The push-up (or press-up) is a basic upper body exercise that targets many muscles in your arms and chest.
Steps
edit- Lie down flat on the floor on your stomach
- Place your palms (hands) on the floor near your ears
- Place your toes on the floor
- Look straight ahead
- Use your arms to lift your whole body up [try to keep your back as straight as possible]
- Once arms are straight pause
- Bend arms and return down
- Stop when chest almost touches the ground
- Repeat lifting and lowering
Tips
edit- Practice. Practice everyday, doing a little more and more consecutive push-ups.
- If you feel you're too weak to perform a proper push-up, bend your knees so they touch the floor and perform a push-up in that form.
- Keep your back straight, don't arch your back up and down, use your elbows.
- Perform the exercise slowly. Don't rush, pause once you've reached the floor and slowly go back up.
Variations
edit- Narrow grip push-up: Place your palms closer together, instead of the usual shoulder-width apart. Perform a regular push-up.
- Wide grip push-up: Place your palms farther apart, instead of the usual shoulder-width apart. Perform a regular push-up.
- One handed push-up: Use only one hand and keep the other hand behind your back. Angle yourself, so you're weight is on that one hand but not too much or any benefit from the exercise will be ruined. Perform a regular push-up.
- Jump push-up: Perform a regular push-up but when coming up, explode pushing the ground fiercely such that you perform a small jump.
- Diamond push-up: Place your palms even closer than the Narrow Grip. Make a diamond with your index fingers touching and your thumbs touching. Perform a regular push-up.
- Military push-up: Place your palms underneath your shoulders. Perform a regular push-up while keeping your arms pressed against your sides.