Boost Health & Happiness with 8 Easy Push-Up Variations!

If you’ve ever struggled with push-ups or perhaps they bring back unpleasant memories from your school days, you might wonder what the benefit of doing push-ups is. They seem like a lot of effort, with the explosive push-ups especially appearing quite daunting. Not to mention the fact that they’re often used as a form of punishment in the military. However, with the right approach and preparation, anyone can master push-ups.

Benefits of Push-ups

Push-ups are one of the best upper body strengthening exercises, targeting your chest muscles, shoulders, and triceps. They’re functional exercises that transfer into real-world activities, like pushing open a heavy door or lifting your luggage into an overhead compartment. Another benefit is their convenience. You don’t need any equipment or a gym membership to do push-ups. You can do them at home, at work, or even while on vacation. And once you get accustomed to them, they don’t even cause excessive sweating.

Core Strength and Joint Health

According to Cali Joseph, a personal trainer based in East London, if you’re performing push-ups correctly, they will engage your core muscles in addition to your upper body. This includes your abs and spinal erectors which stabilize your pelvis and lower back. Deborah Lee, another personal trainer, adds that push-ups can improve joint health, posture, and resilience to injury. As a resistance exercise, they can also help slow the loss of muscle mass and prevent bone diseases like osteoporosis as you age.

The Training Process

Of course, mastering push-ups does require some training. For the standard push-up, you need to start in a high plank position, lower your body until your chest is almost touching the ground, then push back up. All while keeping a straight line from your head to your heels. This task requires both strength and concentration. But according to online personal trainer Amy Snelling, push-ups are challenging because they are meant to be. After all, you’re lifting a significant portion of your body weight.

Gender Differences

When it comes to gender, Snelling points out that women typically have less upper body muscle mass than men. Furthermore, fitness marketing often emphasizes different goals for women and men, which can affect training choices. However, with the right mindset and persistent effort, women can become just as proficient in doing push-ups as men, as demonstrated by calisthenics star Raahavy Rasaiya.

Building Confidence

Beyond physical strength, mastering push-ups can also instill a sense of confidence in your abilities. They teach the importance of discipline and consistency in achieving your goals. As personal trainer Deborah Lee puts it: “I used to hate push-ups, but I persist.”

Eight Tips for Effective Push-ups

Here are some tips to help you with your push-up journey:

Start with modified push-ups: Wall push-ups or knee push-ups are a great way to start.

Experiment with different types: Negative push-ups and incline push-ups can help build strength.

Take care of your wrists: Warm-up exercises can help prepare your wrists.

Watch your form: Keep a straight line from your head to your heels, and avoid flaring your elbows.

Remember to breathe: Breathe in on the way down and out on the way up.