Almost everyone has tried them but not everyone can do them well. I'm talking about the push-up. They are used in military basic training, they are a part of many athlete's training programs and continued to be used from high school gym classes to the exercise classes at the local gym. They can be done just about anywhere and even if you're not strong enough to do regular push-ups, you can do a modified version of them on your knees.
The Basics
Push-ups work the pectoral, tricep, and deltoid muscles. There are several variations of them but the most common is the "regular push-up" which starts in the prone position with your hands placed at least shoulder width apart. You then lower your body to the ground by bending your elbows and then raising back up by extending your your arms. This can be repeated for as long as you can perform them.
The Varieties
There are several varieties of push-ups that can be done. Below is a list of some of the ones I have tried or have heard of:
- Regular push-up or standard push-up
- Modified push-up (on your knees)
- Decline push-up
- Military push-up
- Diamond push-up
- Close-hand push-up
- Dive bomber push-up
Common Push-up Mistakes
Bad form is the biggest mistake that can occur when doing push-ups. The most common form mistakes include the back sagging, hips too high up in the air, or hands extended too far out from the body.
How to Do a Proper Push-up
Now drop and give me twenty! How many push-ups can you crank out?
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I can crank out 50 of the regular kind no problems, prolly more if I really put myself into it.
That’s awesome! Sounds like you are in good shape.
I learned that it’s also important to keep your head/neck aligned with your body as proper “push-up” form. Is this true?
I think good form is very important. Having your head and neck looking up or down would probably put a lot of strain on yourself.
Yeah even though I belong to a wicked gym I still do three sets of 30 every other day, sit ups are classic for upper body, even without any equipment or weights, doing regular sit ups will tone you significantly
I get a lot of push-ups done during the week, particularly on my upper-body days. I think they are great to incorporate in any routine.
Hi Eartha,
I agree that push-ups are good for an upperbody workout, but don’t neglect chin up bars. They over an excellent upper body workout which works the shoulders,biceps,back and even the abdominal muscles when doing knee or leg raises.
Good point Steve. Chin-ups are great too for the upper body.
Oh, I love doing push-ups, they keep me in shape when I can’t get to the gym. Everytime I move, it may take me about a month before I can get back into the gym. I just knock out some push-ups and crunches as soon as I get up in the morning and this keeps me in shape to a certain degree. I try to do a variety of push-ups and do them to “failure” to make sure I am really working my body.