What workout plan would be complete without a push-up? You probably already know push-ups build upper body strength and endurance – but they do much more than that. They also engage your core muscles when you do them properly. Push-ups also strengthen a muscle called the serratus anterior that helps to stabilize your scapula. This reduces your risk for injury when you do overhead presses.
Best of all, push-ups require no equipment – you can do them anywhere. Are you getting the most out of the push-ups you do? Here are some tips for getting more fitness mileage from push-ups.
Push-Up Tip: Resist the Urge to “Cheat”
You’ll get more out of push-ups if you concentrate on form and lower yourself as close to the ground as possible with each repetition. Some people cheat by only going half way down. Go halfway and the results you get will be halfway too. Another way to cheat yourself out of benefits is to go up and down too quickly. Do push-ups too fast and you’ll introduce momentum and not get the full benefits.
Slow down the pace of your push-ups and see how much harder they are. Chances are you’ll only be able to do a fraction of what you were able to do using momentum. When you slow down the pace, it also increases the time your muscles spend under tension. There are some push-up variations where using momentum offers benefits, for example, plyo push-ups. Plyo push-ups are a power exercise you can do as a challenging variation of the traditional push-up.
Are traditional push-ups too challenging for you? Work towards doing one or two with excellent form and then do the rest with your knees on the mat. Gradually increase the number you do NOT on your knees.
Push-Up Tip: Turn Push-Ups into a Total Body Exercise
When you do a push-up, squeeze your core muscles in and maintain a neutral spine. There should never be an arch in your back. By consciously sucking in your abdominals and squeezing your core muscles, you’ll build core strength and burn a few more calories at the same time. Your head should also be in line with your back. Some people tend to let their head drop down when doing this exercise. When you perform push-ups correctly, you’ll strengthen your core and reduce your risk for lower back pain.
You can use push-up variations to turn traditional push-ups into a total body exercise. Add some leg action by bringing one leg to your chest after every push-up. For greater cardiovascular conditioning, do five push-ups. Then stay in position and do a set of plank jacks before whipping out another set of push-ups. Don’t forget to squeeze your buttocks every time you descend to get some added butt-toning benefits.
Push-Up Tip: Vary Your Workout by Varying Your Hand Position
You can vary the muscles you target with push-ups by changing your hand position. Don’t get stuck in a rut doing the same type of push-up every time you work out. Muscles thrive on new challenges. For a tough variation, place your hands as close together as possible. This variation targets the triceps muscles more than using a wider grip. Wide-grip push-ups where your hands are in line with your shoulders or wider target the pectoralis muscles in the chest to a greater degree.
Another way to vary your hand position is to do staggered push-ups where one hand is about six inches higher than the other on the mat. In this position, the lower hand has to do most of the work, making the exercise a lot more challenging.
For a more advanced variation, place one hand on a medicine ball as you descend up and down. This activates the triceps more than traditional push-ups and also engages your core to a greater degree since you’re on an unstable surface. It also increases activation of the muscles that stabilize your scapula. If you’re a whiz at all of these push-up variations, try a one-handed push-up. Challenging!
Push-Up Tip: Vary Your Feet and Leg Position
Another way to make push-ups more challenging is to change your leg or foot position. Place your feet on a platform and do decline push-ups. Decline push-ups increase the load on your upper body. Try “pike” push-ups. To do these get in the standard push-up position. Then move your feet forward and raise your buttocks into the air so your body forms an upside down “V” as you push up and down. Another simple way to make push-ups more challenging is to place one foot on top of the other when doing them.
Push-Up Tip: Increase the Load
Once you can do push-ups on your toes with good form, introduce a greater load. After all, your muscles need to overload to become stronger. One way to increase resistance is to wear a weighted vest. Another is to lay a resistance band over your back to provide more resistance.
The Bottom Line?
Push-ups not only build upper body strength and endurance – variations like plyo push-ups build power. By changing your foot and hand position, you’ll increase the challenge and better target muscles the shoulder stabilizers. Push-ups aren’t just effective for your upper body – they also strengthen your core and reduce your risk for lower back pain and injury. Take advantage of this versatile and effective exercise that requires no equipment and vary the type of push-ups you do for variety.
References:
J Strength Cond Res 19: 146-151, 2005.
Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 91: 550-556, 2010.
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