower the incline over time.

Diamond Push-Up vs similar exercises

vs Pushups

Hands shoulder-width or wider: more chest, easier overall. Diamond push-ups are the triceps-focused progression.

How to program the Diamond Push-Up

Do the Diamond Push-Up early in your session while you're fresh — compound lifts deserve your best energy.
Warm up with one or two lighter sets before your working sets to prime the movement.
As a compound lift, 3–5 sets of 5–8 reps builds strength, while 3–4 sets of 8–12 reps favours muscle growth. Rest 90–180 seconds between sets so you can move quality load.
To progress, add reps, slow the lowering phase, or move to a harder variation once the current version feels easy.

Diamond Push-Up alternatives

No space? These train the same chest, grouped by what you have available.

No equipment

Dumbbell or kettlebell

Barbell

Machine or cable

Easier and harder variations

The Diamond Push-Up is rated intermediate. Regress while you build the pattern, progress once it feels easy.

Easier — build up to it

Harder — progress from it

What to pair it with

For a balanced session, pair the Diamond Push-Up with a move for the opposing muscles — the Archer Pull Up (lats) or the Chin-Up (lats). Alternating the two as a superset saves time, because one side rests while the other works.

Where it fits in your weekly plan

When the free routine generator builds your week, the Diamond Push-Up can land on:

Full Body days — in 1–2 days a week plans
Push days — in 3, 5 or 6 days a week plans
Upper Body days — in 4 or 5 days a week plans

Included when your equipment is set to: No equipment, Dumbbells, Full gym.

Free tools for this exercise

TDEE calculator

Find the daily calories that support your training goal.

Put it in your plan

SSS Workout Assistant builds a custom weekly routine around your goals and adds moves like the Diamond Push-Up automatically — then tracks every set.

Build my free plan

Frequently asked questions

Are diamond push-ups harder than regular push-ups?

Yes. Most people manage noticeably fewer diamond push-ups because the narrow hand position makes the smaller triceps do more of the work.

What muscles do diamond push-ups work?

Mainly the triceps and chest, with the front of the shoulders helping and the core holding your body straight.

What muscles does the Diamond Push-Up work?

The Diamond Push-Up primarily targets the chest within the chest muscle group, and recruits several supporting muscles as a compound movement.

What equipment do I need for the Diamond Push-Up?

None — the Diamond Push-Up is a bodyweight exercise you can do anywhere, no gym required.

Is the Diamond Push-Up a compound or isolation exercise?

The Diamond Push-Up is a compound exercise, working multiple joints and muscle groups at once. It's well suited to intermediate trainees.

How many sets and reps of the Diamond Push-Up should I do?

As a compound lift, 3–5 sets of 5–8 reps builds strength, while 3–4 sets of 8–12 reps favours muscle growth. Rest 90–180 seconds between sets so you can move quality load.

Is the Diamond Push-Up good for beginners?

The Diamond Push-Up is rated intermediate. Beginners can work toward it by mastering easier variations first and prioritising form over load before adding weight or reps.

What can I do instead of the Diamond Push-Up?

Good substitutes that train the same chest include the Archer Push-Up (bodyweight), the Chest Dip (bodyweight), the Dumbbell Bench Press (dumbbell). Pick the one that matches the equipment you have.