Push-ups are an ideal chest and arm workout for beginners because you don't need any special equipment. You can do push-ups just as easily at home as in the gym, and a number of modifications can adapt the exercise's intensity to your needs.
While push-ups are not a complete strength-training workout in and of themselves, they are a good start toward meeting the American College of Sports Medicine's recommendation for doing eight to 12 reps of eight to 10 different strength training exercises, twice a week.
Muscles Worked
The primary movers in a standard push-up are your pectoralis major or pecs, your anterior deltoid, which is the front of your shoulder muscle, and the triceps, the pushing muscle in the back of your upper arm.
Your biceps, rectus abdominus, obliques and quadriceps all work during a push-up, too. They stabilize your body as you move through the push-up motion.
Technique
Basic push-up technique is to position yourself face-down on the floor. Keep your body straight from head to your feet; your weight should be supported on the balls of your feet and your hands. Your hands should be below, and slightly wider than, your shoulders. Bend your arms, lowering your chest down toward the floor until it is even with your elbows. Push back up to the starting position. This is one rep.
Types
While the standard push-up is an effective strength training exercise, you'll also encounter modifications like the one-arm push-up, wide or narrow push-ups, diamond push-ups, triceps push-ups or one-legged push-ups that shift the emphasis to different muscles or make the workout more challenging.
Considerations
Not everyone is strong enough to do standard push-ups right away. If you can't manage regular push-ups, do them from bent knees instead of balanced on the balls of your feet. Another option is to place your hands on an elevated surface, like the bed or the side of a sturdy table, and do the push-ups from there. Because your upper body is higher, you're only lifting a portion of your body weight and the exercise will be much easier. Slowly work your way down to lower surfaces as you get stronger, until finally you are doing regular push-ups on the floor.
Misconceptions
There is a common misconception that you must do dozens, if not hundreds, of push-ups in a set to get fit. According to the Mayo Clinic, a single set of 12 repetitions is enough to build strength for most exercisers. The trick is making sure that you're using the right weight or, in this case, using the appropriate modification so that doing those 12 repetitions is a real challenge. If you find that you can do more than 12 repetitions, it's time to switch to a more difficult version of the push-up so that you continue challenging your body to get stronger.
Warning
Rest time between workouts is just as important for muscular development as the workouts themselves. Make sure to let the muscles you've worked in your push-ups rest for at least a day before working them out again. In other words, if you did a set of push-ups on Tuesday, wait until at least Thursday before doing more push-ups.
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