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Translated by: Avramov Maxim
- lover of healthy lifestyle and author of the website ilovemysport.ru. Date: 2019-12-19
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Push-ups are one of the most effective bodyweight exercises. And there's a good reason for this. During push-ups, not only the pectoral muscles are involved, but also the triceps and deltoids. The glutes, quadriceps, and small stabilizer muscles of the upper back are involved to some extent. This exercise generally improves physical fitness.
You can do push-ups anywhere, even at home. No need to visit a fitness club or buy exercise equipment. For training you only need your own weight.
How to do push-ups correctly:
- Palms should be at shoulder level
- Stretch your head, back and buttocks in a straight line, bending is not allowed
- Straighten your legs and place your toes on the floor
- Tighten your core and glutes
- Slightly retract your shoulder blades
- As you inhale, slowly lower your torso down until the angle of your elbows is about 90 degrees.
- Keep your elbows close to your torso
- As you exhale, slowly straighten your arms, returning to the starting position.
Already know how to properly perform push-ups? It's time to take it to the next level and diversify your workouts. We present to your attention 8 types of push-ups for the pectoralis major muscles.
Push-ups with cotton
I'm guessing many of you are already familiar with this exercise. During landing, after the clap, the elbows should be relaxed. This way we reduce the risk of injury. Remember to engage your core muscles as you perform clap push-ups. Beginners should do this exercise on their knees or use an incline. This will help you land correctly after clapping your hands.
Types of push-ups for the pectoral muscles
So, what types of push-ups are there? Push-ups are essentially one type of exercise. Everything else is just its variations, which put stress on different muscle groups.
The pectoral muscles are conventionally divided into upper and lower . To pump your breasts evenly, you will have to pay attention to both parts, otherwise your body will look, at a minimum, disproportionate.
Before starting a workout, it is very
important to warm up your muscles. Make a couple of swings with your arms and the same number of circular movements with your arms bent at the elbows.
An exercise familiar from the school curriculum will relieve tension from the neck and help subsequently avoid unnecessary muscle strain. Below is the entire set of push-ups for the pectoral muscles.
Classic push-ups
Take a lying position, hands shoulder-width apart, legs apart or touching (your choice). What to pay attention to:
- When doing push-ups, the position of your back is very important. Try not to hunch your back (to do this, look straight ahead, you should not lower your head down) and do not bend in the lower back.
- Carefully monitor the position of your pelvis - it should also be motionless. Rocking and “helping” the entire body is not allowed!
What gives? The classic arm placement involves the pectoral muscles, arm muscles and partly the trapezius. It is recommended to start your workout with this exercise, since from the very beginning it will give a complex load to the entire shoulder girdle and arms.
Wide-arm push-ups for chest muscles
This is a mirror version of the wide grip barbell.
Again, get into a prone position, but this time place your arms slightly wider than your shoulders. The difficulty level will automatically increase, so the number of repetitions will be less. What to pay attention to:
- It is important to keep your back straight and still look straight ahead - your head should be at the same level as your spine.
- You should not straighten your elbows all the way at the highest point, otherwise you will give a kind of break to the target muscles.
- To complicate the exercise, when you reach the top point, hold for a couple of seconds, and only then lower down again.
- Try to perform all movements slowly!
- It's better to do 10 quality push-ups than 15 just for show.
- To “stretch” the pectoral muscles even more, you can do push-ups at a slight elevation. To do this, place a dumbbell under each arm; if you don’t have one, you can use a couple of stacked books.
These push-ups put stress directly on the pectoral muscles. Although the deltoids and triceps are directly involved, they remain somewhat on the sidelines. But the back receives almost the same load as the chest.
Push-ups with hands close to each other
The difficulty level for this exercise is considered to be medium. But make no mistake, for beginners this is traditionally one of the most difficult exercises! Helps pump up the inner pecs, but your triceps will take the brunt of this.
How to position your hands correctly? Place your palms at such a distance that your outstretched thumbs touch each other. At first, even 3 sets of 5 times will be a big breakthrough. Over time, when your muscles get used to the necessary loads, you can easily increase both the number of approaches and the number of repetitions.
It is important to alternate exercises with each other! Even if your triceps or deltoids don't need definition, don't just do push-ups with your arms wide apart. According to the unanimous opinion of all professional athletes, in order for the chest to swing evenly, it is necessary to use all the muscles of the shoulder girdle!
Rocking push-ups
As part of this exercise, you will need to change the position of your hands after each push-up. This is more complicated than it seems at first glance. Take the starting position as in classic push-ups. Place your left hand forward and move your right hand back a little. Quickly push off the floor. Now put your right hand forward and your left hand back. The number of repetitions depends on your fitness level.
Do push-ups and repeat this cycle several times. Its amount depends on the level of physical fitness of the athlete. In the next approach, put your right hand forward and take your left back.
If you have difficulty performing an exercise, divide it into two parts and train alternately. Try to determine in advance the position of your hands that is comfortable for you: left hand in front, right hand in back. Do this until the end of the set. Then switch hands and practice the other part of the exercise. Once you are comfortable, return to the full two-part cycle.
How to train
- Once or twice a week. The break between training and the next load on the upper body should be at least 48 hours.
- The number of repetitions per set for this workout is low, so it won't take up much time.
- All repetitions in a set should be done without stopping, or with very short rest breaks. Then rest for 2 minutes and repeat the approach. And again rest for 2 minutes and do the last approach. Only 3 approaches for each exercise.
Push-ups with chest slap
Get into the starting position for classic push-ups. Spread your arms out to the sides so that your palms are slightly wider than your shoulders. Lower your body down and push off the floor with a sharp movement. Touch your right palm to your left chest and vice versa. Straighten your arms and return to the starting position. Try to push off as hard as possible. You should have had enough time to land carefully.
General rules
Chest push-ups are useful not only for those who want to increase their volume, but also to improve their overall health. After doing push-ups, many people note significant weight loss. You don’t need any additional equipment for exercise, and you can gradually increase the load to develop muscles.
For training to be productive, it is necessary to warm up, for example, using warming ointments. To warm up, just take 10 minutes, this will help avoid injuries.
If pain occurs, you should stop exercising until the cause of the pain is determined. For muscle development, in addition to a set of exercises, proper nutrition is important. The diet must contain all the necessary components, but especially proteins.
How to do push-ups correctly to pump up your pectoral muscles, if it becomes easy to do, just increase the load. Habitual exercises can be performed with a weight, which is selected in accordance with the weight of the athlete. In addition to the chest muscles, it is important to develop the abs, as well as other groups, otherwise imbalance and health problems will appear.
Alexander Shestov
TRX Certified Trainer
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In training mode, it is important to observe breathing technique. Improper breathing leads to problems with the cardiovascular system. The days of chest training can be diluted with various exercises that affect other parts of the muscles.
Push-ups with a clap behind your back
Warm up well before this exercise. Take a lying position. Your hands should be slightly wider than your shoulders. Push off the floor with a sharp movement. Clap your hands behind your back. Return to the starting position. Do as many behind-the-back push-ups as you can.
At the initial stage, you can put something soft under your head. This will save you from a broken nose and a couple of new teeth.
Introducing push-ups into your training program
Working out at home is best done over several days. That is, train the same way as in the gym. On the first day, chest and biceps. Then back with triceps. And on the last day, legs and shoulder muscles. Your workout might look something like this:
- Warm up 5 minutes
- Plank
- Classic push-ups 3-4 sets, 10-15 reps
- Elevated leg push-ups 3-4 sets, 10-15 reps
- Pseudo push-ups 3-4 sets, 10-15 reps
- Biceps exercises
- Cool down 5 minutes
This workout will allow you to load the pectoral muscles from different angles. If such training is easy for you, you can use any technique to complicate push-ups.
As you can see, push-ups are an excellent exercise that will give an initial boost to the development of the body. Yes, you won’t be able to pump up big pecs like professional bodybuilders. Therefore, if this is your goal, you should still think about visiting the gym. But if you want to get fit and strengthen your body. Then push-ups will become your faithful assistants in this matter.
Good luck to everyone in your training!
Archer push-ups
For archer push-ups, the distance between your hands should be slightly wider than shoulder width. During this exercise, only one arm is bent. The body shifts towards the supporting hand, while the second remains straight. This pose is reminiscent of an archer while shooting.
The body should remain straight, do not turn the hips. Perform the same number of repetitions for each arm within one set.
Push-ups - video
From this video you will learn which option to perform push-ups to choose, with the goal of working out a particular muscle group, and you will also be able to clearly see how to perform push-ups in different variations.
To summarize, it is worth noting that to get the maximum effect from the exercise, it is important not only to perform push-ups for the pectoral muscles correctly, but also to maintain regular training.
Personal motivation also plays a significant role in working on oneself . With the right and comprehensive approach, very soon you will be able to enjoy the results of your hard work.
Have you already tried the effect of push-ups? Which implementation option did you choose for yourself and why? Tell us about your impressions and results in the comments.
Important Tips
- Descriptions of the exercises allow you to formulate the correct execution technique, but give you the opportunity to adjust the execution according to your characteristics and goals. You should always place your hands on a plane so that you do not feel any discomfort in the joints. It is necessary to try to prevent them from twisting, unbending, or bending. You always need to find the most comfortable placement of your palms.
- You should definitely pay attention to developing flexibility by additionally performing special exercises, and also stretch your wrists before class.
- To avoid injuries and sprains, it is recommended to wear wristbands or bandages. This protection is relevant for those who perform complex squats with clapping, on one arm, without resting on the toes.
- Not all women are able to achieve a full range of motion due to a large bust. To “eliminate” the obstacle, you should use stops. Thanks to these devices, girls can increase the amplitude.
- The difficulty of push-ups depends on the position of your legs. The higher they are, the more difficult the exercise and the load placed on the muscles. Experienced athletes may not even use tables, benches, or stools, but instead do vertical push-ups with their legs up.
- Each training program necessarily involves the inclusion of abdominal and biceps exercises in the plan.
- We should not forget about the importance of proper nutrition. In order for muscles to develop and form, you need to eat more meat and vegetables.
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