When it comes to sports, one exercise stands out above the rest. We talk about push-ups, which are responsible for framing history, and which have become one of the main strength exercises. If we see any portrait of the athletes of ancient Greece and the Roman Empire preparing their participation in the Olympic Games, we usually see athletes performing push-ups. It is an effective exercise that affects different muscle groups, especially the arms and everything that surrounds the pectorals, and that can also be done anywhere and at any time of the day. This flexibility makes it the perfect complement to any fitness routine regardless of the level and goal we have set.
What are push-ups?
Push-ups, in general, are a movement that consists of taking advantage of the weight of our body to turn it into a load for our pectorals and joints. In this way, taking advantage of the tension generated by our body we manage to break fibers and create a movement of force in the biceps, triceps, deltoids and, mainly in all the muscles that surround the pectoral. It is a type of exercise in progression since, as we improve our physical form, our body will be able to perform a greater number of repetitions. In addition, the use of any type of external material is not required, so it is possible to perform push-ups at home, the office or even in a park if we feel comfortable. In fact, it is one of the favorite exercises to lose weight at home.
Mostly, performing push-ups allows you to strengthen the upper body and, more specifically, everything that surrounds the pectoral, the anterior deltoid, the triceps and even the biceps. However, there are other muscle groups that must be taken into account when performing this type of movement. The dorsal and the entire scapular area is of enormous importance when we perform push-ups. Basically, it is responsible for keeping the entire trunk straight and if we do not have enough mobility, all this part can end up giving way and cause the push-ups to be poorly done. From here, we will have a negative effect on our body running the risk of suffering any type of injury that does not allow us to continue training for a while. Breathing is another factor to take into account when we perform any type of exercise such as push-ups. We breathe in when we perform the downward movement and expire when we return to our starting position.
Benefits of performing push-ups
However, performing push-ups has numerous benefits for all those who choose to perform this type of exercise in their physical preparation. The most prominent are the following:
- Increased muscle mass. It may seem silly but this exercise, along with the pull-ups, is one of the most demanding. We train with the weight of our body and, therefore, as we increase the number of repetitions, we will also be able to raise our strength and physical form.
- Stabilization of the body. One of the secondary muscle groups that is worked by performing push-ups are the abdominals. We must stabilize the back to perform them correctly and, therefore, performing this exercise will also benefit to improve our core.
- Exercise flexibility. We can perform push-ups wherever and whenever we want. If we do not want to do them in the gym or sports center, we can carry them out in our own home or even in the office. This great possibility of places also opens the range at the time of day to make them.
- Reduces the risk of injury. On the other hand, another consequence of training with our own weight is to reduce the risk of an injury that leaves us in the dry dock as well as the possible discomfort that we can suffer. Therefore, it is highly recommended for beginners.
- It boosts morale. It is a type of exercise that can be very explosive if we want it. Thus, to burn negative energy or recover a possible vacuum, push-ups can be our great friend. Perform multiple repetitions of this type and you will begin to notice the enormous improvement.
Main types of push-ups
Once you know a general approximation of push-ups, you should know the different types that are available to know which are those that best suit your routine and that can complement your goal. The main type of flexion that we can carry out is none other than the arms. It is the classic, and the best known. Placing the arms and legs as a point of support with the ground, the objective is to place our body forming a parallel line with the ground and, from here, initiate a downward movement until our chest touches the ground. Finally, we will return to the starting position and start the movement again. This type of flexion also has some variant for beginners. If we wish we can perform the same movement with the knees on the floor since adding a third point of support, the load we receive is much less. On the other hand, if we are looking for a much more demanding type of exercise, there are many ways between push-ups. The first one is to take a disc of the kilos that we think we can support and put it on our back, and from there, start the classic exercise. In this case, it is very important to be careful since the back is an extremely important part of the body for our daily life and, therefore, if we carry too much weight, we run the risk of injuring ourselves and slowing down our progression.
Another typology of push-ups are the so-called diamond push-ups, where the triceps are worked much more than the pectoral. The position of the hands is diamond-shaped with the dead fingers making a kind of lever. This is the origin of the name. In addition, the movement of the diamond push-ups is opposite to the usual starting from the chest on the floor as the initial position, and using the force of the triceps to raise the entire weight of the body until reaching the initial position of the traditional push-ups. Let’s be attentive to the wrists and fingers, because before any type of discomfort that we can suffer during the realization of the movement we must stop it immediately so that it could be aggravated and become an injury that prevents us from doing sports for an indeterminate time and slow down our progression. If we want to raise the difficulty of push-ups one more point, we can opt for the archer type. The fulcrum is the legs, but only one of the limbs will remain flexed. The other will be fully extended. In this sense, the angle of opening of the legs will mark the level of stability and difficulty that our body will have. On the other hand, we also have the possibility of taking two separate wooden crates (one at the height of our chest and another to support the feet. It is a type of exercise that combines many muscles. With a lightweight dumbbell on one arm, the idea is to perform the typical rowing exercise in a flexion position, while we have a single point of support, and we work the muscles of the back, in addition to the core with a really high intensity. In the blink of an eye, we are working up to three different muscles. The dorsal, for its involvement in the rowing exercise, the arms with the tension to support the body, and finally the abdominal that is responsible for keeping the body straight. Within the same exercise we can find different types and, therefore, vary the intensity and position of the muscle we affect. It all depends on the goals we may have and the moment of form in which we can meet.
The supports are one of the great keys to mark the level of difficulty of the push-ups, as also happens when we do push-ups. In this sense, there is a type of flexion very similar to the classic exercise but with the particularity, that in this case, our point of support will be the tips of the fingers. Therefore, the level of tension that our body can withstand is very high causing enormous wear and tear in the pectoral area. You have to have a really strong previous preparation because if the fingers give way, we can end up hurting ourselves. The previous exercises will mark the future of the success carried out push-ups and, therefore, we must be careful before setting any type of objective. The different types of push-ups allow us to add a fantastic complement to all our fitness routines and combine it with another type of exercise with external load, which should be the main ones to increase our muscle mass, strength level and reflect it in our RM (maximum repetition). Push-ups are a type of exercise really recommended for its flexibility, ease of carrying it out both in the office and at home and the explosiveness it can generate. Without a doubt, the perfect ally to achieve excellent muscle growth.