Push Ups : Benefits and Techniques.
While we all know that running has tremendous benefits for lower body, stamina and curbing fats in our body but where do we begin from if we were to start developing our upper body. Is there any exercise that , like running for lower body, develops most of the upper body. Of course, it is push-ups or press-ups. The traditional and among the first of its kind exercise to use your own body weight to gain muscles is in international records since 1905 but of course it was there way much before that. Perhaps amongst the first exercises that ever came into existence.
Benefits of Push ups
As mentioned earlier, the main focus of push ups is the whole upper body. However, there have been many modifications in the traditional push ups and now it can focus more intently on few than others depending on the techniques that one uses.
1. Push ups targets multiple muscles
Push ups is a compound exercise which means that to do this exercise you will need to use more than one muscle group and/or joint. While the main focus is on your back and chest, our triceps on the backs of your upper arms and your deltoids, or shoulder muscles, are also being pumped up.
Not to forget your rectus abdominis, or your abs; your obliques that run along the sides of your midsection; your quadriceps on the fronts of your thighs; and the erector spinae muscle along your spine all work to stabilize your body throughout the movement. So, this simple exercise is not that simple for body.
2. Build Strength in Body and Bones alike
Pushups target your chest muscles, shoulders, back of your arms, abdominals and the serratus anterior (the muscles under your armpits), simultaneously. A typical pushup requires you to lift 50 to 75 percent of your body weight,7 which will help you build strength8 in your upper body and core.
Bodyweight exercises like pushups work multiple muscle groups at the same time, requiring your heart to work harder and ultimately raising your metabolic rate for increased fat burning and weight loss.
3. Burn Calories Faster
As you know there are many muscles are involved in doing push ups, So it is hardly any surprise that they burn high amount of calories.It is because the more muscle recruitment that takes place during a movement, the more energy your body requires to perform the movement -- energy in the form of calories. You'll burn more energy doing a push-up than you will doing a triceps push-down, crunches, or even bench presses.
4. Tone and Strengthen Your Arm muscles
In a study evaluating eight triceps exercises commonly used by people looking to tone their arms, the triangle pushup was among the most effective, as it registered the highest levels of muscle activation. Cedric X. Bryant, ACE chief science officer, explained:
"Triangle push ups not only produced high levels of muscle activation, but these exercises can be safely performed by the vast majority of exercisers, require little to no equipment and a relatively short amount of time to produce a positive result when included in a regular fitness routine."
Various Techniques to do push ups
1. Standard Push ups
This the most basic technique that is known to have developed and is used till day across all the regions and religions. You not need instructions as to how to do them step by step but once you know it, you can be sure that there is nothing that you are missing out on.
How to Do it:
- Get on the floor on all fours, positioning your hands slightly wider than your shoulders
- Extend your legs back so that you are balanced on your hands and toes. Keep your body in a straight line from head to toe without sagging in the middle or arching your back. You can position your feet to be close together or a bit wider depending on what is most comfortable for you.
- Before you begin any movement, contract your abs and tighten your core by pulling your belly button toward your spine. Keep a tight core throughout the entire pushup.
- Inhale as you slowly bend your elbows and lower yourself until your elbows are at a 90-degree angle.
- Exhale as you begin contracting your chest muscles and pushing back up through your hands to the start position. Don't lock out the elbows; keep them slightly bent.
2. Military Push ups
Empowers your chest, shoulders and triceps along with considerable focus on core and back muscles.
How to Do it:
Start in a standard push-up position, with your feet together or no more than 12 inches apart, hands flat on the ground below your shoulders, and arms straight. Breathe in as you bend your elbows , keep them tracking back alongside your body , to lower your chest to slightly below the level of your bent elbow, and then breathe out as you push back up to the starting position for one repetition. And Repeat.
3. Wide Grip push ups
It is performed just like the standard push ups just with wider hands, it puts incredible amounts of pressure on your pectoral muscles and alterior deltoids.
How to Do it:
- Start in a high plank position with your hands flat on the floor a little bit wider than shoulder-width apart, wrists under shoulders.
- Keeping your body in one long line, bend your arms and lower yourself as close to the floor as you can.
- Push back up to start.
4. Diamond (Triangle) Push ups
It focuses mainly on your triceps, along with good amounts of focus on upper body and core.
How to Do It
Begin in a plank position, with your hands together and angled inward at 45 degrees so that your index fingers and thumbs touch to form a triangle (or diamond). Keep your elbows tight to your body and bend them to lower your chest toward the triangle. Reverse the movement to the starting position for one repetition. Keep the triangle directly below your chest throughout the movement.
5. Hindu (Pehalwaan) Push ups
It does its job on shoulder, core , upper body and flexibility as well.
How to Do It
Slowly swoop from downward dog pose to cobra pose: from the downward dog position, bend your elbows and lower your nose to the floor between your hands, like a pike push-up, but then, without rising, continue moving your torso forward to slide your chin, chest, and then rib cage between your hands. As your ribs meet your hands, begin to arc your head and torso upward. Continue this upward arc until your arms are straight, hips are pressed toward the ground, and your back is hyperextended in cobra pose. Reverse the movement exactly until you’re back in your initial position.
6. Spiderman Push ups
How to Do it:
Assume a standard pushup position, your body aligned from ankles to head.As you lower your body toward the floor, lift your right foot, swing your right leg out sideways, and try to touch your knee to your elbow.Return to the starting position, and repeat with your left leg.
7. Sphinx Push ups
This is a modification to fit in somewhere between a plank and push up. Its emphasis is your triceps along with your upper body and core.
How to Do It
Start in a plank position, with your forearms flat on the ground, shoulder-width apart and parallel. Push up with your triceps to lift your elbows off the ground; continue until your arms are fully extended, then lower your elbows until just above the ground (don’t weight your forearms again) for one repetition. The farther forward you place your arms, the more difficult.
8. Power and Clap Push ups
Develops your chest, triceps and shoulder to higher degree.
How to Do It
From a standard push-up position, lower your chest until it’s slightly below the level of your bent elbow, and then push upward with enough force so that your hands leave the ground by a few inches. Land with soft elbows in push-up form and continue the lowering motion toward the ground. Repeat. Make sure to keep your back flat and hips level throughout the movement.
Claps (Harder): Once you get a handle on power push-ups, you can progress the exercise by adding in claps, which require more power to achieve the necessary airtime. For regular clap push-ups, perform a power push-up but with even more upward force. While your hands are in the air, clap below your chest. Like before, land with soft elbows in push-up form and continue lowering until your chest is slightly below the level of your bent elbow. Repeat.
Behind-the-Back Claps (Even Harder): Do the same exercise, but clap behind your back instead of below your chest. Be careful not to bend at the hips (cheating), and watch your face on this one.
Triple Claps (Hardest): Do the same exercise, but clap under your chest, then behind your back, and then under your chest again, all before touching the ground.
9. Flying Push ups
Works on your dynamism more than power and clap push ups.
How to Do It
Like with claps, start in a standard push-up position and lower your chest until it’s slightly below the level of your bent elbow. Then explode upwards and lift both your hands and feet off the ground. Try to keep your back as flat as possible, but you may need to lift your hips slightly to generate momentum. It also helps to keep your feet wider. Land with soft elbows in push-up form and continue lowering toward the ground. Repeat.
Clapping Jacks (Harder): Do the same exercise, but clap your hands and feet together while in the air. Requires more airtime and power.
Superman Push-Up (hardest): Do the same exercise, but while in the air, fully extend your arms in front of you so that your body is in a single plane, parallel to the ground, like a flying Superman. Requires even more airtime and power.
Sure these push ups looks fun but they are hard just as they are fun to do, as you hang of it you will tend to bring your own modifications, you can do that but try to keep your body out of harms way as much as possible.
GOOD LUCK!!
NOTE: Most of inspiration for this article has been taken from https://www.outsideonline.com/2390287/types-of-pushups this person has amazing content and dedication is clear too.
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