What is the most cost effective, most beneficial, and one of
the most over looked exercises out there? The answer is the pushup. Pushups
aren’t just for body builders or athletes, pushups can have a huge role in
overall health. Yet, for many people, pushups are seen as a struggle and tend
to lean away from them. The question is, can you do a pushup? If so, you’ll
actually learn a few things about the pushup today. If not, don’t worry, maybe
after today you can begin working your way to doing pushups with ease.
Firstly, most of us know that pushups actively work the
chest. However, did you know that they also work the rear deltoid (back of the
shoulder) and even the rotator cuff? Pushups also build the scalene muscles and
the muscles of the upper traps. Those muscles are missed when the bench press
is the main form of chest exercise. Doing pushups with proper form also engage
the muscles of the core, which aren’t just the abs, the core also involves the
muscles of the lower back and the hip stabilizers.
So what does this mean? This means that pushups are great
for creating muscular balance in the upper body, which is crucial for everyday
health. So what do you do if you can’t do a pushup? First, don’t worry. The
pushup has so many variations and modifications that there is a pushup out
there for any fitness level. Most people would want to begin with a “girl”
pushup. However, a “girl” pushup doesn’t allow the core and hips to be engaged
as much as they should be. I would recommend that you begin with wall pushups. These
are fairly simple and allow you to get the feel for how a pushup should feel. To
begin, place your hands on wall, slightly outside the width of your shoulders,
and at shoulder level. Next, extend your arms out and reposition your feet to
that you are parallel to the wall. At this point, you want to pull your hips in
and engage the abs. This will prevent your back from arching and doing you more
bad than good. Then, by bending the elbows, allow yourself to slowly fall into
the wall. You should stop just before your chest touches the wall, hold, and
then push back into the original position. I recommend doing this for three
sets of eight to twelve reps (3x8-12). You can vary each set by putting hands
by spreading them farther apart or bringing them closer together, or by
rotating your hands. Try doing this 4 times a week with a day of rest in
between. Do these for two weeks then attempt doing floor pushups with the same
form.
Not only are pushups good at developing muscular strength and
endurance, they can also be an effective cardiovascular exercise. It all
depends on how they are done. For example, I’ve done pushups in this manner 12,
12, 15, 12, 18, with about a minute of rest in between. Not only were the final
two sets a struggle, but I could feel the blood pumping and my heart racing.
Pushups, in my opinion, are extremely helpful in maintaining
muscular strength and balance, they are for everyone, and should be done by
everyone.
At first I thought the whole aspect of your blog was a little silly, but I finally grew curious enough to read what you had to say. I definitely am glad I read your blog. As we grow older, I believe, being healthy in every way possible is extremely important. As we are working we sometimes do not realize the little things that could help us and strengthen us even more. Good blog, Gabriel! :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read this, I thought "ugh, I hate pushups" I never seem to do them right. Being healthy is very important, I would guess that excercise would help too. This is a great blog, and I am gald I read it. I liked that you started with how to do a wall pushup, and it seemed to make more sense to me. I do wonder, why do you do reps of eight or ten when you could just do the total of twenty-four or thirty? Good blog, and very informative.
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