Push-Ups

Push-ups have been the most favored exercise by fitness freaks since ages and in this article, we have discussed the importance and type of Push-ups and hope that this will help you master the art of Push-ups.

Introduction

The kind of environment and world that we live in today has made it all the more to maintain a healthy lifestyle and a healthy body. The pollution, chronic diseases, and now the pandemic, all of these have contributed to making healthy living a necessity from just a want. With COVID-19 impacting every living soul, going to gyms and parks or any other kind of fitness institute is very risky not just for oneself but also can put other people’s lives in danger. It is particularly important to stay within the vicinity of your home and do anything that helps you become fitter and healthier.

While there are multiple exercises that one can do, one such workout is push-ups. Push-ups have been extremely popular amongst the youth of countries because it helps in building the upper body strength and muscles. It is a very simple exercise and activates almost every muscle in your body which results in far more muscle toning and endurance when compared to any other exercise.

How to Do Push-ups?

Like with any other exercise, if not correctly, one puts himself/herself at risk of getting injured while doing push-ups. To do a push-up correctly, one should follow the below-mentioned steps:

• Start by placing your hands on the ground at a distance that is little wider than your shoulder
• Extend your legs back and try to balance yourself on your hands and toes. While doing this, ensure that your body is in a straight line from head to toe and there is no bending in the middle part or arching your back
• Contract your abs and tighten the core by pulling the belly button towards your spine. Maintain that tight core throughout the workout
• Now, inhale while slowly bending the elbows downwards until you form a 90-degree angle with them
• Exhale and back to the original position. Do not lock your elbows at any moment, you must keep them slightly bent
• Repeat!

Common Mistakes to Keep In Mind!

While it seems very easy to do, there are certain points that one should keep in mind while doing push-ups to get the expected results.

• DO NOT bend or sag your body in the middle portion. You must keep your core stiff
• Your neck has to be in neutral alignment, while your head should be in a straight line with the spine, eyes on the floor and face downwards towards the floor
• Do not lock your elbows while coming back upwards because you might end up injuring yourself
• Your hands must be in under your shoulder and not too far from your body

What Are Different Variations in Push-ups?

Until now, we have discussed the basic form of push-ups which one can do at the beginners’ level. While there are multiple other versions of push-ups, some of them include:

Incline Push-ups

This is simpler than the basic one. You can do this push-up with the support/help of a table or bench.

Bent-Knee Push-up

This is a modified version of basic push-ups in which you need to stand on your knees instead of toes. Ensure that your knees, toes, and hips are in a straight line.

Stability Ball Push-up

This is a more difficult version which helps in increasing effectiveness and stability.

Push-up Lat Row

Under this variation, you can add alternating dumbbell lat rows to the start of each repetition.

Medicine Ball Push-up

In this push-up, you do the basic one but your one hand is on top of the medicine ball.

Clapping Push-up

This one is a plyometric exercise in which you pull yourself high, clap in the mid-air. Go down on the starting point and repeat! This one is specifically not meant for beginners.

What are the Benefits of Push-ups?

Now there are multiple benefits of doing this workout but if one must list the most prominent one’s, they include:

1. Increased Body Strength: As mentioned above, doing a push-up requires stretching a lot of muscles which further helps in developing body strength. The major muscles, impacted by this are, biceps, core muscles, triceps, and anterior deltoids
2. Improves Cardiovascular System: Since this workout requires a major muscle group to perform together, it makes your heart work harder and deliver oxygen to body parts. Overall, this workout makes an excellent choice for making your heart strong and healthier
3. Improves Posture: The basic reason for a bad posture, irrespective of what profession you are into is weak core muscles. Since push-ups help in strengthening core muscles, ultimately, they make your posture better
4. Enhances Health and Vitality: While it is the most underrated benefit, the kind of stretch push-up provides your biceps and back muscles not only improves flexibility but gives you excellent body shape as well
5. Free of Cost: Now this may seem not so important a benefit while reading others, but since doing push-ups requires no fitness institute or professional trainer, you can get a full-toned body for free. Anybody who wants to the attractive body but has a budget constraint can resort to push-ups

Conclusion

Now it has become extremely important to maintain a healthy lifestyle without going out much. Exercises like push-ups give ultimate advantage to people and can benefit them from head-toe. As mentioned above, the kind of benefits provided, makes it a perfect choice for anybody who is looking for complete body toning without making a big hole in the pocket.  Since it is not even difficult to do, anybody can do it by practising and levelling themselves up as per their comfort and convenience.