Pushups are a basic exercise used to help strengthen muscles in the chest. Pushups also help strengthen the deltoids, triceps and biceps. This exercise can be performed almost anywhere. All that is required is space. A gym membership and workout equipment can be quite expensive. Chest pushups are an effective and cost-effective exercise that can be done in the comfort of your own home.
Correct Form
Begin by lying on your stomach. Place your hands just outside of the lower part of each pectoral muscle. Press yourself off the ground with your hands. Keep your legs straight and toes on the ground. Slowly raise your body until your shoulders and elbow joints line up. Finish the exercise by returning to the starting position. Do not let your hips sag toward the floor. Aim for 15 repetitions to start with. If you cannot reach 15, place your knees on the ground to make the exercise easier.
Benefits
Lee Hayward, a bodybuilder, explains at his website that pushups can be used to increase the amount of weight you can bench press. He points out that pushups cause you to lift about 60 percent of your body weight and that pushups can be done explosively unlike many exercises with weights. This helps athletes who need to make fast movements in their sport to be successful. Pushups also improve cardiovascular health, increase metabolism and improve overall strength in the upper body, according to DietsinReview.com.
Workout
The U.S. Navy SEALs use a rigorous pushup workout. The workout is completed over a 10-day period and often features more than 100 pushups per day. The first day of the workout you perform 200 pushups in the minimum number of sets you can do. Stew Smith, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and former Navy SEAL, writes at Military.com that you are to continue working on cardio and other exercises if you are already involved in a workout routine. Every second day you are to perform 200 pushups dispersed through the entire day. It does not matter when you do them, as long as they are all completed. If you can do more than 75 pushups in a single set, perform 300 pushups per day.
Considerations
There are a few different pushup variations you can do to continue to add strength in the chest, arms and upper body. The incline pushup requires you to put your legs on a stability ball, chair or bench. This exercise works your upper chest effectively. The close-grip pushup is another variation that emphasizes triceps development but also works the pectorals and deltoids. This exercise is done by placing your hands right under your shoulders. The grip for this variation is narrower than that used in the standard pushup.
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