10 Best Side Push-up Alternatives for Upper-Arm Strength
If you can't perform the Side Push-up, use exercises that emphasize elbow extension and shoulder stability. Effective substitutes include diamond push-ups, close-grip push-ups, bench or chair dips, parallel-bar triceps dips, and elevated push-up progressions. Cue: keep elbows tucked and drive through full elbow extension to feel the lateral and long heads of the triceps engage.
Original Exercise: Side Push-up
How to Perform Side Push-up
- Start by lying on your side with your legs extended and stacked on top of each other.
- Place your bottom hand on the ground directly under your shoulder, fingers pointing forward.
- Press through your bottom hand to lift your body off the ground, keeping your legs straight and your core engaged.
- Extend your top arm straight up towards the ceiling, creating a straight line from your head to your heels.
- Lower your body back down to the starting position with control.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch sides.
Best Side Push-up Alternatives
1. Close-Grip Push-Up Off Of A Dumbbell
85.8% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie on the floor and place your hands on an upright dumbbell. Supporting your weight on your toes and hands, keep your torso rigid and your elbows in with your arms straight. This will be your starting position.
- Lower your body, allowing the elbows to flex while you inhale. Keep your body straight, not allowing your hips to rise or sag.
- Press yourself back up to the starting position by extending the elbows. Breathe out as you perform this step.
- After a pause at the contracted position, repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
2. Body-up
85% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start by placing your hands on a raised surface, such as a bench or parallel bars, with your palms facing down and fingers pointing forward.
- Extend your legs out in front of you, keeping your heels on the ground and your body straight.
- Lower your body by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your sides, until your upper arms are parallel to the ground.
- Pause for a moment, then push through your palms to straighten your arms and lift your body back up to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
3. Diamond Push-up
81.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start in a high plank position with your hands close together, forming a diamond shape with your thumbs and index fingers.
- Keep your body in a straight line from head to toe, engaging your core and glutes.
- Lower your chest towards the diamond shape formed by your hands, keeping your elbows close to your body.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push yourself back up to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
4. Close-grip Push-up
80.8% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start in a high plank position with your hands placed close together, directly under your shoulders.
- Engage your core and lower your body towards the ground, keeping your elbows close to your sides.
- Push through your palms to extend your arms and return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
5. Exercise Ball Dip
79.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Sit on the stability ball with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Place your hands on the ball beside your hips, fingers pointing forward.
- Engage your triceps and push through your hands to lift your body off the ball, straightening your arms.
- Lower your body back down by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your sides.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
6. Close-grip Push-up (on Knees)
79.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start by getting on your hands and knees, with your hands shoulder-width apart and your knees hip-width apart.
- Lower your upper body towards the ground by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your sides.
- Pause for a moment when your chest is just above the ground.
- Push through your palms to straighten your arms and return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
7. Body Tricep Press
78.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Position a bar in a rack at chest height.
- Standing, take a shoulder width grip on the bar and step a yard or two back, feet together and arms extended so that you are leaning on the bar. This will be your starting position.
- Begin by flexing the elbow, lowering yourself towards the bar.
- Pause, and then reverse the motion by extending the elbows.
- Progress from bodyweight by adding chains over your shoulders.
8. Bench Dip (knees Bent)
77.8% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Sit on the edge of a bench or chair with your hands gripping the edge next to your hips.
- Slide your butt off the bench and straighten your legs in front of you, keeping your heels on the ground.
- Bend your elbows and lower your body towards the ground, keeping your back close to the bench.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push yourself back up to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
9. Bench Dip On Floor
77.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Sit on the edge of a bench or chair with your hands gripping the edge, fingers pointing forward.
- Slide your butt off the bench, supporting your weight with your hands.
- Lower your body by bending your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
- Push yourself back up to the starting position by straightening your arms.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
10. Archer Push Up
76.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start in a push-up position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Extend one arm straight out to the side, parallel to the ground.
- Lower your body by bending your elbows, keeping your back straight and core engaged.
- Push back up to the starting position.
- Repeat on the other side, extending the opposite arm out to the side.
Why You Might Need a Side Push-up Alternative
You may replace the Side Push-up for several reasons: shoulder or wrist pain, limited single-arm stability, insufficient strength, or lack of a suitable surface. Substitutes let you maintain triceps overload while reducing rotational load on the shoulder; for example, elevating hands reduces shoulder abduction moment and lowers compression at the glenohumeral joint. Use hand-placement cues—narrow grip for more triceps emphasis or elevated hands to lower intensity—to control elbow extension torque and the degree of long-head triceps activation. Progressive regressions preserve movement patterns while limiting painful ranges.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Select a substitute by matching load, range of motion, and stability demand to your goal. If you need more triceps isolation, pick close-grip or diamond push-ups and cue elbows tucked at 45° to maximize elbow-extension torque and lateral/long-head recruitment. For higher load capacity choose parallel-bar or bench dips and keep scapulae retracted to protect the shoulder. If balance or mobility is the issue, use elevated or incline variations to shorten the lever arm; maintain a rigid plank line so core and serratus anterior still assist the movement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Side Push-up work?
The Side Push-up primarily targets the triceps through elbow extension while also engaging the anterior deltoid, pectoralis major/minor, serratus anterior, and obliques for stability. Cue: keep hips stacked and press through the palm to drive elbow extension and feel the triceps contract.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Side Push-up?
The best bodyweight alternative is the diamond push-up because the narrow hand position increases elbow-extension demand on the triceps. Cue: form a diamond with thumbs and index fingers, keep elbows tucked, and lower under control to maximize triceps activation.
Can I build muscle without doing Side Push-up?
Yes — you can build triceps mass using progressive overload with alternatives like dips, close-grip push-ups, and eccentrically slowed reps. Cue: use a 3–4 second eccentric tempo and full elbow extension to increase time under tension and stimulate hypertrophy.
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