Press Ups (and their variations )

Press Ups

Press ups one of my absolute favourite exercises, similar to sit-ups, they can be done almost anywhere  (however, I prefer to my press ups on surface with some resistance like a carpet, due to the fact that it stops you from slipping about as much) . They are one of the best ways strengthening many muscles in the upper body, this is probably why they are so popular and well known. Primarily they improve your definition in yours arms, but like all weight free exercises they take a lot time to make any real . This is because you are doing a simple movement with no added resistance to the muscles (weights) so you are only moving you body mass worth of resistance.


Press ups are great for working many parts of the upper body, again this is partly why they take a long time to see any results as all the weight is spread across these muscles. The muscles that press ups work include:

Pectoralis major

Deltoids

Triceps brachii

Serratus anterior

Abdominal muscles

Coracobrachialis

So as you can see press ups are a good way to get toned as they work many muscles with a light weight so it burns a lot of fat in these areas. Sport stars also do press ups as they strengthen the upper body adding to weight and power, which will help the performance of the competitors


How to do a push up


There are types of push up related exercises you need to be able to do in order to perform and do push ups and there variations at a workout level.

1. The first: (I know it can be sexist to say, but it is simply what I have learnt it as and it is traditionally the female version of the exercise) The Girl Push Up or The Knee Push Up. For this exercise you simply get down on to your hands and knees, with your legs crossed and feet elevated in the air. Next you bend your arms and gradually lower your self down and back up, if you cannot go back up yet do not get put off, keep practising and it will come.
2. Once you have mastered the first stage and can do about 25 reps, you should move on to a elevated push up. This is the same motion but only standing, leaning forwards, with your hand on an elevated surface such as a park bench instead of the floor. Again bend you arms, lower yourself and attempt to go up and down, if you cannot get up just go as far as you can.
3. The final stage is a full press up its self, you then go to the floor after mastering the second step, get into the first position but extend your legs back and keep your feet on the floor. You then lower your self up and down by bending your arms.

Tips


A few tips I would recommend would be to work on form rather than speed, it would be better to do 5 really good push ups than 25 rushed ones. Essentially this means get your feet central, back straight, go nose to the floor, keep shoulders square and lower your self evenly. Another tips would be lots of low sets are best for building size, I intend to hold a push for about 2-3 seconds.


Variations

• Triangle base- hand form a triangle shape and are played under belly button on the floor. These target the triceps a lot more and are a lot more difficult to complete
• Single hand (supported and unsupported)- move the arm doing the push up directly under the opposing arms shoulder and grab the wrist with free hand, then lower yourself spread legs wide for balance. For the unsupported method is the same other than the free hand on wrist, so all the weight is on that targeted arm. These add move weight to one arm as they are not having to share the weight.
• Press ups and turn- after each push up rotate to one side, put one foot on top of the other and lift the arm on the same side as free leg into the air and extend other arm, then do the same on the other side. These add bulk to the exercise and work to tire the muscles further.

This Post will also become added to the pages in the exercise series so be sure to check it out there for future reference.Thanks for reading, if your new or old please check out the older posts to see if there is anything you have missed or if something catches your eye. If you like what I am doing please drop a comment, plus one this post or the blog, add the blog to your reading this and follow me on google plus, if you have any suggestions or ideas do not hesitate to contact me or leave a comment.  More posts coming soon so please read again - work hard and peace!

Jason