Pushups are a traditional upper body exercise used by fitness enthusiasts and elite athletes alike. Targeting your chest, shoulders and triceps muscles, as well as requiring leg and core strength, pushups are an effective and efficient exercise for many of your body's muscles. Because pushups are a bodyweight exercise, it can be difficult to learn how to do the full version if you aren't strong enough to lift your own weight. Some variations of the exercise will gradually build your fitness and strength until you can perform a full pushup.
Wall Pushups
Stand at about arms' length from a sturdy wall. Place your hands against the wall with your palms flat and fingers pointing up. Your arms should be parallel with the floor. Keep your body straight and your feet hip-width apart. Bend your arms and lower your chest towards the wall, extend your arms to push away from the wall, return to the starting position and repeat. When you feel ready, move your feet further away from the wall to increase the load on your arms.
Box Pushups
Place your hands on the floor and kneel down. Your hands should be directly below your shoulders and your knees directly below your hips, so that your back is flat and your body makes a box shape. From this position, bend your arms and lower your chest towards the floor while keeping your butt in the air. Extend your arms to push yourself back up into the starting position and repeat.
Three-quarter Pushups
Adopt the regular stance for pushups: hands on the floor, shoulder-width apart, body straight, abs tight, feet close together. Bend your legs and place your knees on the floor--this is the three-quarter pushup position. Bend your elbows and lower your chest to the floor. Push back up into the starting position by extending your arms. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Negative/Positive Pushups
You are stronger when you are lowering a weight and weaker when you are lifting it. This exercise makes the most of that phenomenon. Adopt a standard pushup position with your arms and legs extended and your hands beneath your shoulders. Bend your arms and lower your body to the ground. Immediately bend your knees and place them on the floor. Push up and back into the starting position. Extend your knees and lower yourself back down to the floor. Continue performing full pushups going down and three-quarter pushups coming back up.
Inclined Pushups
The final preparatory exercise before full pushups is inclined pushups. Place your hands on a sturdy exercise bench or something similar; ideally around knee height. Walk your feet back so that your arms, body and legs are extended. Keep your core tight. Lower your chest to the bench and then push back up into the starting position. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
References
- "ACSM's Resources for the Personal Trainer"; American College of Sports Medicine; 2009
- "You Are Your Own Gym: The Bible of Bodyweight Exercises for Men and Women"; Mark Lauren; 2010
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