Push Ups Exercise

Push-ups are a fundamental bodyweight exercise that strengthens the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core. They involve lowering and raising the body using arm strength while maintaining a straight posture.

You can perform the push-up as a strength training, circuit training, or bodyweight exercise. Variations can increase or decrease difficulty, making them suitable for all fitness levels.

Which Muscles Work During Push-Ups?

Despite being frequently described as a chest workout, push-ups also target other muscles. Since the push-up works many upper body muscles, it is really classified as a compound bodyweight exercise. When doing a normal push-up, you will target the following muscles.

• Pectoralis major
• Pectoralis minor
• Triceps
• Anterior deltoids
• Core muscles

Benefits Of Push-Ups?

Push-ups are a tried-and-true bodyweight exercise with a number of potential advantages. The main advantages of doing push-ups on a regular basis are listed below:

• Builds upper body strength
• May reduce the risk of cardiac events
• May improve body composition

Builds upper body strength: The push-up is a complex exercise that works many muscular groups at once, so it has a lot of potential to increase upper body strength. The pectoralis, tricep, and anterior deltoid muscles can all get much stronger when push-ups are included in a well-rounded training regimen. Additionally, studies indicate that weighted push-ups may activate muscles similarly to the popular upper body workout the bench press. Even while push-ups are mostly used to build the muscles in the upper body, they may help strengthen the muscles in the core, particularly the lower back and abdominal muscles, when done correctly.

May reduce the risk of cardiac events: Being physically strong and able to complete push-ups may reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke, according to research. One well-known 2019 research, for example, indicated that a higher push-up capacity was linked to a decreased risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes, in male firefighters.

The risk of cardiovascular events was lower for individuals who could do more than 40 push-ups than for those who could only complete them. Thus, the capacity to complete more push-ups may suggest better heart health and the ability to perform push-ups may be used as a measure of physical fitness. Importantly, however, this study did not account for critical lifestyle variables such as food. Furthermore, it’s yet uncertain if the results apply not just to adult males but also to other demographic groups.

May improve body composition: As anybody who has performed more than a few push-ups knows, they can raise your heart rate. An aerobic exercise regimen can be enhanced by using strength training, such as push-ups, to accelerate energy metabolism and burn more calories. Increased fat loss is one advantage that might result from this. Thus, long-term changes in body composition can result from including push-ups within a well-rounded exercise program and eating a healthy diet.

How To Perform Push-Ups?

• Getting on all fours and placing your hands slightly wider than your shoulders is the first step in doing a push-up.
• Avoid locking your elbows out and maintain a small bend. With your feet hip-width apart, extend your legs back until you are balanced on your hands and toes.
• You will perform a push-up as follows once you are in this position.
• To tighten your core and contract your abs, pull your belly button in the direction of your spine.
• As you lower yourself to the floor and gradually bend your elbows until they form a 90-degree angle, take a breath.
• Exhale as you push back up through your hands and compress your chest muscles to go back to the starting position.

Push Ups Exercise Video

Variation in Performing Push-Ups

There is a push-up variant for everyone, regardless of skill level. Beginners may make this exercise simpler, while expert individuals choose a more challenging workout or prefer to focus on a particular muscle.

• Knee push-ups
• Wall push-ups
• Incline push-up
• Decline-push up
• Weighted push-up
• One-arm push-up
• Diamond Push-Up
• Clapping Push-Up

Knee push-ups:

• Beginners who are still building up the upper body strength needed to do a standard push-up will love this version.
• By lowering the resistance, performing push-ups on your knees makes the exercise simpler.
• Start in a modified high plank stance to complete a knee push-up. Support yourself on your knees rather than placing your toes on the ground.
• Proceed to execute the exercise as you would a typical push-up. Keep your elbows slightly tucked on the upward part and make sure your back stays straight.

Wall push-ups:

• An additional variant that lessens the strain is the wall push-up. For those who are just starting off, this makes it an excellent choice.
• When a push-up is done vertically against a wall rather than the floor, the resistance is reduced, which makes the exercise easier. The movement is easier the closer you stand to the wall.
• Place your hands a little wider than shoulder-width apart, keeping your feet flat on the floor. Push off the wall to get back to the beginning position after descending towards it until your head hits it just a little.

 Incline push-up:

• In this version, you perform the push-up with your hands slightly raised on a weight bench, step-up platform, park bench, or other such apparatus.
• This makes the activity a little easier by lowering the resistance.
• Do the exercise exactly as you would a regular push-up.

Decline-push up:

• The decline version uses raised feet rather than hands, in contrast to the incline push-up.
• The chest muscles become more tense as a result, making the action a little more difficult.
• Furthermore, this version works the pectoralis, or upper pecs, more than a typical push-up.

Weighted push-up:

• Adding resistance is an additional method of making the task harder.
• You may do this by having a companion place a weight plate on your back or by donning a weighted vest.
• Perform a regular push-up after that, being careful to maintain good form.

One-arm push-up:

• As far as this exercise is concerned, the one-arm push-up is the hardest.
• To do this version, you must raise and lower your body with only one arm, completing a push-up.
• You will prepare similarly to a standard push-up. After that, raise one arm behind your back and use it to complete the action shortly before you drop.
• This method is just for the most experienced since it puts a lot of strain on the working arm. If not done appropriately, it may cause harm.

Diamond Push-Up: This form of the diamond push-up works the triceps brachii. It is performed with your hands clasped together, forming a diamond pattern on the floor with the thumbs and index fingers of one hand touching the other. Then, for each push-up, you place your elbows near your sides and your hands in the middle of your chest.

Clapping Push-Up: During this plyometric workout, you must push yourself up with enough force to lift your hands off the ground and clap in midair. Beginners should not attempt this workout. If you haven’t prepared for these, you might easily get hurt.

Precaution While Performing Push-Ups

• If you have an elbow, wrist, or shoulder ailment, you shouldn’t perform push-ups. To find out if this activity is suitable for your particular situation, speak with your physician or physical therapist.
• You may maintain your hands in a neutral posture by placing them on push-up bars or dumbbells to safeguard your wrists. Stop the workout if you have shoulder pain during the push-up or if your shoulder makes a clicking sound.
• Do this as many times as your training program calls for. There are a few easy ways to increase your strength and endurance so that you can perform more push-ups if you need to pass a fitness test.

Summary

• For athletes, bodybuilders, casual gym-goers, and people recuperating from specific ailments, the push-up is a fundamental upper-body exercise.
• Despite being commonly associated with the chest, it also targets the pectoralis major and minor, triceps, anterior deltoids, and core muscles.
• Building upper body strength, lowering the risk of cardiac events, and increasing body composition are some of the notable advantages of doing push-ups.
• You may adjust the normal push-up’s difficulty based on your power and experience level by doing any of the many variations.
• You should be mindful of common faults like sagging your back, flaring out your arms, or moving too quickly.
• If you’re trying to find a reliable workout to push-ups to your exercise routine if you want to increase your upper body strength.

FAQ’s

References:

• Cscs, D. P. R. (2023, July 10). What muscles do Push-Ups work? Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/muscles-worked-push-ups#bottom-line
• Ms, E. Q. (2024, May 12). How to do Push-Ups: proper form, variations, and common mistakes. Verywell Fit. https://www.verywellfit.com/the-push-up-exercise-3120574