Friends, good day! How are you charging? Start doing at least push-ups in the morning - you will immediately feel a surge of energy and improve your performance throughout the day. And what will be an additional bonus, will tone your muscles.
Remember yourself in the morning? Are you cheerful and cheerful? If so, then the morning traffic jams will finish you off and you won’t be so productive at work, and the morning, especially if you came before everyone else, when the office has not yet taken on its chaotic life, is the best time to complete the most important things that you usually don’t have enough for time.
Eat frog in the morning! Remember that important call in time management and efficiency? Do the most difficult and disgusting thing in the morning so as not to put it off until later. In order for you to always have the strength to do this, you need to support yourself with physical exercise in the morning.
When you get into such a rhythm, you will very soon become more efficient than your colleagues, and if you run the business yourself, then your productivity will increase significantly, and then you will already reach a million in technology
Remember, since Soviet times to this day, morning exercises have been mandatory in educational institutions. And this is not without reason! It is she who gives a charge of vivacity for the whole day, launches all vital mechanisms.
If you are a health-conscious person who cares about your appearance, discipline and stamina, then push-ups are ideal for you. Whether you are a woman or a man, push-ups are suitable for everyone.
There is no need to think that the floor press is a purely male prerogative. The correct approach to this simple matter will help the female half to keep herself in good shape, develop the pectoral muscles, which contribute to the fit and elasticity of the décolleté area, as well as the abs. We talked about this in more detail in the post: “Push-up program for girls from zero to one hundred at a time.”
Benefits of push-ups
This exercise is a basic one - when several muscle groups are involved at once:
- breast;
- shoulder girdle;
- arms (biceps and triceps);
- abdominal muscles.
During push-ups, it is possible to shift the emphasis to those muscle groups that you want to use (triceps, shoulders, chest - read on about this) - in order to emphasize the load, you need to redistribute the load.
The peculiarity of push-ups is that muscle activation occurs immediately after taking the starting position. Regular push-ups help build strength and increase endurance. Some other benefits of push-ups should be noted:
- the respiratory and circulatory systems are strengthened;
- metabolic processes improve;
- The body's immune strength increases.
Thanks to regular training, even at home, muscle tone significantly increases and muscle mass increases. Not every exercise can boast such results. The undoubted advantage of push-ups is:
- the possibility of their implementation in childhood
- no special equipment required
Programs and lesson plans
It doesn’t matter what goal you are pursuing - losing weight or building muscle mass: in both cases, you simply need a training program that will be designed for a certain period.
If you perform the exercise the same number of times every day, you are unlikely to achieve any results. The body will get used to the same load and stop reacting to it. Therefore, it is so important to gradually increase the number of push-ups, which will ultimately force the muscles to pump up and eliminate fat deposits to the maximum.
An approximate diagram of push-ups from the floor (regardless of the age of the trainee, his physical fitness and training goals) is as follows:
- 3 times a week;
- 5 approaches per day with an interval of 30 seconds to 2.5 minutes;
- The course may vary, but usually it is 5 or 14 weeks.
This scheme should work both for beginners, who can only do 5-6 push-ups for the first time, and for experienced athletes who can easily do sets of 50 or more repetitions. The main rule is to gradually increase the load.
To create your own program, it is better to use ready-made options developed by specialists, taking into account the initial physical preparation of the trainees and the purpose of the training. The table is very easy to use, which clearly shows the number of approaches and repetitions by day. You can print it out, hang it on the wall and mark what you have already been able to accomplish.
Easy program for beginners for 6 weeks
Suitable for both women and men. The goal is to develop endurance, improve strength and physical characteristics, a slight increase in muscle mass, easy weight loss, and figure correction.
14 week muscle growth program
Recommended primarily for men. The goal is to build muscle mass: work on the biceps, triceps and pectoral muscles. You should not use this scheme when losing weight.
First 7 weeks
Second 7 weeks
Training program for girls for 5 weeks
The goal is weight loss, figure correction, sculpted arms and butt, flat stomach, breast lift.
Where to start training push-ups
Despite the apparent simplicity of the push-up technique, it is still worth considering a number of nuances:
- Exercise in moderation. Avoid excessive stress, especially in the first lessons. In this case, it is quality that matters most.
- Don't rush to get results quickly. Push-up training should gradually become more difficult, and preparation for the next level of load can last several weeks. As soon as the muscles are sufficiently strong and the required number of push-ups is easy, then you can increase the load.
- Follow breathing technique. This plays an important role. Incorrect breathing technique can disrupt the entire training process.
General recommendations
To ensure the most effective results from push-ups, you must adhere to the following recommendations:
- the number of repetitions in the first lesson is no more than 10. As already mentioned, it is important to increase the pace gradually. At the end of the workout, you should feel pleasantly tired, without a feeling of overexertion;
- Before push-ups, we strongly recommend doing a short warm-up lasting about 10 minutes;
- classes must be regular. Do not allow long breaks, as all the results obtained will go down the drain.
How many push-ups should you do?
To the question of what number of push-ups you should strive for, the answer is that for women it is enough to do 40 push-ups, and for men - 100. It is quite possible to obtain these results in one and a half to two months of regular training at home for 15 minutes.
Carefully monitor the technique of performing push-ups, the most important thing is good amplitude. This way the result will come faster.
Types of push-ups
You can do push-ups in different ways; to shift the emphasis on a particular target muscle, you need to change the fulcrum. They claim that there are about 50 variations of push-ups in total! Here are the most popular ones:
Classic
The technique is familiar to everyone and is as follows:
- starting position - lying down with emphasis on your toes and palms;
- Hands are placed shoulder-width apart, palms facing forward.
With this type of push-up, the triceps, pectoral and deltoid muscles are trained.
When performing push-ups, it is important to monitor your body - it must be level.
Any bending of the body allows you to perform push-ups easier, but the effect of the exercise is sharply reduced.
As already mentioned, this push-up technique allows you to work your triceps, chest and deltoids.
From my knees
They are a lightweight version of push-ups, which is suitable for beginners, girls and people suffering from spinal diseases. This type of push-up helps relieve stress from the lumbar region.
The starting position is similar to the classic version, but the emphasis is on the knees. In this case, the feet are in a crossed position and located above the floor.
Wide grip
In this case, the hands are placed at a distance twice the width of the shoulders. At the same time, the elbows also spread to the sides. The toes are brought down slightly narrower than shoulder width. In the process of lowering to the floor, it is important to ensure that the direction of the elbow joints is maintained to the sides. After the chest touches the floor, a quick rise is made to the starting position.
The wider the arms are, the greater the load on the pectoral muscles.
Narrow grip
Refers to complex types of push-ups, which helps strengthen the triceps area and deltoid muscles. In this case, the emphasis is placed exclusively on the palms with the fingers slightly turned towards each other. The location of the lower limbs is slightly wider than the shoulder girdle.
During the push-up process, the elbows are pulled back and slightly to the sides.
On one hand
This type of push-up requires high stability. This can be achieved by placing your legs at a wide distance from each other.
Next you need:
- leave your right hand on the floor and place your left hand behind your back in a slightly bent position;
- use special stops to help achieve maximum comfort;
- Place your right hand in line with your body. At the same time, it should absolutely not be moved to the sides.
It is important to consider that, unlike other types of push-ups, this one has only three points of support, which is why maintaining balance is achieved by spreading your legs wide apart.
During the lowering process, the elbow simultaneously bends and moves to the side. The chest should touch the floor, after which it returns to the starting position. Throughout the entire training process, the shoulders are parallel to the floor. At the end of the first stage of push-ups, hands are changed.
Well-developed abdominal muscles will help you perform this type of push-up.
With clap
This type of training effectively and quickly strengthens muscles, while simultaneously promoting the development of speed and strength indicators. In order to make a clap, the starting position must be correct: the socks must be shoulder-width apart. And your arms should be placed twice as wide as your legs.
The training process is as follows:
- through a powerful push, the body is pushed upward. At the same time, the palms come off the floor and make a quick clap;
- returning to the starting position is done gently;
- you should absolutely not plop down on the floor;
- after touching the floor, all actions are repeated again.
Hand movements should be characterized by rhythm, coherence and speed. This type of push-up is part of boxers' training. They are also beneficial for track and field athletes, as they increase endurance, as well as for fighters involved in various types of martial arts.
On fingers
Push-ups with emphasis on the fingers help strengthen bone tissue and increase the stability of the hands. The main thing is to focus exclusively on your fingers.
It is necessary to do such an exercise if you have developed good physical fitness and have sufficient strength in your fingers so that they can hold the body as securely as possible. To strengthen the bones of the fingers, it is recommended to train with an expander.
With weights
This type of push-up is suitable for weightlifters or those who want to gain mass. Here it is important to use specially designed weights that allow you to increase the load, due to which maximum and high-quality development of muscle tissue occurs.
Special vests equipped with weights are most often used as weighting agents. This equipment is also suitable for lovers of pull-ups on the bar and push-ups on the uneven bars.
If you don’t have a vest, a regular barbell plate will do. However, it must be used carefully and preferably in the presence of a person who must ensure the correct placement of the pancake on the back. The process itself must also be performed with caution.
It is recommended to start such push-ups with a small weight, which must be increased gradually. Over the course of a week, one kg should be added.
Deep push-ups
High efficiency is achieved by increasing the range of motion. You can use support points in the form of three chairs at home. Chairs can be replaced by special stands up to 15 cm high.
The objects that you want to use as support must be reliable so that you do not fall to the floor during push-ups). Special push-up handles are great for this. Well, at home, books will serve as a stand perfectly.
What are they needed for
The purpose of push-ups is to develop a strong muscle and strength base in the upper body using only your own body weight. Their huge advantage is variability, when you can shift the load from one muscle group to another. And for this you need to know which muscles work during such training:
- pectoralis major - trains when lowering and raising the body;
- triceps (triceps brachii muscle), which occupies 2/3 of the volume of the arms, is especially well worked out with a narrow grip, helps to straighten the elbows;
- deltas - the superficial muscles of the shoulders, forming their outer contour, help the chest to lift the body;
- abs - abdominal muscles that hold the body straight; but in order to see beautiful cubes on your stomach, there should be no fat layer on it, and for this you need to simultaneously engage in proper nutrition, and, perhaps, go on a diet.
- Serratus anterior - a superficial muscle of the anterior chest wall, which is perfectly activated and strengthened by push-ups;
- cervical - they pump slightly, but still work: to properly distribute the load on them, it is very important to look in front of you, and not down.
The back and biceps (biceps brachii) are hardly used. If only a slight body pressure is applied to them when lowering. So you won't be able to pump them up with push-ups, consider other exercises for this. In addition to increasing and strengthening the above muscles, their benefits are manifested in other areas:
- increasing the speed of punches: the hand is strengthened, due to which boxers can improve the clarity and direction of punches and prevent the risk of fractures in fights;
- agility and endurance training;
- maintaining good physical shape;
- improvement of metabolism;
- strengthening the heart and blood vessels;
- positive effect on the respiratory system.
Benefits of push-ups for women:
- the bust becomes toned and slightly enlarged due to training of the pectoral muscles;
- posture improves;
- hands look more attractive as sagging and sagging are prevented;
- a flat stomach is formed;
- Calories are actively burned, which leads to weight loss.
So push-ups are undoubtedly useful both for men who want to increase muscle mass and for women who dream of a beautiful figure and losing weight.
With the world on a thread. Bodybuilding champion (70s of the 20th century) Bill Pettis trained 5 hours a day, during which he managed to do 3,000 push-ups.
Recommendations
So, the technique and types of push-ups are considered. Now is the time to learn about important tips that you should follow while implementing them:
- Carefully study the simple technique of performing push-ups. When placing your hands on a flat surface, there should be no discomfort in the elbow and wrist joints.
- Increase joint flexibility. Immediately before push-ups, it is important to warm up thoroughly.
- To avoid injuries and stretch marks, it is useful to wear bandages or special wristbands on your wrists. This protection becomes especially important when performing complex push-ups with cotton.
- Sometimes achieving maximum amplitude is not always possible. Usually girls with large busts suffer from this. Increase the amplitude with the help of supports.
- The difficulty of push-ups is directly proportional to the position of the legs. The higher their location, the more difficult it is. Athletes with many years of experience perform push-ups only in this way.
- It is important to remember to maintain proper nutrition. For full muscle formation, you need to eat enough meat and vegetable products.
Useful tips
In order for push-ups to help you achieve your goal, you need to correctly structure your classes (according to the program) and perform the exercises in accordance with the technique. A few additional tips from experienced trainers will help you increase the effectiveness of your training.
- Don't push yourself to the point of exhaustion. Take quality, not quantity.
- Start with a warm-up.
- Find out right away how to breathe correctly during push-ups. Inhale through your nose - we lower ourselves. We hold our breath. We rise - exhale through the mouth.
- The back should remain straight in any position.
- All movements are slow and smooth, with the exception of jerks with clapping and lifting your hands off the floor.
- Observe contraindications: problems with the musculoskeletal system and blood pressure can interfere with such training.
- Eat right, get enough sleep and breathe more fresh air - this will improve your performance.
Push-ups are strength exercises that allow you to do them at home without going to the gym. If you are under severe time pressure, this is simply an ideal option. They are suitable for both men and women. Do you want to maintain good physical shape and have a beautiful and sculpted figure? In this case, such training will not be in vain for you. The main thing is to do everything correctly and without fanaticism.
