Push-ups are strength-building exercises that build your chest and arm muscles. To perform a push-up, kneel on the floor and place your palms flat on the ground, shoulders-width apart. Place your toes on the ground and straighten your legs, lifting your knees so you are in a tall push-up position. Keep your spine in a straight line as you lower your body toward the floor, bending your elbows out to the sides. When your body is almost touching the floor, straighten your arms and push yourself back up to the starting position.
Lose Weight
If you want to increase the number of push-ups you can do, losing excess weight can help. If you have large amounts of body fat, push-ups can be more difficult as you try to support your extra weight with your arms. Strive for healthy weight loss by combining cardiovascular exercise and a healthy eating plan to your strength-training regimen.
Start Small
When you first start doing push-ups, perform the move on an incline bench. Doing push-ups on an incline bench is a little bit easier than doing them on a flat surface. Push-ups performed on an incline bench place less weight on your arms, allowing you to build endurance as you practice. You will be able to do more push-ups on an incline bench than you can do on the floor.
Increase Resistance
Build the strength in your arms to make push-ups easier for you. If you elevate your feet by placing them on a step or exercise ball while you are doing push-ups, you increase the resistance by making your body work against gravity.
As your ability to do push-ups starts to improve, you can perform the move in unique ways to help build your arm muscles. When you do your push-ups, lower your body very slowly to improve your form and build the muscles in your arms. If it is difficult for you to do more than five push-ups in a row, start by holding your body in place for three to five seconds when you are halfway down to the ground and again when you are as low as you can go in your push-up position.
Practice
The more you practice performing push-ups, the easier the move will become. Aim for practicing your push-ups at least three to five times per week. Vary the types of push-ups you perform to make sure you are working all of your arm and chest muscles. Try doing push-ups with your hands placed close together or in a wide stance to work different muscle groups. Consider working with a personal trainer who can develop a routine to help you perform more push-ups and ensure you are practicing your exercises correctly to avoid injury.
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