1. Get Serious About Your Upper Body
Push ups are a way to get a serious upper body workout anytime and any place. Anybody can learn how to do them and work his way up to a solid set of impressive push ups. You primarily work your chest and triceps when you do a push up. Push ups encourage blood flow to the chest and arms, which can help reduce post workout muscle soreness. Push ups also help you with core strength and balance.
2. Warm Up and Stretch Out
Always warm up before you start your push ups. Do some sort of cardio activity for about 5 minutes to get your muscles warmed up and ready for a tough workout. When you're finished with your push ups, give your body a good stretch. Focus on stretching out your chest, shoulders and the back of your arms. Stretching helps elongate muscles, helps reduce soreness after a workout and enhances your overall performance by adding flexibility to your range of motion.
3. Practice Proper Push Up Form
For the best fitness results from your push up workout, focus on perfecting your form. Keep your spine in line the best you can by squeezing your abs in tight and not allowing your butt to sag. Your head shouldn't drop down, but look forward to the ground just in front of you. Keep your back straight throughout the entire motion. Imagine a board lying across your back you have to keep steady. As you lift your body up back to the starting position, keep a slight bend in your elbows. Don't let them lock up.
4. Follow Basic Push Up Instruction
Place your hands on the floor right underneath your shoulders. Straighten your legs out, with the weight of your lower body on your toes. You can spread your feet out wider for support and balance if you need it. Lower yourself slowly toward the ground, keeping your head in line with your spine and your stomach pulled in tight. Push back up to your starting position.
5. Switch Things Up
Vary your push up workout by changing your body's position. To work your triceps harder, bring your hands in closer together and your elbows squeezed into your sides. To work one side of your chest harder, place one hand on a bench or step that's about 6 inches off of the ground while you do your push ups. Remember to switch sides so you work both sides evenly. You can use a fitness ball to improve your balance and core strength. Put your feet up on the ball and hold yourself steady as you do your push ups.
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