Many fitness professionals laud the benefits of pushups. In order to reap the full benefits, you have to do them consistently and concentrate on proper form.
Muscles Worked
The muscles worked in a pushup depend on what kind you do. The standard pushup -- in which your arms are far enough to the sides that when you lower your body, your elbows are right over your wrists -- primarily works your pectoralis major, or chest muscles. If you start your pushup with your hands directly beneath your shoulders and come down with your elbows pointing back and your upper arms against your sides, you'll feel it in the triceps. Extra-wide pushups work your pectorals even more than the standard kind. Whichever you do, other muscles join in to stabilize you, especially the abdominals, obliques, biceps and quadriceps, says Howtobefit.com.
Standard Pushup Form
Keep your body straight as you lower, with your abdominals pulled in and your rear end in line with your back. Check your form in a mirror every once in a while, or get a friend to. Lower yourself pretty far, but not all the way to the floor. When you push back up, come all the way to straight arms, but don't lock them. Don't let yourself get carried away by momentum, which lessens your resistance and your results. Slower, controlled pushups build more strength.
Pushups and Aging
Upper body strength has many practical applications, including being able to get up if you fall. James Ashton-Miller, director of the University of Michigan's biomechanics research laboratory, emphasized the importance of pushups to the New York Times. "What so many people really need to do is develop enough strength so they can break a fall safely without hitting their head on the ground," Dr. Ashton-Miller said. The aging process weakens muscles and kills nerves, leaving people as much as 30 percent weaker by the time they hit 70. But you can enlarge muscle fibers and slow your physical decline through regular exercise.
Modifications
With some modifications, almost anyone can do a pushup. For an easier version, put your knees down and don't lower your chest as far. Or do wall pushups by standing two feet from the wall and keeping the same good form you would strive for on the floor. If your wrists hurt, you can do pushups on your fists, or use pushup bars. Alternatively, if pushups are too easy for you, there are lots of ways to make them harder. Try doing pushups with your feet elevated on a chair or bench and your hands on the ground. Or do clappers, where you push yourself up hard enough to clap before your next trip down.
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