Diamond Push Up (On Knees)
Reviewed by Dylan Maurick, Physiotherapist
The Diamond Push Up (On Knees) is a modified push-up variation that builds tricep strength while reducing load through knee support.
Diamond Push Up (On Knees)
Muscles Worked: Diamond Push Up (On Knees)
The Diamond Push Up (On Knees) mainly works your chest, especially because the close hand position makes you press with your arms tucked in. Your triceps do more of the work than in a regular push-up since they help straighten your elbows through every rep, while your front shoulders assist as you push your body away from the floor. The knee setup lowers the load, but the close grip still makes this a strong chest-and-triceps builder. You should feel your pecs and the back of your upper arms working hard if you keep your body straight and lower under control.
Technique and form
How to perform the Diamond Push Up (On Knees)
- Position yourself on your hands and knees with your hands placed directly beneath your shoulders and your knees hip-width apart.
- Bring your hands together to form a diamond shape with your thumbs and index fingers touching each other.
- Engage your core and maintain a straight line from your knees to your head, avoiding any sagging or arching in your lower back.
- Inhale as you slowly bend your elbows, keeping them close to your body rather than flaring outward.
- Lower your chest toward your hands until your elbows form approximately a 90-degree angle.
- Exhale as you push through your palms to straighten your arms, returning to the starting position.
- Squeeze your chest muscles at the top of the movement while maintaining the straight line from your knees to your head.
- Keep your neck in a neutral position throughout the exercise, avoiding the tendency to drop your head forward or look up excessively.
Important information
- Make sure your diamond hand position remains stable throughout the movement to effectively target your triceps and inner chest muscles.
- Keep your elbows tucked close to your ribcage rather than flaring out to the sides to protect your shoulders and maximize triceps engagement.
- If you feel wrist discomfort, try performing the exercise on your knuckles or with push-up handles to maintain a more neutral wrist position.
- Focus on quality over quantity, performing each repetition with proper form rather than rushing through the movement.
Is the Diamond Push Up (On Knees) good for muscle growth?
Yes. The Diamond Push Up (On Knees) can build muscle in your chest and triceps because it gives you a close-grip pressing pattern that keeps steady tension on both muscles, especially when you take sets close to failure. The triceps are a big limiting muscle here, and triceps-focused pressing and extension work is a proven way to drive upper-arm growth.
- More triceps bias than a standard push-up — Bringing your hands close together shifts more of the work toward elbow straightening, so your triceps have to do more than they would in a wider push-up. That makes this variation useful when regular knee push-ups feel too chest-dominant.
- Beginner-friendly loading — Doing the movement on your knees cuts down how much bodyweight you have to press, which lets newer lifters train the close-grip pattern with better reps. That matters because clean reps done close to failure build more muscle than sloppy reps that stop because your setup breaks down.
- Easy to progress without equipment — You can progress by adding reps, slowing the lowering phase, pausing at the bottom, or moving from knees to a full diamond push-up. That gives you clear progressive overload even if you train at home.
- Rest long enough to keep rep quality high — If you rush your rest, your reps usually drop fast on pressing exercises. Research on pressing performance shows longer rest periods help you keep more reps across sets, which means more useful training volume when strength and muscle are the goal.
Programming for muscle growth
Do 3-4 sets of 8-20 reps, resting 90-150 seconds between sets. Train it 2-3 times per week. If you can get more than 20 clean reps on every set, move to the full version or add a 2-3 second lowering phase so the exercise stays challenging enough to drive growth.
Diamond Push Up (On Knees) Variations
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FAQ - Diamond Push Up (On Knees)
This exercise primarily targets the triceps (especially the lateral head) and the inner portion of the chest muscles. It also engages the anterior deltoids and core muscles as stabilizers during the movement.
Position your hands in a diamond shape directly under your chest, keep your elbows close to your body during the movement, and maintain a straight line from your knees to your head. Lower until your chest nearly touches your hands, then push back up while maintaining core tension throughout.
Start by increasing your rep count with perfect form on the knee version until you can perform 15-20 repetitions comfortably. Then practice an elevated standard diamond push-up (hands on a bench), gradually lowering the height of the surface until you can perform the exercise from the floor.
Include this exercise 2-3 times weekly with at least 48 hours between sessions to allow for proper muscle recovery. For beginners, aim for 2-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions; as you build strength, you can increase volume before progressing to more challenging variations.
Avoid bending your elbows to compensate for limited shoulder mobility, as this negates the stretching benefits. Don't rush through repetitions or use momentum—move slowly and deliberately. Also, never force the movement beyond the point of mild discomfort, as this could lead to shoulder strain.
Workouts with Diamond Push Up (On Knees)
Diamond Push Up (On Knees)
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