There is no more complete exercise to strengthen the chest than performing different types of push-ups with your own weight. They are super effective, because you are not only working the pectoral muscles: also the triceps and deltoids, the core, the glutes, the quadriceps and the stabilizing muscles of the back. You just need the weight of your own body, a good technique and get to work, since you can do push-ups anywhere without going to a gym and still get incredible results.
Push-ups are the basic exercises to exercise the upper part of our body, but at the same time it is usually a difficult movement to do for beginners: therefore, many prefer not to include it in their exercise routine. They consist of lying face down, bending and extending the arms, using the weight of the body and the strength of the arms to overcome the force of gravity. So, once you gain strength, you will undoubtedly be able to do more repetitions and with a higher level of difficulty.
Benefits of doing push ups
- They help increase strength and muscle , improving performance in tasks that involve pushing actions.
- They activate all the upper body muscles in a coordinated way, enhancing any pushing action you perform much more.
- They stimulate the metabolism and blood circulation .
- Injury is unlikely, as in most variants of this exercise, the limbs are fixed on a surface; therefore, the joints are stable.
- They serve to assess the physical state . As you gain strength, it will be less difficult to do this exercise and you will surely look for types of push-ups with a greater degree of difficulty.
Tips for doing push-ups
- As in any physical activity, it is very important to prepare your body with some warm-up beforehand to avoid injury .
- The hands should always be placed at shoulder level so as not to damage the back, and to get the pectoral muscles to really work.
- The posture must be kept in a straight line from the head, so as not to strain your cervicals and avoid injuring yourself, to the rest of the body so that the muscles work to the maximum.
- You must keep your abdomen firm to gain more strength and achieve definition.
- Lower the body in a controlled manner; thus, the muscles will be working effectively.
- When going down you should form a 90 degree angle with your elbows: try to always keep them close to the body to strengthen your biceps.
- It is important to realize the full range of motion muscles to work effectively, this involves touching the ground with his chest.
Types of push-ups
There are many types of push-ups, but the important thing is to progress gradually to prevent injury and to keep your body from getting used to the same movement , so that you get to do it without overexerting yourself. For this reason, we present different types of push-ups for beginner and advanced athletes, and how to progress from less to greater difficulty so that they always represent a challenge.
Chest curls for beginners
Push-ups with your knees on the floor
If you’ve never done push-ups in your workouts, this is the right way to start. We put the body as we have previously advised, with the difference that we are going to rest our knees on the ground . As the support points are closer to each other, it will be easier to do a repetition.
Traditional push-ups
We put our hands on the ground directly below the shoulders. We support the tips of the feet slightly apart and the legs stretched out. The core must be active throughout the movement to maintain a straight line and body stability. We flex the arms and lower the body; when doing this the head should look slightly forward.
Incline push-ups
It is an intermediate option between the traditional push-up and the push-up with your knees on the ground. We simply rest our arms on a bench and not on the floor. Doing a repetition will be easier because the support points will be closer to each other.
Decline push-ups
We put our feet in an elevated position , for this you can use a bench. The rest of the body will be exactly the same as in the traditional push-up. In this type of push-up we increase the work on the shoulders due to the angle of inclination on the upper part of the body.
Deep or extended range push-ups
We are going to further expand the range of motion. We will put our hands on two steps to increase the distance in each repetition. The chest will drop beyond the level of the hands because of its elevated position.
One leg push-ups
We are going to raise one of the supporting legs, keeping it straight. Stability is lower as you have fewer points of support, therefore increasing your level of concentration and muscle strength .
Types of advanced level push-ups
Slap push-ups
It is an explosive movement in which the hands are separated from the ground, we slap in front of the chest and we return to the starting position. We must make sure to do so without forcing the wrists when falling . Keeping your core under control is crucial to exercising correctly. You can start by resting your knees on the floor like a beginner pushup.
Scaled or spartan plyometric push-ups
A type of exercise in which the position of the hands changes with each push-up , mimicking the movement of a rock climber. If you have difficulty doing them, we recommend changing your hands one at a time, without taking them off the ground at the same time.
Behind-the-back slap push-ups
This exercise requires a lot of mobility and flexibility in the shoulders . By pushing the body up and taking the hands off the ground, we will slap behind the back. It is advisable to start or warm up with other types of push-ups.
Superman push-ups
The explosive movement of this exercise aims to fully lift your body off the surface. Once this happens, we will bring our hands forward simulating that we fly like Superman . Do not forget to return your hands to their initial place to avoid accidents.
Goalkeeper push-ups
In this type of push-up, you are going to put your hands to the sides, beyond the shoulders, and you are only going to flex one arm at a time . In the other arm it may be slightly bent at the elbow, but in general it should be straight.
One-arm push-ups
For this type of push-up, the feet have to be wide apart and keep one of the arms behind the back . This exercise will help you to work the balance of the whole body and the muscular strength will be greater.
What did you think of the different types of push-ups? You no longer have a pretext! We have given you a whole lecture so that you can start incorporating this exercise into your routine . If you want to know more types of push-ups, we leave you the following video with 50 different ones. Follow our advice and progress little by little in the level of difficulty and see how your body is defined and toned.
