Learning Specific Push-Ups Exercises

Standard Push-Up

The standard push-up is exactly what it sounds like. You get into a plank position with your hands on the ground and lower yourself towards the ground until your nose touches the floor. Then, you press yourself back up to the starting position. It’s a simple exercise that anyone can do anywhere. It’s also easy to do wrong. As with most movements, hand placement is a crucial part of the exercise. For maximum benefit, your hands should be slightly wider than your shoulders. Keeping them in this position will help create stability in your core, which is important for engaging your upper body without putting unnecessary stress on your lower back.

Hand Placement

One thing most people do wrong is keeping their hand too close to their shoulders. If your hands are too close, it can cause your shoulders to raise up, which can lead to impingement in your rotator cuffs if you’re not careful. By keeping your hands slightly wider, you’ll keep your shoulders down and out of the way, allowing your upper back to do most of the work. Another common mistake is keeping your hands too far apart.

A Better Way to Do Push-Ups

If your goal is to get stronger and boost your metabolism, you can do a few things to add a little extra oomph to your push-ups. Add increase the number of sets you do. The more you do, the more results you will see. Beginners should start with 3 sets of 15. Mix up your hand placement. While keeping your hands wide is essential for maximum core engagement, you can try doing some sets with your hands closer together. This will shift more of the focus to your chest muscles, making them work harder and burning more fat.

Rocking Plank Push-Up

The rocking plank push-up is a fantastic variation on the standard push-up. It increases the challenge of the standard push-up by adding a rocking motion to the push-up while keeping your core engaged. This will help you get a better overall workout during your push-up routine and increase the amount of calories you can burn. While in plank position, rock your body forward, lower your chest towards the floor, and then push back to the starting position. You can also try mixing it up and doing the push-ups with a slight rotation of your wrists. This will help to engage your core even more.

Mounted T Push-up

The mounted T push-up is a fantastic variation on the standard push-up. It increases the challenge of the standard push-up by increasing the range of motion. This will help you get a better overall workout during your push-up routine and increase the amount of calories you can burn. While in plank position, lower your chest towards the floor until it is slightly below the level of your hands. Then, push yourself back up to the starting position. You’ll end up with a T-shaped position when you’re done.

Incline Push-up

The incline push-up is a fantastic variation on the standard push-up. It increases the challenge of the standard push-up by changing the incline of your push-up pad. This will help you get a better overall workout during your push-up routine and increase the amount of calories you can burn. While in plank position, lower your chest towards the floor until it is approximately 2-3 inches above the height of your push-up pad. Then, push yourself back up to the starting position. You’ll end up with an extra challenging push-up routine that will help you get a better overall workout and burn more calories.

Summing Up

Push-ups are an essential part of any workout routine. However, you can make them even more effective by making a few minor adjustments. Keep your hand placement slightly wider than your shoulders to engage your core. Add more sets to increase the amount of strength you build during your push-up routine. Mix up your hand placement to challenge different muscles in your upper body. Try adding a weighted push-up to challenge yourself and increase the amount of calories you burn. Push-ups are a low-risk way to strengthen your upper body, improve your core, and get a great cardio workout. With just a few tweaks, you can make them even more challenging and get even better results from your push-up routine.