The simple press up. The essential, trusted exercise in the gym for decades and decades. Tried, tested and unbeatable, it’s returned to again and again for one simple reason. It’s highly effective.

A press-up done with correct form is a serious bodyweight exercise that has great benefits.

Targeting multi-joint movements and hitting those triceps, pecs and deltoids, it focuses on all key upper body muscle stabilisers, toning and firming across the arms and chest. It’s also ideal for the abs.

PERFORMING THE STANDARD PRESS UP

To maintain good form, keep your body (head, neck and spine) aligned and in a neutral position. Engage your abs and activate lower body muscles.

Lower your body and make a triangle with your arms and nose. Never tip your head forward before your body.

Once you’ve mastered the standard press up (comfortably performing 3 sets of 8 reps), there are multiple variations you can move towards, each challenging your body in new ways, including:

1. WIDE ARM, NARROW ARM

In a normal press up, your hands will be placed on the ground underneath and in line with your shoulders. For this variation, move your arms further apart from each other (away from underneath your shoulders) for one rep and then bring them close together for the second rep.

The wide arm press up challenges your chest more, whilst the narrow arm (where your arms are together and you lower down with them under your chest) will focus more on your triceps.

You can either perform a set of wide and then a set of narrow, or you can alternate between the two, either walking your hands in, or pushing up away from the ground and moving both arms from wide to narrow simultaneously.

2. PLANK PRESS-UP

Start in a press-up position and then lower down slowly onto your forearms, with your body fully extended in a plank position.

Then, push up and raise back onto your palms, and repeat. Be sure to hold the plank for at least one count, and keep your abs and legs locked tight at all times so all the effort is in your upper body.

Want more of a challenge? Perform a full normal press-up, but then turn onto your side into a side plank position, extending your arm and leg out in a starfish motion. Drop back to a full press-up and repeat on the opposite side.

3. SUPERMAN PRESS-UP

Keeping your elbows tight by your side, lower down into a press-up. As you push up from the movement, extend your right arm outwards and lift your left leg off the floor as if you were Superman flying through the sky.

Hold your balance in this position for one count, then drop back into another press-up before raising up and extending the opposite arm and leg (your left arm and right leg). Alternate and repeat for the full set.

4. SLIDING PRESS-UP (OR WALKOUTS)

Using a dedicated press-up block, or with a towel under your arms, a sliding press-up allows you to add an extra dimension to the movement as you throw your shoulders into the mix.

As you drop into the down press-up position, your left hand will slide in front of you along the floor, staying straight as your body lowers. Extend your arm as far as you can without falling on your face, and then slowly slide back up.

If you’re unable to slide, perform a walkout instead, where you start in the raised press-up position and slowly walk your hands forward as far as you can, lowering your body down to your limit and then walking them back to the raised position.

5. PRESS-UP ROWS

With a pair of kettlebells or dumbbells, add extra back into your press-up routine with this variation. Grip the weights while they’re resting on the floor, and lower down into the bottom press-up position.

As you raise back to the starting position, lift your left arm and pull the weight up and into your ribs, with your elbow retracting in a rowing motion. Return the weight to the floor, lower down, and repeat with your right hand on the opposite side. Alternate sides throughout the set.

6. PIKE PRESS-UPS

One of the toughest press-up variations to master, you’ll really feel the effects of the pike press-up throughout your shoulders and upper body.

Start in the traditional pike position, which looks like an upside-down ‘V’ shape - hands tucked right underneath your shoulders, feet raised on tiptoes, bum stuck up in the air. You could place your feet on a step or stability ball to provide extra height.

Then bend your elbows back, keeping your lower body still, as you drop down into a press-up movement, with your head descending to the floor in between your arms (rather than slightly in front). Raise up, and repeat. There won’t be as large a range of movement here as with a standard press-up, so bear this in mind.