WHAT MUSCLES DO PUSH UPS WORK ?
Before performing any exercise, you should always know which muscle particular exercise targets. Such that when you are performing that exercise, you know whether you are doing it correctly or not. When you are feeling the muscle that you need to target then you are doing it correctly.
But if you are straining muscles other than push ups target muscles, then you need to check your form. Its because you must not be doing it correctly. So what muscles do push ups work, here are the group of muscles that are target while performing pushups exercise are listed below –
- Chest muscles
- Shoulders or
- Deltoids
- Triceps
- Abdominal muscles
- The wing muscles, directly under your armpit.
BENEFITS OF PUSH UPS
- Push-ups help in building upper-body strength.
- It strengthens triceps, pectoral muscles, and shoulders.
- Moreover, it strengthens the lower back and core by engaging the abdominal muscles.
- Besides, push-ups do not require any equipment. Therefore, it can be performed anywhere and anytime.
- After some time of continuous practice, standard push-ups will seem much easier. However, they offer a range of variations to challenge your compatibility level.
COMMON PPROBLEMS FACED BY PEOPLE WHILE DOING PUSH UPS
WEAK MID-SECTION
To perform a proper push-up, your body should be straight. Moreover, the mid-section, i.e. the core, which plays a crucial role in body alignment, should be straight. However, some people do not have sufficient core strength, which results in the dropping of hips and butt. Therefore, if you cannot keep your mid-section straight, try working on your core first. The most basic exercise to improve your core strength is the plank.
INSUFFICIENT BREATHING
The most common mistake which usually everyone performs is to forget breathing while performing the exercise. However, you should let your breath guide your movement. During push ups breathing, inhale as you lower your body and exhale while coming up, as it requires more energy. Proper breathing will help in reducing fatigue by providing plenty of oxygen to the muscles.
JOINT PAIN
Many people experience joint pain while performing push-ups, which is not a good indication. Joint pain can occur due to less mobility, weak wrists, stiff forearm, and bad shoulder stability. However, you can correct it by proper stretching before and after the workout for better joint flexibility.
POOR NECK ALIGNMENT
While performing push-ups, try to keep the neck in a neutral position. Moreover, avoid looking forward (as you can see in the picture above) while performing push-ups, this can strain your neck muscles, leading to push ups shoulder pain and neck pain. Weak neck muscles can occur due to poor neck posture. Perform neck strengthening exercises if you have weak neck muscles. Also, try to follow GOOD POSTURE during everyday tasks.
HOW TO DO A PUSH UP?
Push ups proper form plays a great role in providing maximum benefits to your muscles and also helps in reducing injuries. How to do a push up ? You all must be having plenty of doubts about it. We have listed below all the steps that will answer all of your doubts about how to do a push up properly.
- Keep your body in proper alignment, such that it forms a straight line.
- Keep your hands just below the shoulders or little wider.
- Engage the core.
- Clench your glutes tight.
- Keep your neck in a neutral position.
- Stretch your arms completely while going up, and touch your chest to the ground while going down.
- Keep your shoulders downwards, and upwards.
- Try to keep the forearms perpendicular to the ground.
BEGINEERS GUIDE- HOW TO DO A PUSH UP FROM BASICS
You don’t have to be upset if you can’t do the above mentioned perfect push up. Because, here we will teach all the steps, which will not only help you learn how to do a push up correctly and how to get better at pushups. But also increase your strength such that you can increase your count progressively. I have summed up all the exercises that anyone can perform to increase the push strength.
1. STRAIGHT ARM PLANK HOLD
Straight arm plank hold is a great exercise to build push up strength. Moreover, it helps in strengthening the chest, triceps, and core muscles. This exercise will help you understand the core engagement while performing pushups.
Steps to perform-
- Start the exercise being in a plank position, keeping your arms straight and just below or slightly wider than your shoulders.
- Clench your abs and glutes.
- Always keep your head and neck in a neutral position. Look towards the ground.
- Your body should form a straight line from head to toe.
- Try to hold this position for at least 30s.
2. NEGATIVE PUSH UPS
Push up includes two moments- push movement in which you push your body upwards and eccentric movement in which you lower your body towards the floor. Negative push ups focus on the eccentric movement of the body. Lowering your body with proper form can help in increasing strength and muscle size.
Steps to perform Negative push ups –
- Start with pushup plank position as mentioned above.
- From the plank position, come down slowly, keeping the time interval 3-5s.
- While coming down keep the angle between the body and arms below 60 degrees, otherwise, it can injure your shoulders.
- Keep a full range of motion lowering yourself to the ground.
- Further, you have to push your body up quickly to a starting position, keeping the time interval 1s.
- But, if you cannot push your body upwards, get back into the starting position according to your comfort and repeat the exercise.
3. INCLINE PUSH UPS
ncline pushups are an inclined version of traditional pushups. In push ups incline, your upper body elevates from the ground, and its the best push ups alternative. Also, more the elevation less will be the difficulty level. So, you can start doing it at an elevation according to your comfort. Further, decreasing the elevation as you gain strength. It will help you achieve the standard push up.
Steps to perform-
- Find an elevated surface, be it box, table, bench or you can use Push-Up Bars with Soft Grip. Put your hands on the elevated surface and make yourself incline accordingly, keeping your body straight.
- Keep your hand just below or slightly wider than shoulders.
- Clench your abs and glutes and keep in your neck in a neutral position with your spine.
- After achieving a standard starting position, start coming down until your chest touches the elevated area.
- As your chest touches the elevated surface, push your body to get back into the starting position.
- Try performing 3 sets of 10-12 reps.
4. KNEE PUSH UPS
Push ups with knees is a great standard push ups alternative as it will help you experience a full range of motion just like traditional pushups. Moreover, it will target each pushups targeted muscles such as the chest, shoulder, and triceps, just with little less load and lesser core engagement.
Steps to perform-
- Start the exercise being in a pushup position.
- Keep your hands on the floor, arms straight and arms just beneath the shoulder or little wider.
- Bring your knees to the ground making a straight line between your knees to your head.
- Clench your glutes and engage the core to keep your body rigid.
- Now start coming down slowly, providing a full range of motion by touching your chest to the ground. But, keep your head in a neutral position.
- After touching the ground, push the ground to get back into the starting position.
PUSH UPS VARIATIONS THAT ARE WORTH TRYING
Now, as you have learned how to do a push up correctly, you should try these highly recommended push ups variations. These push ups variations will help you target different muscle groups specifically. Therefore, providing great shape and build to your whole body, especially your chest. But, always remember proper form and muscle mind connection is a key to develop a well-sculpted physique.
WIDE GRIP PUSH UPS
How to do a Wide Grip Push up
- Start the exercise being in a plank position
- Keep your arms wider than the shoulders width and your fingers facing forward or slightly outwards
- Clench your abs and glutes
- Always keep your head and neck in a neutral position. Look towards the ground
- Your body should form a straight line from head to toe
- Further, start coming down bending your arms, and stop when your chest reaches below the elbow height
- Hold for a second, then come back to to the standard position
Benefits
- Wide grip push ups involve more involvement of the chest as compared to standard push ups, as it reduces the involvement of the shoulder and triceps
- It is a great exercise to isolate your chest
- Moreover, it also targets many other muscle groups which standard push ups do not target including, serratus anterior and latissimus dorsi
- It is also a great exercise for core stability
CLOSE GRIP PUSH UPS
How to do a Close Grip Push up
- Start the exercise being in a plank position
- Keep your arms in between your shoulders width and tuck your elbow close to your ribs
- Clench your abs and glutes
- Always keep your head and neck in a neutral position. Look towards the ground
- Your body should form a straight line from head to toe
- Further, start coming down bending your arms, and keep your arms close to the ribs
- Hold for a second, then come back to to the standard position
Benefits
- Close Grip Push Ups is the best exercise if you want to isolate your triceps, as it hits triceps very effectively.
- It also targets inner chest more effectively than standard push ups
Amazing guide as well as very informative. ??
It was Quite helpful for me.✌️
Thank you. I am glad it helped you.
Very nicely done
Thank you!
Good explanation for a beginner ?
Useful information I detail. Nice