Push Ups Guide: Everything you Need to Know
Push ups are one of the most versatile and effective exercises for developing upper-body and core strength. They have been a fitness staple for decades due to their simplicity and the fact that they can be performed anywhere with no equipment. In this article, created by the writers at Way-up.blog, we’ll delve into the mechanics of the push up, the muscles it targets, and how it fits into different types of workouts, along with tips for proper form and variations for all fitness levels.
How to Do a Push Up
Proper form should always be your priority, remember 10 reps with perfect form is more effective than 20 reps with bad form.
Begin by positioning yourself on the floor, on all fours, with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width. Ensure your fingers are splayed for stability and your elbows remain slightly bent to reduce joint strain.
A key focus during the push-up is core engagement. This involves tightening your abdominal muscles, pulling your belly button towards your spine, which helps maintain a neutral spine and prevents any sagging in your lower back. Keeping a strong core ensures that your body remains in a straight line throughout the movement, from head to heels. This also avoids unwanted pressure on your lower back, which can lead to injury over time.
As you lower your body, be mindful of your elbow position. A common mistake is flaring them out wide putting strain on the shoulder joints. Instead, aim to keep them at around a 45-degree angle to your torso. This will better activate your pectoral muscles and protect your shoulders. Lower yourself slowly, ensuring your elbows reach about a 90-degree angle.
Benefits of Push-Ups
Push ups activate several joints and muscles, they provide a full upper-body workout in a single movement. The primary muscles involved include the deltoids (shoulders), pectorals (chest), triceps (upper arms), and the erector spinae (lower back). Additionally, some secondary muscles worked are the rectus abdominis and obliques. They are responsible to stabilize your body during the exercise, helping improve core strength and posture.
From a functional fitness standpoint, this movement mirrors real-life movements like pushing a door open, moving a heavy cart, or performing other day-to-day tasks that involve the upper body. This does make your everyday life easier, but it also reduces the risk of pulling a muscle and other similar injuries. More muscles strengthened by push ups also used everyday are the the glutes, contributing to hip stability, stabilizing muscles around the shoulder joint are also trained, protecting you from common injuries like rotator cuff issues.
Push-ups also provide long-term health benefits beyond muscle growth. A 2019 study published in JAMA Network Open found that individuals who can perform 40 or more reps have significantly fewer cardiovascular events compared to those who struggle with fewer than 10. This suggests that not only is this exercise an excellent measure of upper body fitness but can also serve as an indicator of cardiovascular health.
Do Push Ups Burn Fat?
Push ups do not directly burn fat in the way that cardiovascular exercises do. However, they can still help with fat loss in the broader sense. This is because they are a form of resistance training, which burns calories by engaging multiple muscle groups, contributing to the overall caloric deficit necessary for weight loss.
A caloric deficit occurs when you consume fewer calories than you burn, which forces your body to tap into stored fat for energy.
One of the key advantages is their ability to build lean muscle mass, particularly in the chest, shoulders, arms, and core. When you build more muscle, your basal metabolic rate (BMR) increases. This means your body burns more calories at rest because muscle tissue requires more energy to maintain than fat. According to the American Council on Exercise (ACE), every pound of muscle added to your body can increase your resting metabolism by up to 50 extra calories per day.
It’s important to note that fat loss cannot be targeted to a specific body part, also known as spot reduction. This exercise alone will not specifically reduce fat from your chest or arms. Fat loss occurs throughout the body as a whole, and where you lose fat first depends on factors like genetics and overall body composition. To effectively reduce body fat, you should combine strength training exercises like push ups and tricep dips with a balanced diet and cardiovascular workouts such as running, cycling, or swimming.