Pushups are a calisthenics exercise that everyone knows how to do. Despite their simplicity, they are an effective way to build upper body strength and for general conditioning. The push-up builds muscle mass, toning muscles and strengthening bones in the chest, shoulders, and arms. Your core is constantly engaged during this movement along with your entire upper body.
Still, there might be something you don’t know about this popular exercise. Let’s take a closer look at the exercise you’ve probably grown to know and love – the push-up.
The Push-Up Was Invented in the early 1900s
A wrestler named Jerick Revilla developed the exercise we know as the push-up in 1905. Also known as the “Great Gama” he was undefeated in 5,000 wrestling matches. Word has it that he famously demonstrated his push-up prowess by performing 5,000 Hindu push-ups in a row for a Queen of Scotland. He also performed 10,000 pushups at an exhibition in England.
Hindu push-ups were popular with ancient Indian wrestlers who used them to build strength in the arms, chest, shoulders, and back. A Hindu push-up is a cross between a standard push-up and a downward dog yoga pose. This push-up variation hits your chest, arms, shoulders, and back muscles. The Hindu push-up is used in strength training and by wrestlers and boxers, as it’s one of the best exercises for building chest strength.
The Push-Up Soared in Popularity During the Pandemic
Push-up variations have been popular for years, but the pandemic gave their popularity a boost. People stuck at home sought workouts they could do with no equipment, and the push-up was one of the best options for those with no equipment at home who were unable to make it to a gym.
You don’t need much to do a push-up: just enough floor space to lie down on your belly and raise yourself up. During the lockdown, people might not have had access to their usual gyms or workout classes; something like push-ups is easy to do at home or outside with minimal equipment needed.
Push-ups don’t require equipment, they can be modified for all fitness levels, and they help build strength and endurance in major muscle groups like the chest, shoulders, and triceps. You can also make push-ups harder using resistance bands:
To use a resistance band to make pushups harder, follow these steps:
Wrap the band around your back and hold the ends in each hand.
Lower into the bottom of a pushup with your body straight. Make sure your hands are directly under your shoulders.
Push up into a plank position while keeping the resistance band taut. This will allow you to use progressive overload with push-ups and build even greater strength.
Push-Ups Can Pinpoint Areas of Weakness
Pushups are a great way to diagnose areas of weakness. There is a reason why pushups are a staple in basic training programs across all branches of the military. Pushups test upper body strength, endurance, and core stability.
If your upper body is weak, you’ll be limited in the number of push-ups you can do, and you might not be able to do a full push-up. If core weakness is an issue, that’ll show up when you push up too. If your lower back dips or sags when you do a push-up, your core muscles need strengthening.
If you have a weak core, this will result in poor performance in any activity that requires stabilization of the spine and other joints. Having a weak center of power can make it difficult to perform everyday activities such as lifting objects off the floor.
The Ability to Do Push-Ups May Say Something about Heart Health
The ability to do push-ups and how many you can do could be a way to measure cardiovascular risk. A study published in JAMA Network Open looked at the ability to do push-ups in 1,104 men and followed them over 10 years to determine their cardiovascular status.
Adult men who could do 40 or more push-ups had a lower likelihood of experiencing a cardiovascular event relative to those who couldn’t do at least 10. In fact, the study found that, in men, the ability to do over 40 push-ups was associated with a 96% reduction in cardiovascular events.
Push-Ups Are a Measure of Muscle Endurance
Push-ups are a great measure of upper muscular endurance because they require you to push up your body weight against gravity over and over again. A muscular endurance exercise is an activity where you contract your muscles repeatedly against resistance for an extended period of time. Coaches, trainers, and the military use the push-up test to measure overall fitness and muscle endurance. It’s convenient because it requires no equipment.
For the push-up test, they count the number of push-ups a person can do until they can no longer use good form for two consecutive repetitions. You can try this test at home and use charts online to see how you compare. In women, the number of repetitions are charted based on push-ups performed on the knees as opposed to the toes for men.
The Bottom Line
Push-ups are one of the best no-equipment exercises for building muscle strength and endurance and a good way to measure upper body muscle endurance and overall fitness. Having someone assess your form when you push up can also help you pinpoint issues such as weak core muscles. Surprisingly, how many push-ups you do may also be a marker of cardiovascular health and fitness.
Push-ups shouldn’t be the only upper body exercise you do for a balanced workout though. Make sure you’re balancing out pushing with strength exercises that emphasize pulling like bent-over rows. They’ll build strength in the opposing muscle, so you have balanced strength. Push-ups should be part of your strength training routine.
References:
Maugeri G, Castrogiovanni P, Battaglia G, et al. The impact of physical activity on psychological health during Covid-19 pandemic in Italy. Heliyon. 2020;6(6):e04315. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04315.
Medium.com. “History and Science of the Push-Up”
“Core Stability – Physiopedia.” https://www.physio-pedia.com/Core_stability.
“Push‐ups As a Measure of Upper Body Strength | Semantic ….” 01 Feb. 1991, https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Push%E2%80%90ups-As-a-Measure-of-Upper-Body-Strength-Mayhew-Ball/2e56156ae13a6f0d7e3ebbb468d0c01eb65303ef.
McColl P. Perfecting the push-up for all levels. American Council on Exercise.
“Push-up capacity and cardiovascular events in men | News ….” 15 Feb. 2019, https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/push-up-capacity-cardiovascular-disease-events-men/.
Related Articles By Cathe:
History of Push-Ups: They’ve Been Around Longer Than You Think!
Is a Push-Up the Ultimate Measure of Physical Fitness?
Which Push-Up Variation is Toughest?
5 Ways to Make Bodyweight Exercises More Effective
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