Whether you’re avoiding going to the gym right now, or just looking for ways to increase your arm strength from home, learning how to do push-ups correctly can make a difference in your home exercise routine.
Although strong arms are often developed by lifting heavy weights, if you have little equipment or space, pushups are one of the best bodyweight exercises you can do to build strength in your arm. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that when compared in resistance, push-ups and weighted bench presses have similar muscle gains. (With that said, if you’re looking for weights for strength training at home, we’ve found the best adjustable dumbbells here).
Push-ups are an effective way to strengthen your upper body using only your body weight. When done correctly, a push-up will work the triceps, pectoral muscles, and shoulders. They can also work on your abdominal muscles, as well as strengthen your lower back.
Here you will find everything you need to know about mastering push-ups and modifications to try and make the exercise more challenging. Looking for more exercise inspiration? we have found the best abs workouts you can do it for free and a exercise that is better than squats to strengthen the glutes.
How to do a pushup
To do a push-up, start by standing in a plank position, with your weight under your shoulders and your palms flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart. Stretch your arms and contract your abs, thinking about sinking your navel into your spine.
You should have a straight line from the heels to the crown of the head. Slowly, with control, bend your arms and lower your chest to the ground, pause, and then rise back to the starting position.
What are the benefits of push-ups?
When done correctly, push-ups work the pectoral (chest), deltoid (shoulder), and triceps (back of the arms) muscles. They also target the abdominal muscles. To see the effects of the push-ups, you’ll need to do more than a couple of reps, but if you’re new to the exercise, start by trying 20 push-ups and work your way up from there.
How can you make pushups easier or harder?
If you’re having trouble with a flex, start by trying these three mods:
wall push-ups: Place your palms on the wall, arms outstretched and slowly lower your torso towards the wall, pause and then rise back to the starting position.
Incline push-ups: For this exercise, you will need a block, bench, table, or chair. Put your palms on the surface and extend your legs directly behind you. Keep your body in a straight line and your elbows on your body, and perform the push-up at an incline.
Knee bends: Alternatively, you can make pushups easier by lowering your knees to the floor during the exercise. From the high plank position, get to your knees, but be sure to roll on top of your knees throughout the exercise. Engage your core, bend your elbows, and lower your chest to the floor, before climbing back up to your starting position.
If you’re really looking for arm gains and find the traditional push-up too easy, here’s how to make the move more difficult:
diamond push-ups: Diamond pushups work your triceps more than traditional pushups. To do a diamond pushup, simply make a diamond shape with both hands, rather than keeping them shoulder-width apart during the exercise.
Raised push-ups: By changing your center of gravity, you automatically increase the intensity of your exercise. Raise your legs up on a chair, step, or the couch and push off from there. The higher your legs are, the more difficult it will be to bend.
One-arm push-ups: This one is really challenging, and it’s definitely not for beginners. From your plank position, place one hand behind your back and complete the pushup using just one arm. Alternatively, lift one leg off the floor as you push up to make things more difficult.
weighted push-upsLast but certainly not least, add some weight. You can do this by wearing a weighted vest (this is what happened when a TG staff member worked with a weight vest for a week), or if you’re at the gym, a weighted barbell plate that you can ask a friend to put on your back.
