Push Ups Anatomy
It's one of the best exercises a person can perform and it can be done virtually anywhere.
You can do push ups in many different ways and each way can have a different effect on your body.
If you were to read biographies or profiles of legendary athletes who possessed beautiful and functional physiques like Charles Atlas, Herschel Walker, and Woody Strode, you would find this exercise (and its variations) were one of the primary bodyweight exercise they performed faithfully.
I have been performing all types of push ups - and there are many - for the last 5 years, after I stopped doing bench, and dumbbell presses.
Not that there's anything wrong with these methods, but I just wanted to save driving time to the gym and the cost of it as well.
Even after 5 years, the variety of push ups I perform are very challenging and very effective in building upper body and core muscles.
If you know what you're doing, by manipulating training parameters and being creative, this exercise and its' "cousins" can become very effective in muscle building and calorie burning routines.
They literally work your whole body from your toes all the way up to your neck.
Let me give you some examples: For example, one variety is the feet elevated push ups, where you place you're feet on an elevated object like a
The higher the object the more difficult the exercise can be.
Also, you can manipulate this powerful exercise in many ways to place more emphasis on a certain group of muscles of your body than others by adding different movement patterns, angles and other parameters to your exercise.
For example, you can perform other push up variations like: One leg push-ups...
In this exercise, you lift one leg off the floor and perform a number of repetitions (let's say 8 reps) and then switch legs to perform another 8 reps.
The one leg push ups can put more emphasis on your core (mid-section) and some of your hip flexor muscles.
On this particular exercise, try to keep your body level and not tilting to either side.
Imagine you've placed an egg on your back and you're trying to prevent it from falling to either side by keeping the body level while performing the one leg push ups.
Also, make sure when you perform a number of repetitions (example, 8 reps), you have enough energy and strength to perform 8 reps on the other leg and not more nor less.
If you can't perform the full 8 repetitions, start with 6 for example and challenge yourself to complete a full 6 before moving up to do a full 8 repetitions in one set.
Caterpillar push ups...
This is such a versatile exercise for the following reasons:
What if you can't do regular bodyweight push ups? Now what? There are modifications to make the regular push up less challenging, while at the same time can help you to progress to perform more advanced push ups.
Here are two examples of modified push ups: Kneeling push ups...
this exercise is the same as the regular push ups except you'll be supported by your knees, not your feet.
This method allows you to lessen the resistance or bodyweight.
Hand elevated push ups...
again; this exercise is the same as the regular push ups except your hands can be placed on a:
General Guidelines For Performing Push up Exercise o Don't sway the back or stick the butt out o Don't bend your knees, rather keep the legs straight o Keep the head in line with the back.
In other words, don't flex or extend your neck, keep it neutral (normal alignment) o Breath in as you lower the body and breath out as you lift it A controversial point How far you can lower your body when performing push ups? If you have a normal healthy posture, you can lower the body to the point where you can brush the floor with your chest.
But if some individuals have some postural issues like forward sloping shoulders and/or head, then it can add undue stress which is not healthy, and which can lead to an injury.
So please ask your qualified care provider about your posture to consider any postural issues you might have in performing your exercises.
Also start performing the push ups by lowering the body gradually and observe how it feels day after day.
There is a difference between feeling a stretch or feeling pain, so if you feel the latter then stop immediately and see your qualified care provider.
And always, trust your body if it's telling you to stop or to continue.
Muscular analysis of push up exercise: When you perform the regular push ups with proper form, your whole body is working.
There are muscles that are performing different tasks, but they all work as one unit.
Some muscles are lifting (concentric), lowering (eccentric), or holding in balance (isometric).
Here's a general list of these muscles...
Isometric contraction: - Wrist and Hand muscles - Leg (lower and upper) muscles - Midsection (abdominus rectus, transversus abdominus, quadratus lumborum) muscles - Neck muscles Concentric and eccentric contraction: - Elbow joint muscles ( ex.
, triceps brachii and anconeus) - Shoulder joint muscles (ex.
, pectoralis major and anterior deltoid) - Shoulder girdle muscles (ex.
, serratus anterior and pectoralis minor) So here you have it, a great exercise that can be as versatile and creative as you want it to be, and effective in building muscle tissues and burning calories which can lead to a leaner, harder body.
You can do push ups in many different ways and each way can have a different effect on your body.
If you were to read biographies or profiles of legendary athletes who possessed beautiful and functional physiques like Charles Atlas, Herschel Walker, and Woody Strode, you would find this exercise (and its variations) were one of the primary bodyweight exercise they performed faithfully.
I have been performing all types of push ups - and there are many - for the last 5 years, after I stopped doing bench, and dumbbell presses.
Not that there's anything wrong with these methods, but I just wanted to save driving time to the gym and the cost of it as well.
Even after 5 years, the variety of push ups I perform are very challenging and very effective in building upper body and core muscles.
If you know what you're doing, by manipulating training parameters and being creative, this exercise and its' "cousins" can become very effective in muscle building and calorie burning routines.
They literally work your whole body from your toes all the way up to your neck.
Let me give you some examples: For example, one variety is the feet elevated push ups, where you place you're feet on an elevated object like a
- Chair
- Bench
- Bed
- Sofa
- Steps
The higher the object the more difficult the exercise can be.
Also, you can manipulate this powerful exercise in many ways to place more emphasis on a certain group of muscles of your body than others by adding different movement patterns, angles and other parameters to your exercise.
For example, you can perform other push up variations like: One leg push-ups...
In this exercise, you lift one leg off the floor and perform a number of repetitions (let's say 8 reps) and then switch legs to perform another 8 reps.
The one leg push ups can put more emphasis on your core (mid-section) and some of your hip flexor muscles.
On this particular exercise, try to keep your body level and not tilting to either side.
Imagine you've placed an egg on your back and you're trying to prevent it from falling to either side by keeping the body level while performing the one leg push ups.
Also, make sure when you perform a number of repetitions (example, 8 reps), you have enough energy and strength to perform 8 reps on the other leg and not more nor less.
If you can't perform the full 8 repetitions, start with 6 for example and challenge yourself to complete a full 6 before moving up to do a full 8 repetitions in one set.
Caterpillar push ups...
This is such a versatile exercise for the following reasons:
- Upper body strength
- Stretching for posterior chain muscles
- Strength endurance by performing a high number of repetitions
What if you can't do regular bodyweight push ups? Now what? There are modifications to make the regular push up less challenging, while at the same time can help you to progress to perform more advanced push ups.
Here are two examples of modified push ups: Kneeling push ups...
this exercise is the same as the regular push ups except you'll be supported by your knees, not your feet.
This method allows you to lessen the resistance or bodyweight.
Hand elevated push ups...
again; this exercise is the same as the regular push ups except your hands can be placed on a:
- bench
- sturdy chair
- bed
- sofa
- stool
- steps
General Guidelines For Performing Push up Exercise o Don't sway the back or stick the butt out o Don't bend your knees, rather keep the legs straight o Keep the head in line with the back.
In other words, don't flex or extend your neck, keep it neutral (normal alignment) o Breath in as you lower the body and breath out as you lift it A controversial point How far you can lower your body when performing push ups? If you have a normal healthy posture, you can lower the body to the point where you can brush the floor with your chest.
But if some individuals have some postural issues like forward sloping shoulders and/or head, then it can add undue stress which is not healthy, and which can lead to an injury.
So please ask your qualified care provider about your posture to consider any postural issues you might have in performing your exercises.
Also start performing the push ups by lowering the body gradually and observe how it feels day after day.
There is a difference between feeling a stretch or feeling pain, so if you feel the latter then stop immediately and see your qualified care provider.
And always, trust your body if it's telling you to stop or to continue.
Muscular analysis of push up exercise: When you perform the regular push ups with proper form, your whole body is working.
There are muscles that are performing different tasks, but they all work as one unit.
Some muscles are lifting (concentric), lowering (eccentric), or holding in balance (isometric).
Here's a general list of these muscles...
Isometric contraction: - Wrist and Hand muscles - Leg (lower and upper) muscles - Midsection (abdominus rectus, transversus abdominus, quadratus lumborum) muscles - Neck muscles Concentric and eccentric contraction: - Elbow joint muscles ( ex.
, triceps brachii and anconeus) - Shoulder joint muscles (ex.
, pectoralis major and anterior deltoid) - Shoulder girdle muscles (ex.
, serratus anterior and pectoralis minor) So here you have it, a great exercise that can be as versatile and creative as you want it to be, and effective in building muscle tissues and burning calories which can lead to a leaner, harder body.
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