Push-ups are a staple exercise that most people know how to do, if not properly. It might look like a child’s play, but it is very easy to do it with flaws since not many are aware of what they are doing wrong.
There are different types of push-ups you can do to push your body’s limit and achieve the body you desire, but not everyone knows them.
Push-ups are a type of exercise that does not need many equipments, making it everyone’s cup of tea.
After diligent research, reading articles, watching body professionals’ videos, and curating people’s thoughts, we are here to help you with how you can do push-ups the right way and what benefits you can reap from it.
Push-Ups: The Correct Posture
The biggest mistake people do is not following the correct posture of push-ups. Hence, they need to be aware of the right posture and technique to do the perfect push-up.
A push-up is an exercise that needs full-body force. Before you include it in your daily routine, first identify the right way to do it to reap all the benefits. To do it correctly you need to put the strength on your hands and feet equally.
First, lay down on the mat on your stomach. Then get into a plank position. Get on your toes, and hands fully stretched. It should look like half of your body is above. Putting toes like that supports the lower half. Hands should be parallel to each other.
Keep the back horizontal, try to free the shoulders and the butt as it could create stress on muscles. Bring the shoulders back and then slowly come forward. Hands should create a diamond shape when the body is down.
When it creates a diamond shape, then pull the body upwards and bring it back to the same position. Keep going like that until you start to feel a bit of stress on the muscles.
When doing the exercise, breathing properly is essential. When the body is going downwards, exhale at the same time. When the body is going upwards, then inhale. Breathing properly will reduce the stress on your body while doing the push-ups, making it a little easier to push your body of its limits.
Make sure that your knees do not touch the ground and should be straight or parallel to the ground. Otherwise, the push-up does not get a count, and also the effort you put up will be wasted.
For a beginner, doing 10 to 15 reps of push-up is a brilliant start. Gradually, a person can increase the reps for a faster and good result. Or one can try to start with a bench, place the hands on the bench and feet on the ground, the posture should be similar to the non-bench push-ups.
All this will help to understand the right position and how much pressure should be put in.
Benefits of Push-Ups
- It increases full-body stamina. In push-ups, the whole body has to work, especially the hands. It makes hands more strong which helps in lifting weights.
- Push-ups not only strengthen the muscles, it also makes joints and bones stronger.
- It supports cardiovascular health. As the body is under workout pressure, the heart rate increases and the heart has to pump more blood and oxygen in the body.
- It helps in maintaining a good posture because it involves the back muscles and builds a strong and stable body to maintain a good posture.
- It strengthens the body from the inside out.
Are Push-Ups Difficult?
Push-ups involve full-body strength, so it could be difficult for some people. The easier it is for someone to do more push-ups, the greater the level of strength in a person’s body. However, if there is any difficulty while performing, it should be kept in mind to try to perfect it.
The right ways are to keep the posture right and straight. Make sure the motion is right as well. All these things should be kept in mind, and with practice, you can become better day by day.
Different Types of Push-ups
Traditional Push-Ups:
The traditional push-up is so common, it is one that first comes to mind when we talk about push-ups. It is done on toes and straight hands. It is also known as a basic push-up.
For this kind of push-up, the core should be tight, the hands and the back should be straight. All these things combined make the basic traditional push-up.
It works on the whole body simultaneously, from hands, abs to legs. It also helps all muscles to work together as well as make them stronger.
Wide Arm Push-Ups:
Wide arm push-up is just like the traditional push-up, but just the arms should be wider. It involves more usage of the arms and shoulders. This push-up also works on the pectoral muscles.
Diamond Push-Ups:
In Diamond push-up, hands are closer, further posture is the same as the traditional one.
The position of the hand should be like the index fingers and thumbs should touch each other. The space between the palms should form a triangle shape.
Staggered Push-Ups:
The position in Staggered is the same as Diamond push-up, with a slight variation — one hand should be lower than the other.
Because of this position, the lower hand has to work more than the other one. Its main focus is to strengthen the arm muscles more.
Clap Push-Ups:
This type starts with the basic traditional push-up. When the body gets lower after that, push the body immediately upwards with pressure and clap when about to go down back. 
When landing, bend the elbows, a little, to absorb the collision of landing.
If you are a beginner, start with 10 reps. Clap push-ups increase the power and plyometrics. Beginners can try clap push-ups by starting with their knees.
Superman Push-Ups:
In Superman Push-ups, instead of just pushing the front body, the whole of your body needs to be active.
It starts with the traditional push-up and when it is time to come upwards; the body has to push hard like a jump.
This push-up puts more stress and weight on the back. It could be difficult in the beginning, therefore, try to start with a few Push-ups, take your time with each one, and stay steady.
Different levels of Push-Ups
Different push-ups consist of different difficulty levels. You can start from the easy/basic level and build your stamina to up the game every once in a while. For this, you can try distinct movements to tweak the levels.
Practice Modification:
Modification in the workout routine is necessary. Starting with the basic traditional push-up is great, but when the body adapts it, then they should try other types as well.
There are multiple types of push-ups and they also have different levels of difficulties. Wall push-ups, incline push-ups, or knee push-ups are great for the beginning then slowly try to up the game and try new different styles like one hand push-up, clap push-up, and more.
Immediately trying new styles could be difficult, so start with the easier ones and gradually take it up.
Challenge Yourself:
Increasing the difficulty level always gives a challenge. It’s good that if we make a challenge out of it, we can exercise at the full potency.
Try to increase the reps after every other workout session. Or put a timer for a minute and see how many push-ups you can do. We can also increase the speed of the push-ups after every set to get significant results.
When you get perfect in traditional push-ups, then try to add some weights or vary the grips of your hands to create a level of difficulty. Make the push-up game more interesting by challenging yourself.
How Do Push-Ups Help?
Push-ups are strength-building exercises. They help in building the upper body and strengthening the core. Push-ups activate the muscles of arms, legs, core, and shoulders. They are the fastest and most effective exercise for strengthening muscles.
Push-ups can be done anywhere in a gym or house. It is an exercise that does not need a lot of space or equipment. It could be done on a bench, wall, floor, and more.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in Push-Ups
Push-ups are said to be the easiest and most effective exercise. But still, some people don’t know the right way to do it. There are some common and minor mistakes that most people make, and which can easily skip the notice. Sometimes these minor mistakes can turn into a big accident, like pain or injury.
- The most common mistake people make is hand positioning. If the position of hands is wrong, the effectiveness which it should give can not get to its full potential.
- Letting the elbows flare is the second mistake people make. With this, it could stress on shoulders and people could injure themselves.
- For beginners, sagging their lower back is a common mistake, as they are not experienced in push-ups. It could create plenty of stress on the back and could be excruciating.
- Pressing the hip towards the ceiling is again a mistake people do while doing push-ups. This is kind of a cheat code, to not feel the core engagement stress. If one does this, then the results are not obtained from this exercise.
- Holding the breath is not a good move while doing the exercise. The proper way is to Inhale when the body goes upwards, and exhale when the body goes downwards. This should be done as the body needs oxygen while performing.
Safety And Precautions
Push-ups put pressure on the wrist. Sometimes the pressure creates pain and could lead to injuries. To reduce that pressure, one can use dumbbells instead of placing the hand on the floor flat. If using dumbbells, then don’t push the body all the way down to the floor.
Push-ups require shoulder strength. If the person is suffering from a shoulder injury or pain, then he/she should not perform it. As it could create more stress and the pain may increase. If the person hears any clicking sound while performing the push-ups, he/she should immediately stop the exercise and contact a doctor.
While performing the push-ups, it is important to keep the spine, neck, and head in a straight line. It will prevent back or neck injuries and also keep the abdominal muscles engaged while performing the exercise.
Conclusion
Push-ups are said to be the easiest exercise. There are different types and levels we can perform. It all depends upon the needs of the person, as different types also have their benefits on a particular body part more.
Push-ups are a type of exercise that helps the whole body from hands to legs. Although performed on full-body, some form of push-ups have a feature where more effort is put on a particular part than the other parts of the body. Once you master the exercise, you can see the difference.
FAQs
How to do Push-Ups Every Day?
To make the push-ups a part of the daily workout routine is to start from a small rep set like 10 reps of 3 sets and gradually increase the number of push-ups. Slowly it will become a part of the routine.
Do Push-Ups Build Muscles?
To build the muscles, it needs rehabilitation, continuous overload, and adaptation. And push-ups are one of the easiest exercises which are increasing overload.
In push-ups, there are different types and levels we can perform, and also it increases the level of difficulty. Therefore, there are more chances of building muscles in a short period.
Do Push-ups need any External Equipment?
Push-ups do not need any equipment. They could be performed on the wall, bench, bed, floor, or more. One can use dumbbells or a resistance band to increase or decrease the levels.
How fast Push-ups Should be Done?
Push-ups should be performed slowly. The up and down motion of the body should take a couple of seconds. Don’t bounce fast because it is important to control body movement at a pace.
What is the Correct Method of Breathing while Performing Push-Ups?
Exhale when going downwards and inhale when going upwards. The right rhythm between push-ups and breathing is necessary. Otherwise, it will create difficulty while performing.