Pushups are a great exercise you can do at home
Pushups are ideal for those who are looking for convenient ways to stay fit at home. A top pick for strengthening the upper body, they target multiple muscle groups including the core, take very little time and require no equipment.
Muscles worked include the chest, shoulders and triceps (back of upper arms), as well as the abdominals and low back, which helps to improve posture.
There are many variations of the pushup. Beginners can start by performing the exercise against a wall, or on the floor with knees bent. Advanced exercisers can do them on the floor with legs straight or elevated.
Basic Pushup: Position yourself with arms shoulder width or slightly wider apart and legs straight as shown. Without bending at the waist slowly lower yourself toward the floor by bending the elbows, until your chest is very close to the floor.
To end the repetition, push yourself back up until your arms are straight again. With all versions of the pushup, it is important to avoid rounding the back or arching the neck. Instead, keep your body tight and use steady controlled speed of movement.
Standing Pushups: (beginner) Standing, place your hands on a wall, desk, table, countertop or other sturdy elevated surface. The lower the area you are pushing against and the farther back your feet are, the harder the exercise becomes. If you are unaccustomed to resistance exercises, start by doing wall pushups to gauge your strength. Tip: Standing pushups are a perfect outdoor exercise, too. You can use the back of a park bench, end of a picnic table, or against the side of the pool.
Bent-knee Pushups: Same as the basic pushup, but with knees bent.
Decline Pushup:
(advanced) Place the feet on an elevated surface such as a bench, chair or stability ball. Keep your legs straight as you lower your chest to the floor and push back up.
One-arm Pushup: (Most advanced) It takes extreme strength to perform a one-arm pushup. This exercise uses the same technique as the basic pushup, but uses only one arm to lower and push.
Tips:
When performing bodyweight-only exercises such as the pushup, maintaining focus on proper form is especially important. Many people are intimidated by the idea of doing a pushup and opt for machines instead. Although this may be a good choice in some cases, machines dictate plane of movement and because they provide support for the body while the exercise is being performed, there is less use of stabilizing postural muscles including the abdominals and low back.
Although the chest, shoulders and triceps aways work together in the pushup, placing the hands wider than shoulders emphasizes more of the chest, while placing them closer in works the triceps to a greater degree.
Marjie Gilliam is an International Sports Sciences Master certified personal trainer and fitness consultant. She owns Custom Fitness Personal Training Services LLC. Send email to marjie@ ohtrainer.com.