Pushups are a standard exercise you can do with no equipment that engage and help tone most of the major muscle groups in the upper body. Even if you're just beginning a fitness program and aren't in the best shape, doing modified pushups on your knees or against a wall can help you build strength and prepare you for the real thing. Different positions and modifications to the basic pushup can also tone other muscle groups for a customized workout.
Arms
Nearly all of the muscles in your arms work when you lower yourself into a pushup and press back up into the starting position. The exercise is particularly effective at toning your upper arms, including your biceps and triceps. When you start a pushup in the plank position, your arms hold most of your upper body weight and help stabilize you as you lower to the floor. To put extra emphasis on your triceps, keep your elbows close to your body as you lower yourself down instead of letting them bend out to your sides.
Chest
Doing pushups is one of the best ways to work and tone the pectoral muscles in your chest. When you lower yourself to the floor and allow your elbows to flare out, your chest muscles engage to help keep your body rigid. As you push back up to the starting position, your chest muscles tighten and flex to give you the momentum you need to straighten your arms without bowing your spine.
Shoulders
As you lower down into a pushup from the starting position, your shoulder muscles clench to help stabilize your upper back and keep your body aligned. When you straighten your elbows and force yourself back up into the plank position, your shoulders engage along with your chest and arm muscles to press the weight of your upper body against the force of gravity. Some people find pushups too strenuous on their shoulders. Keeping your elbows against your sides as you lower yourself will help reduce shoulder strain.
Pushup Modifications
Modified pushups, such as performing them with one hand, staggered arms with one hand several inches in front of the other or turning to the side to open your upper body to the right or left, engage different muscles and put more emphasis on certain groups. For example, lowering to the floor and then turning your upper body to the side while picking one hand up from the floor engages your abdominal muscles, particularly your obliques, more than a standard pushup does. Lifting one leg straight up behind you as you lower yourself to the floor engages your glutes and hamstrings.
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