The one exercise everyone has probably tried at least once in their lifetime is pushups. Some people do it consistently, while others may have tried it and never went back again.
Traditionally, pushups have been the go-to exercise for building strength, especially in the upper body. So it comes as no surprise that pushups are used to strength at the gym, military, and police.
There are many pushups as the exercise has evolved over the years. However, despite the different forms of exercise, the benefits remain the same: it helps build your upper body strength while tightening your core.
The beauty about pushups is that they can be done anywhere, so you don’t need an expert and a gym to be able to do it.
The caveat is that if you’re going to do pushups, then you have to do it well to ensure you’re not hurting yourself and that you’re benefitting from it.
If you aren’t trying your hands on pushups, this is why you probably should.
Why should you do pushups each day?
The traditional and common way of doing pushups solely focuses on improving your upper body strength. However, doing it consistently helps rip and increase the size of your shoulders, pectoral muscles, and triceps.
The key is to maintain proper form when doing traditional pushups – that’s the only way you’ll get optimal benefits from the exercise. Some of these added benefits include strengthening the lower part of your back and your abdominal muscles.
Pushups are very effective and can be a fast method to build strength consistently. Each rep sees you carry your body load with your arms which helps you build muscle. The fact that pushups can be done from anywhere should encourage you to be more consistent because of how effective they can be.
If you want a workout routine that will make you more consistent, pushups are one exercise you should consider. Apart from its convenience, it is very easy to do and can be very fun depending on how you approach it. You can create a calendar for it and make your pushups a challenge to reward yourself after success.
It is guaranteed that after a few weeks of consistent pushups, you’ll start to see gains, especially in your upper body. But don’t get too swollen-headed because the moment you stop, your body is slowly going to return to its initial state.
Seeing the gains from pushups should motivate you to do more and even improve how you look. However, doing the same type of pushups and the same number of reps won’t cause much change since your body will be getting used to it.
This is why you need to spice up your pushup routine as you go by, trying new ways.
How to make your pushups more challenging
When you start doing pushups, you have to test yourself and see how far you can go. Once you establish that, you know your base, which is the minimum number of reps you can do at a go.
As you grow in your pushup routine, you’ll need to make it more challenging to experience similar growth and gains.
So you have to increase the number of reps and variations of pushups as the weeks go by.
Before we look at the more challenging pushups, here is how to do the traditional version:
1. You begin by setting up your mat and kneeling on it. It’s essential to use a mat, so you don’t end up stressing your knee too much.
2. Bend your upper body to the floor and plant both hands onto the ground while you stretch out your legs.
3. Straighten your toes and make sure your body is lifted from the ground and in line with your shoulders over your hands.
4. Now, slowly lower your body, allowing your elbows to bend until your chin or chest touches the ground.
5. Elevate yourself, pushing from your palms until your arms are straight and fully extended to the starting position.
6. Repeat the process till you feel exhausted. Start with a comfortable number of reps (10—15) before extending as time goes on.
Tips to consider to have the proper form:
1. Hold your core tight and engage them during pushups.
2. Make sure to straighten out your back, so it is straight.
3. Your butt should not be lifted and should be down.
4. Your whole body should be in a straight line at every point in a pushup.
Making it more challenging
Mountain climber pushup
1. Complete one rep of traditional pushup.
2. This time, instead of following it up with another. You keep your hand in the starting position and bend your knees, moving them to your chest.
3. You can start with your left leg and bring it up to your chest, then do it to the right leg. The whole idea is to make it look like you a riding a bike.
4. After alternating between lifting your right and left leg for about five reps, you do one rep of traditional pushups and repeat.
Rolling pushup
1. Do one traditional pushup
2. As you come up, lift your left arm and roll to your side without your body touching the floor. You then lift your right arm and roll again in the same direction, so you end up in the starting position for another pushup.
3. Do one traditional pushup
4. As you come up, lift your right arm and roll to your side without your body touching the floor. You then lift your left arm and roll again in the same direction, so you end up in the starting position for another pushup.
5. Repeat the process and do as many reps as possible for starters. Then, you can increase as you get more familiar.
Pushups with hips
1. Maintain a similar posture for a traditional pushup but keep your arm out slightly wider than your shoulders.
2. Lift your left leg and move it further away from your hips. Keep it tight and lifted throughout the rep.
3. Do one pushup as the left leg is in the air.
4. Do the same for the other leg.
5. Repeat the process and do as many reps as possible for starters. You can increase as you get more familiar.
What are the risks involved in daily pushups?
There is a high chance of experience plateauing because of how repetitive pushups can be. That’s why it’s essential to challenge yourself and spice it up with music and other fun stuff.
If not done right, Pushups can cause a lot of body pain, especially to the arm and lower back. Therefore, maintaining proper form is extremely imperative to help alleviate any health risks.
If you go too hard on yourself and be too aggressive, you may experience serious body pains after your first workout, preventing you from being consistent.
Remaining inconsistent will lead to little or no benefits from the pushups.
So take it easy when you begin and then slowly increase the workload.
Takeaway
Consistently doing pushups every day comes with a massive benefit and will help you gain strength while also getting an admirable upper body.
But, these pushups have to be done the right way to prevent pain and injury.
Ensure you increase your reps as you become comfortable and mix the variation of pushups you do.
You can draw a timetable or calendar for your pushups to help you remain more consistent.
References
Calatayud, Joaquin et al. “Muscle Activation during Push-Ups with Different Suspension Training Systems.” Journal of sports science & medicine vol. 13,3 502-10. 1 Sep. 2014
Alizadeh, Shahab et al. “Push-Ups vs. Bench Press Differences in Repetitions and Muscle Activation between Sexes.” Journal of sports science & medicine vol. 19,2 289-297. 1 May. 2020
Yang, Justin et al. “Association Between Pushup Exercise Capacity and Future Cardiovascular Events Among Active Adult Men.” JAMA network open vol. 2,2 e188341. 1 Feb. 2019, doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.8341
Kim, You-Sin et al. “Effect of the pushup exercise at different palmar width on muscle activities.” Journal of physical therapy science vol. 28,2 (2016): 446-9. doi:10.1589/jpts.28.446
Chulvi-Medrano, Iván et al. “Comparison of the effects of an eight-week pushup program using stable versus unstable surfaces.” International journal of sports physical therapy vol. 7,6 (2012): 586-94.
Kikuchi, Naoki, and Koichi Nakazato. “Low-load bench press and pushup induce similar muscle hypertrophy and strength gain.” Journal of exercise science and fitness vol. 15,1 (2017): 37-42. doi:10.1016/j.jesf.2017.06.003
Marcolin, Giuseppe et al. “Selective Activation of Shoulder, Trunk, and Arm Muscles: A Comparative Analysis of Different Pushup Variants.” Journal of athletic training vol. 50,11 (2015): 1126-32. doi:10.4085/1062-6050-50.9.09