The push-up is one of the best exercises for the body and is a great tool for determining a person’s upper body strength- so much so that the military uses them as a part of their physical fitness testing.
The primary muscle group that the push-up engages is the pectoralis major and minor (chest muscles or “pecs”). It also targets the triceps, deltoids (shoulders), and entire core region (abdominals and lower back) making it one of the simplest, but most effective exercises for the body, as it incorporates so many muscle groups.
There are several different variations of the push-up, which target a vast variety of different muscle groups. Generally, the arm and hand position of the push-up will change to target different muscle groups or increase the intensity.
The goal of performing the correct standard push-up is to start with your arms slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and keeping the body in a straight line, with no bend or sag in your waist. Lower the body until the elbows are bent at a ninety degree angle or more and then return to the starting position while keeping the body in a straight line. If you are unable to perform a repetition using the standard push-up form, you can used the modified version by placing knees on the ground.
Benefits Of Push-Ups:
- Improve upper body strength
- Improve upper body endurance
- Improve circulation
- Improve overall cardiovascular health
- Helps boost metabolism
- Helps improve energy levels
- Great tool for discipline
- Good tool for testing upper body strength
- Perform them anywhere and everywhere
What’s your favorite push-up variation?