Why push-ups are useful and how to do them correctly, video

The benefits and harms of push-ups are relevant for everyone who plays sports professionally or at home. It is push-ups that are included in the list of basic body exercises, so that they do not harm, you need to learn as much as possible about them.

What are push-ups

Useful push-ups are included in any training complex for a reason - the effectiveness of this exercise is very high, and no additional equipment is needed to complete it.

The bottom line is that you need to take the so-called lying support, leaning on the floor with your toes and palms, and using the strength of your hands to lower and raise your own body back. It is necessary to descend as low as possible, as close to the floor as possible, but in both phases of the exercise, the elongated body should remain tense and completely straight.

Types of push-ups

Despite all the simplicity, useful push-ups are divided into many varieties. The most popular ones are:

• classic;
• from a wall or from a support;
• from the knees;
• on fists and fingers;
• with jumping up and with cotton;
• on one hand;
• with feet on a support.

Some of the listed varieties are simple push-ups, others are a complicated version of the exercise. With a serious approach to useful activities, it is recommended to get acquainted with each of the types in one way or another.

What muscles work during push-ups

During push-ups, not all are involved, but very many of the muscles in the body. With proper exercise, they are included in the work:

• large pectoral muscles, in everyday life, they are loaded quite rarely, and when push-ups, they have to perform the main effort;
• triceps - these shoulder muscles take an active part in lifting the body from the floor, and you can increase the load on them by changing the setting of the hands to a narrower one;
• deltas - the muscles that form the silhouette of the shoulder also participate in lifting the body during push-ups and are well worked out;
• front toothed - the muscles located in the front of the thoracic region come into motion when inhaling and abducting the shoulder blades and are successfully pumped in the process of push-ups.

In addition to the listed muscles, the press and large muscles of the buttocks are involved in the work. They are not directly involved in the exercise, but they experience static stress while maintaining the correct body position. This also contributes to their strengthening and elaboration. The muscles of the back are indirectly involved in the exercise, but they are under minor stress.

The benefits of push-ups for men and women

The properties of push-ups of any type are beneficial for both men and women. The benefits of push-ups for men are that:

• muscles strengthen and increase in volume, a beautiful muscle corset is formed;
• indicators of strength and endurance increase, even exercises on simulators do not bring such an effect as regular push-ups with many repetitions;
• blood circulation improves, and with it the blood vessels and the heart are strengthened - push-ups have a very positive effect on health;
• efficiency and energy increase - a series of push-ups in the morning helps to wake up and invigorate quickly and efficiently.

The benefits of push-ups for girls are also very high. The fairer sex can rarely achieve the same indicators as men. But the properties of daily push-ups, as far as possible, also bring a beneficial effect, namely:

• help to lose weight - during push-ups, calories are intensively spent and body fat is burned;
• strengthen the muscular corset - the body becomes taut and slender, while it is almost impossible for girls to "pump" and earn extra muscles during push-ups;
• align posture - when doing push-ups, it is important to keep the spine straight, and constant exercise forms the habit of not stooping;
• helps to strengthen the arms and get rid of the laxity on the shoulders.

The benefit of push-ups for women is also that the exercise helps to visually enlarge the breasts. Of course, the size of the bust itself remains the same, but the muscles, on top of which the mammary glands are located, strengthen and slightly increase in size. Due to this, the breasts begin to look tighter and taller.

Muscle load

The beneficial properties of push-ups for men and women are that the exercise allows you to properly work out the muscles of the arms, chest and shoulders. In everyday life, the listed muscle groups are not significantly involved, therefore they often weaken and even atrophy. The properties of push-ups help correct the situation, restore strength to the muscles and significantly transform the shape of the chest and shoulder girdle.

Strengthening the brushes

During push-ups, the hands take on the bulk of the body's weight - accordingly, they are quickly strengthened. The benefits of push-ups on the hands are especially in demand for boxers and people involved in martial arts, therefore push-ups in these sports are included in the mandatory training program.

Improved coordination

With the correct performance of push-ups, it is necessary to keep the body tense and elongated in a straight line. Sagging of the pelvis or knees, arching the back are considered unacceptable, they reduce the effectiveness of the exercise and reduce the load on the muscles. It is quite difficult to control the position of the body during exercise, therefore, with regular training, coordination of movements and control over the sense of balance quickly improve.

Increased endurance

Useful push-ups belong to the category of exercises that use only your own body weight for training. On the one hand, this makes push-ups easier than many exercises on simulators, and on the other hand, it allows you to increase the speed of execution and the number of repetitions. This quickly increases the body's endurance - the reserve of strength and energy increases, with physical exertion, the body does not begin to feel fatigue so quickly.

Better health

The health benefits of push-ups every day can hardly be overestimated. First of all, physical activity quickly and strongly accelerates blood circulation. This prevents the occurrence of stagnation in blood vessels, improves blood supply to the brain and internal organs. With regular push-ups, the heart muscle is trained.

If you perform a useful exercise on an ongoing basis, then there will be no harm, but soon the state of the vessels will noticeably improve, the risk of strokes and heart disease will decrease. In addition, the beneficial properties of push-ups help to increase lung capacity and strengthen the respiratory system, while performing the exercise, it is important to clearly control the uniformity of inhalation and exhalation.

Promotes weight loss

Push-ups are an exercise with fat burning properties. When it is performed, there is an intensive consumption of calories, the body extracts energy from the available fat reserves. Thanks to the accelerated blood circulation, the metabolic system begins to work more actively, and this also contributes to the breakdown of adipose tissue and the loss of excess weight.

Exercise allows you to tighten the outline of the body, not only in the shoulder girdle, but also in the abs and buttocks. Therefore, the figure quickly becomes slim.

Are push-ups good for kids

The properties of the exercise are beneficial not only for adults, but also for children after 6 years of age who are already able to perform physical exercises with their own weight. Of course, the load for children should be reduced, but in general, push-ups from the floor bring great benefits to the developing body.

When doing push-ups, the child's muscle corset is strengthened, a healthy posture is maintained and the respiratory system is strengthened.

Against the background of schooling and lack of physical activity, many children and adolescents develop scoliosis and osteochondrosis, the muscles of the upper body atrophy, and the blood supply to the brain deteriorates. The properties of push-ups allow you to avoid all these negative effects and keep you healthy.

How to properly push up from the floor

When doing push-ups, people cannot see themselves from the side and therefore often make mistakes in technique, which is why the beneficial properties of the exercise are significantly reduced. Competent push-ups should be as follows:

• it is necessary to take an emphasis while lying, placing your hands perpendicular to your shoulders, stretching your body in a single line and trying not to protrude your buttocks up;
• after that, you need to take a breath and at the same time begin to bend your arms at the elbows, going down;
• having dropped as low as possible, preferably before the chest touches the floor, as you exhale, you need to straighten your arms at the elbows and raise the body back.

At all stages of the exercise, the legs, lower back and back should be straightened and tense, and the abdominal press should also experience tension. During push-ups, you need to keep your head straight, without throwing your neck back, and look down in front of you.

Despite the fact that push-ups do not imply sudden movements and jerks, without a warm-up there is a risk of harm to muscles or ligaments.

How many times to push up

Most often, at zero level of training, beginners have to make a lot of effort to push out at least 3-5 times. But after the muscles are strengthened, push-ups begin to be given much easier, and it becomes necessary to regulate the load.

The number of useful push-ups depends on your goals. For instance:

• for weight loss and muscle relief, it is recommended to perform push-ups quickly and in large quantities - 15-20 repetitions in 3-4 sets;
• if exercise is needed to increase the volume of muscles, then slow push-ups 8-12 times in 3-4 approaches will benefit;
• if the exercise is aimed at developing endurance and strength, then it is recommended to perform push-ups "to failure" - at the maximum of their physical capabilities.

To maintain the load, you can use weights or go to a more complicated type of push-ups.

How often to do push-ups

The frequency of exercise also depends on the training goals. Push-ups for weight loss and to strengthen the muscle corset can be done daily, among other things, the benefit of push-ups in the morning is that the exercise helps to wake up.

But if push-ups occupy an important place in the training program and are performed to the maximum extent possible, then breaks should be taken between classes - for 1-2 days. Otherwise, the so-called "overtraining" effect may occur. The harm from it is that the muscles experience too much fatigue and from excessive load begin to decrease in volume, and not grow.

Lightweight push-ups

It can be difficult for beginners to push up on the floor at least once. Therefore, for them, lightweight varieties of a useful exercise are especially recommended, allowing you to first strengthen the muscles, and only then move on to the classic push-ups.

With a wall

The benefit of hand push-ups from the wall is that it is the easiest option to perform, available even to very physically weak people. It is necessary to stand facing the wall at a short distance from it and put your palms on the wall - perpendicular to your chest, at shoulder level.

After that, you need to start the push-up process - bending your arms at the elbows, lower the body to the wall until your forehead touches the surface. The back and legs must be kept straight, if the exercise is too easy, you can step back another step from the wall.

With emphasis on your knees

Knee push-ups reduce the load on the arms by about half and are therefore well suited for beginners. You need to kneel down, and then, according to the classical scheme, rest on the floor with your hands located perpendicular to the shoulder line and begin to perform push-ups.

When doing push-ups from the knees, it is necessary to focus on the lower back and pelvic region, they should not bend. Keep your back straight and look down in front of you.

Using a bench or step

Another useful simplified option is push-ups from a support raised above the floor surface. Legs must be brought together, and with palms rest on a windowsill, bench, chair or step and begin the exercise. The higher the support, the easier it is to perform push-ups, and the lower the support is located to the floor surface, the greater the load on the arms and chest muscles.

The exercise option is very convenient in that you can start with a high support, and then gradually lower it lower and lower and smoothly move on to regular push-ups from the floor.

Complicated push-up options

If it is difficult for beginners to push up from the floor, then experienced athletes are faced with the opposite problem. Classic push-ups no longer provide sufficient load, and a significant increase in the number of repetitions stretches the workout over time. For such situations, there are push-ups of the complicated type.

On fists

Usually push-ups are performed resting on the floor with unfolded palms. Difficulty can be increased slightly by moving to clenched fist push-ups. The benefit of fist push-ups is that the muscles of the hands and forearms are worked out more. The properties of the exercise are especially useful when practicing boxing - the hands experience shock loads, so the additional development of endurance and strength will definitely not do harm.

At the same time, you need to understand that the benefits and harms of push-ups on fists are closely related to each other. If the muscles are weak, there is a risk of damage to the joints or ligaments of the hands, the exercise cannot be performed without a thorough warm-up.

At your fingertips

Finger push-ups are beneficial, although they are even more difficult to perform. Push-ups look exactly the same as the classic push-ups, but the body weight is held not by open palms or fists, but only by fingers.Before doing the lesson, you also need to warm up properly so as not to get harm. The properties of careless push-ups can lead to joint dislocations and even fractures.

Useful properties of push-ups on the fingers will come in handy for those who are fond of any martial arts. The blow in these sports is often delivered with the edge of the palm or fingers.

On one hand

The benefits of one-arm push-ups are unconditional, but doing them is very difficult. They require physical strength, endurance and perfect coordination of movements from the athlete. To complete the exercise you need:

• take the usual lying position, feet shoulder-width apart;
• straighten the body in a straight, straight line;
• transfer the weight to one hand, and bring the other behind your back, while not bending either the lower back or the knees;
• start push-ups.

This version of the exercise can be performed only with good physical development, it is simply not available to beginners and can lead to harm and injury.

With cotton

The benefits of cotton push-ups are that they develop explosive strength and train reaction and speed. When using this exercise option, you need to do push-ups very quickly and after each lifting of the torso, literally push yourself up with both hands. At the moment of the push, you need to have time to slap your hands in front of your chest, and then straighten them and land again at close-up lying to the starting position.

The most difficult version of the exercise involves doing the clap not in front of the chest, but behind the back. Taking such push-ups with poor preparation is not worth it, they will cause harm.

With weights

The properties of useful push-ups quickly increase endurance and strength, but muscle volume can be difficult to build with their help. Your own body mass is not enough in order to provide the excess load necessary for muscle growth.

In this case, weighted push-ups will benefit. They are performed in the same way as usual, but before performing the exercise, you need to put pancakes from a barbell or any other heavy objects on your back, put on a loaded backpack or special sports weights. Such additional weight will be considered sufficient if, after 10-12 repetitions, the muscles will "fail" - with regular exercise, the muscles will begin to grow.

With chairs

For the development of the pectoral muscles and triceps, push-ups on supports - in particular, on chairs, are beneficial. The exercise is performed as follows - you need to rest your hands on 2 chairs, and put your feet on some other elevated surface, for example, on a sofa. After that, you need to start push-ups, lowering the chest as low as possible between the chairs in a wide amplitude.

You can use parallel bars instead of chairs if you are doing the exercise in a gym or playground. The main thing is to maintain balance so as not to fall and harm yourself.

The benefits of bar or chair push-ups are that the exercise perfectly stretches the chest muscles, increases strength, and over time gives extra volume to the shoulders and chest.

With focus on the bench

If in the light version of push-ups it is necessary to rest on the bench with your hands, then the weighted exercise requires you to put your legs on a raised support so that they are above your head. At the same time, all the load when performing push-ups goes to the pectoral muscles and their upper part, which allows you to achieve great success in muscle building.

Possible harm of push-ups

The properties of push-ups are harmful mainly with a careless approach to their implementation. First of all, exercises carried out without a preliminary warm-up can end in injuries, especially when it comes to complicated push-ups with weights.

You can also hurt yourself if you approach healthy push-ups with excessive enthusiasm. Excessive physical activity will lead to the fact that the muscles begin to contract in volume, and overworked arms will weaken.

Contraindications to doing push-ups

In some conditions, even exercises done correctly can be harmful. The properties of push-ups will not benefit:

• with hypertension;
• with past injuries of the spine;
• with arthrosis, osteoporosis and other serious joint problems;
• if there are recent fractures or cracks in the bone.

Do not do push-ups at elevated temperatures, chronic heart ailments and internal bleeding. In all these cases, increased blood circulation during exercise will only be harmful.

Conclusion

The benefits and harms of push-ups depend on how competently you approach this exercise. The properties of regular and gentle push-ups will help you quickly build muscle and build endurance and strength.