10 Best Straddle Maltese Alternatives for Core Strength

Use straddle L-sits, V-sits, hanging straddle leg raises, dragon flags, or hollow body holds instead of the Straddle Maltese. Maintain a posterior pelvic tilt, brace your abs, and depress the scapula to reproduce the anti-extension demand. Emphasize slow eccentrics and full arm extension cues to target the rectus abdominis and obliques.

Original Exercise: Straddle Maltese

Straddle Maltese
Primary Muscle
Abs
Equipment
Body-weight
Difficulty
Advanced
Type
Compound
Secondary Muscles: Shoulders, Chest
How to Perform Straddle Maltese
  1. Start by hanging from a pair of rings with your arms fully extended and your body in a straight line.
  2. Spread your legs wide apart, forming a straddle position.
  3. Engage your core and slowly lower your body until your arms are parallel to the ground.
  4. Hold this position for a few seconds, then push yourself back up to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Best Straddle Maltese Alternatives

Best Match
Chest Dip On Straight Bar

1. Chest Dip On Straight Bar

66.7% Match
Pectorals Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Grab the parallel bars with your palms facing down and your arms fully extended.
  2. Bend your knees and cross your ankles.
  3. Lower your body by bending your arms until your shoulders are below your elbows.
  4. Push yourself back up to the starting position by straightening your arms.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Clock Push-up

2. Clock Push-up

63.7% Match
Pectorals Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Start in a high plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders and your body in a straight line.
  2. Lower your body towards the ground by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your sides.
  3. As you lower, rotate your body to the left, extending your left arm straight out to the side.
  4. Push back up to the starting position, while rotating your body to the center.
  5. Repeat the push-up, this time rotating your body to the right and extending your right arm out to the side.
Diamond Push-up

3. Diamond Push-up

63.1% Match
Triceps Body-weight Advanced Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Start in a high plank position with your hands close together, forming a diamond shape with your thumbs and index fingers.
  2. Keep your body in a straight line from head to toe, engaging your core and glutes.
  3. Lower your chest towards the diamond shape formed by your hands, keeping your elbows close to your body.
  4. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push yourself back up to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Close-grip Push-up

4. Close-grip Push-up

62.6% Match
Triceps Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Start in a high plank position with your hands placed close together, directly under your shoulders.
  2. Engage your core and lower your body towards the ground, keeping your elbows close to your sides.
  3. Push through your palms to extend your arms and return to the starting position.
  4. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Dips - Chest Version

5. Dips - Chest Version

61.4% Match
Pectorals Other Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. For this exercise you will need access to parallel bars. To get yourself into the starting position, hold your body at arms length (arms locked) above the bars.
  2. While breathing in, lower yourself slowly with your torso leaning forward around 30 degrees or so and your elbows flared out slightly until you feel a slight stretch in the chest.
  3. Once you feel the stretch, use your chest to bring your body back to the starting position as you breathe out. Tip: Remember to squeeze the chest at the top of the movement for a second.
  4. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
Chest Dip (on Dip-pull-up Cage)

6. Chest Dip (on Dip-pull-up Cage)

61.4% Match
Pectorals Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the dip bars to a height that allows you to comfortably grip them.
  2. Stand between the bars and place your hands on each bar, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  3. Jump up and straighten your arms, supporting your body weight on the bars.
  4. Bend your knees and cross your ankles behind you.
  5. Lower your body by bending your elbows, keeping your chest up and your shoulders down.
Close-grip Push-up (on Knees)

7. Close-grip Push-up (on Knees)

61.2% Match
Triceps Body-weight Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Start by getting on your hands and knees, with your hands shoulder-width apart and your knees hip-width apart.
  2. Lower your upper body towards the ground by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your sides.
  3. Pause for a moment when your chest is just above the ground.
  4. Push through your palms to straighten your arms and return to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Exercise Ball Dip

8. Exercise Ball Dip

61% Match
Triceps Stability-ball Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Sit on the stability ball with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
  2. Place your hands on the ball beside your hips, fingers pointing forward.
  3. Engage your triceps and push through your hands to lift your body off the ball, straightening your arms.
  4. Lower your body back down by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your sides.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Clap Push Up

9. Clap Push Up

60% Match
Pectorals Body-weight Advanced Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Start in a high plank position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  2. Lower your body towards the ground by bending your elbows, keeping your core engaged.
  3. Push through your palms explosively to propel your body off the ground.
  4. While in mid-air, clap your hands together before landing back in the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Chest Tap Push-up (male)

10. Chest Tap Push-up (male)

59.4% Match
Pectorals Body-weight Advanced Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Start in a high plank position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your body in a straight line.
  2. Lower your body towards the ground by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your sides.
  3. As you lower yourself, tap your chest with your right hand.
  4. Push yourself back up to the starting position.
  5. Repeat the movement, this time tapping your chest with your left hand.

Why You Might Need a Straddle Maltese Alternative

You may substitute the Straddle Maltese because it demands extreme shoulder depression, high hip-flexor strength, and advanced anti-extension control. If you have limited shoulder ROM, weak scapular stabilizers, or a lumbar tolerance issue, the Maltese increases injury risk. Alternatives let you train the same anterior chain and obliques with lower shoulder torque or shorter lever arms. For example, a straddle L-sit keeps arms extended but reduces depressing torque, while dragon flags overload eccentric control of the rectus. Use cues like posterior pelvic tilt, braced ribs, and slow controlled descents to preserve the target muscle activation while reducing joint stress.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Choose a substitute based on your limiting factor: shoulder integrity, hip-flexor capacity, or core anti-extension strength. If shoulders limit you, pick hollow holds or L-sits and cue scapular depression with locked elbows. If hip flexors are weak, start with bent-knee hanging leg raises and progress to straddle variations. For anti-extension focus, use dragon flags with slow negatives to increase rectus abdominis tension. Track range of motion, time under tension, and pain response; always maintain a posterior pelvic tilt and braced ribs to ensure the abs—not the lumbar spine—carry the load.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Straddle Maltese work?

The Straddle Maltese targets the rectus abdominis and obliques via intense anti-extension and hip-flexion demand. It also recruits lats and scapular stabilizers for shoulder depression—cue scapular depression and posterior pelvic tilt to maximize abdominal loading.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Straddle Maltese?

The straddle L-sit is the best bodyweight alternative because it preserves long-lever core tension with lower shoulder depression torque. Perform on parallettes, press shoulders down, fully extend the arms, and hold the posterior pelvic tilt while building hold time.

Can I build muscle without doing Straddle Maltese?

Yes. You can build the abs and waist using progressive overload with bodyweight variations like dragon flags, weighted hanging leg raises, and extended hollow holds. Focus on slow eccentrics, longer time under tension, and strict posterior pelvic tilt to maximize rectus abdominis hypertrophy.

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