Mike Tyson Push-Ups (Benefits, Muscles Worked + More!)

If you want to learn more about Mike Tyson push-ups, then you’ve come to the right place!

In this article, we look at the benefits of Mike Tyson push-ups, the muscles Mike Tyson push-ups work, and how they compare to other types of push-ups.

What Are Mike Tyson Push-Ups?

Mike Tyson push-ups are similar to hindu push-ups in some ways as they involve some pretty big movements forward and backward as well as the regular up and down motion associated with push-ups.

During Mike Tyson push-ups, your feet are placed flat against a wall behind you. This differs from the normal foot position used in regular push-ups where they’re placed on the floor behind you.

This change in foot position allows you to perform a squat movement at the highest point of your push-up (more of a horizontal squat against the wall) before lowering yourself down toward the ground, engaging your core to slow down the movement before eventually pushing yourself back up into the starting position.

This push-up variation works a lot of your body simultaneously and is a tough exercise to perform correctly.

What Muscles Do Mike Tyson Push-Ups Work?

Like pretty much all push-up variations, Mike Tyson push-ups work your chest, shoulders, arms (in particular your triceps), and core. However, as your legs are used to perform a squat like movement at the highest point of the exercise, your quads actually play a big role in the exercise too.

As the movement is so big throughout Mike Tyson push-ups, a lot of work is needed to be done by multiple muscle groups.

This is why this exercise is so effective at not only building muscular strength and endurance, but also for helping develop your cardiovascular fitness too.

Benefits Of Mike Tyson Push-Ups

Your Legs Get A Workout Too

Push-ups are predominantly an upper-body exercise.

However, as your legs are used to drive your body forwards during part of Mike Tyson push-ups, your legs (in particular your quads) also get a solid workout from the movement.

While your legs play a small role in regular push-ups, Mike Tyson push-ups bring them into play much more and can definitely help build and develop your lower body as well as your upper body.

They Are A Challenging Push-Up Variation

If you’ve been doing push-ups for a while, you might find that regular push-ups are becoming easier over time.

If this is the case, you’ll probably be looking for ways to make your push-ups harder so you can get the most benefits out of them each time you do them.

Mike Tyson push-ups are a challenging push-up variation that can challenge your working muscles in a different way to regular push-ups.

They not only challenge your upper body but they’ll also help develop your lower body and even your cardiovascular fitness too.

Why Are They Called Mike Tyson Push-Ups?

It’s not entirely clear whether Mike Tyson actually did this version of push-ups.

That being said, he certainly did a huge number of push-ups with stories suggesting he did at least 500 of them each day, six days a week.

It makes sense that a tough push-up variation would be named after someone of equal toughness, and as you don’t get much tougher than Mike Tyson, the name certainly fits the exercise.

How To Do Mike Tyson Push-Ups

1. Start in a push-up position (high plank) with the soles of your feet flat against a wall and your toes on the floor.
2. Bend your legs and move your glutes back toward the wall performing a squat like movement.
3. Drive yourself forward until your shoulders, elbows, and wrists are lined up.
4. Lower your chest down toward the ground (regular push-up).
5. Engage your core to slow down and stop your upper body from actually touching the ground.
6. Push yourself back up into the starting position before repeating all stages for the desired number of reps and sets.

(For those visual learners out there, watch the video below to see the exercise performed in action!)

Are Mike Tyson Push-Ups Better Than Regular Push-Ups?

This will depend on what you’re trying to achieve in the gym.

If you want more of a full body workout that brings your lower body into play as well as your upper body, then Mike Tyson push-ups could be a better choice for you than regular push-ups.

However, if you’re new to push-ups or find them to be a challenging exercise, Mike Tyson push-ups will likely be too difficult and regular push-ups would be better for you.

Are Mike Tyson Push-Ups Harder Than Regular Push-Ups?

Yes, Mike Tyson Push-Ups are harder than regular push-ups.

The movement is bigger, more muscles are used, and there’s a greater element of cardiovascular work involved too.

Mike Tyson push-ups are a very challenging push-up variation that only experienced gym-goers will likely be able to perform correctly.

Are Mike Tyson Push-Ups Safer Than Regular Push-Ups?

Both Mike Tyson push-ups and regular push-ups are relatively safe exercises.

However, due to the bigger movements, greater muscle activation, and the fact that you are adding a “drive” movement into the exercise, Mike Tyson push-ups will come with a slightly higher risk of injury.

That being said, when done correctly, Mike Tyson push-ups are a safe exercise to perform for most experienced gym-goers.

Are Mike Tyson Push-Ups Suitable For Beginners?

As a general rule, Mike Tyson push-ups will not be suitable for beginners due to the high difficulty level they come with.

Some of the movements involved in Mike Tyson push-ups are pretty complex so unless you have a good foundation of muscular strength and endurance, as well as the appropriate levels of overall fitness, they will likely be too challenging to do correctly.

Conclusion

In summary, Mike Tyson push-ups are harder than regular push-ups as they work more body parts and the technique is harder to master.

That’s all for Mike Tyson push-ups, but how many push-ups should a 13 year old do? Or do push-ups work lats?

Hope this helped!

Sources

Mike Tyson Ear Biting Incident