The push-up is one of the best exercises for building a solid foundation for upper-body strength because it works multiple muscle groups simultaneously. In fact, this simple but powerful movement is one of the best body-weight exercises of all time, so much so that even the military uses it to whip their recruits into shape fast.
Push-ups build the pectoral muscles (chest muscles) and triceps. As the arms extend and retract, they work against gravity to strengthen the pectorals, triceps, and deltoids (shoulders). The more you weigh, the harder your chest muscles must work to stabilize your body weight as you move up and down. With this movement, you can build bigger and stronger pectoral muscles more quickly than with other exercises such as presses and flies.
Push-ups also indirectly work the muscles that make up your core, giving them strength and greater stability. Push-ups also help with posture because they strengthen and tighten the muscles in your back. This helps prevent slouching when you stand or walk around throughout the day.
When you first start, doing a standard push-up may feel too difficult, but once you’re stronger, a standard push-up might feel too easy. Don’t worry! There are ways to modify both ends of the spectrum. You can make push-ups easier, harder, and super hard. Let’s see how.
Make Push-Ups Easier
If you don’t have enough strength to do a full push-up, moving your center of gravity closer to you will make pushing your body up easier. You can do this by placing your knees on the floor. When you do the exercise on your knees, you reduce the force your arms must exert to push your body up by 40 percent. Some people even start by assuming a tabletop position, with hands and knees forming a square to make the movement easier.
You can also make push-ups easier by placing your hands on an elevated surface, like a table or platform, to do the exercise. The higher the platform, the easier it is to push your body up. Hand position also makes a difference. It’s less strenuous to do a push-up with your hands spaced wider apart since you don’t have to lower your body as far.
Make Push-Ups Harder
Once you can do 20 or more standard push-ups on your toes, not your knees, you’re ready to add more of a challenge. You could increase the volume by doing more push-ups, but there are other ways to make push-ups tougher and more effective.
Try moving your hands closer than shoulder-width. Closer hand placement make a push-up harder. That’s why triangle push-ups, where your hands are close enough that your fingers form a triangle, are such a challenge. You can also place your hands on a stability ball when you do a push-up to make it harder. Your hands are closer together when you rest them on a stability ball, and your core works harder because you’re on an unstable surface.
Just as placing your hands on a platform makes push-ups easier, placing your feet higher than your hands makes them harder. When your feet are elevated, it shifts more weight to your upper body, and your triceps, shoulders, and pectoral muscles must generate more force to push your body up.
Another more challenging push-up variation is the pike push-up. With this push-up variation, you raise your buttocks toward the ceiling in the starting position, so you form a triangle, rather than starting in a position where your body is in a straight line. Then you raise and lower your upper body holding this position. Considerably more challenging! Be careful though. This variation places a lot of stress on your shoulders.
Make Push-Ups Harder Still
When you’re ready for a real challenge, you can make push-ups even harder. One way to do this is to lift one leg off the floor when you do a push-up. When you’re in this unstable position, your upper body works harder, but so do your core muscles, because your leg is raised.
A subtle change in hand position can also make a push-up more challenging. Rather than facing your fingers forward, as with a standard push-up, point your fingers back toward your feet. You’ll feel this movement in your shoulders, so avoid it if you have shoulder issues. Standard push-ups are a triceps and pectoral-focused exercise, but this variation called a pseudo planche push-up, works your biceps and shoulders harder.
If you’re ready to make a push-up super hard and more dynamic, try plyometric or plyo push-ups. The advantage of this push-up variation is it also boosts your heart rate. With a standard push-up, you lower your body slowly to the floor and push back up in a controlled manner. You lower your body the same speed with a plyo push-up, but you push it back up explosively so that your hands rise off the floor. Plyo push-ups are a great way to build upper body power. If you play tennis or volleyball, plyometric push-ups can help your performance.
The Bottom Line
Don’t get into a push-up rut and don’t think you can’t do a push-up. As you can see, there’s a way for anyone to do a modified push-up until you build enough strength to do a standard push-up on your toes. Once you reach that goal, there are ways to challenge yourself further with hard and then harder push-up variations. The pushup is an exercise that’s both effective and adaptable to your strength level.
References:
- “More push-ups may mean less risk of heart problems ….” 01 May. 2019, .health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/more-push-ups-may-mean-less-risk-of-heart-problems.
- Kotarsky CJ, Christensen BK, Miller JS, Hackney KJ. Effect of Progressive Calisthenic Push-up Training on Muscle Strength and Thickness. J Strength Cond Res. 2018 Mar;32(3):651-659. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002345. PMID: 29466268.
- Calatayud J, Borreani S, Colado JC, Martín FF, Rogers ME, Behm DG, Andersen LL. Muscle Activation during Push-Ups with Different Suspension Training Systems. J Sports Sci Med. 2014 Sep 1;13(3):502-10. PMID: 25177174; PMCID: PMC4126284.
Related Articles By Cathe:
Push-Ups: How Hand Position Changes the Muscles You Work
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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