If you are looking for one resistance workout that you can do at home to build up your skeletal muscle strength without bothering about getting any exercise equipment, then look no farther than push-ups.
But your push-up workout routine doesn’t need to be boring and a chore with traditional push-ups, you can actually vary your push-ups with modified versions while still achieving bodybuilding goals and enjoying the health benefits that push-ups provide.
In this post, we will reveal five workout push-ups that you can try at home today. But first, we begin by highlighting seven benefits of home push-ups as well as tips for performing a perfect push-up workout with proper form for optimal gains.
Benefits of Home Push-ups
There are a host of reasons why you should include push-ups to your home workout routine. But here are seven key benefits that should convince you to start spending some time doing push-ups at home.
#1. Push-ups don’t require Equipment
Push-ups can be done anywhere and at anytime without the beed of any gym equipment.
You can drop to the floor and do push-ups in your living room or anywhere that you have sufficent space to perform the execise.
#2. Push-ups Help to Build Multiple Muscle Groups
This is arguably the biggest reason why you should engage in push-ups. Your workout push-ups will help to build the muscles of your arms, shoulders, chest, back, stomach, and hips.
In other words, push-ups will strengthen your biceps, triceps, deltoids, pectorals, latissimus dorsi and erector spinae, abdominals, and gluteals muscle groups respectively.
#3. Push-ups Strengthens the Upper Body
You can strengthen as well as tone the muscles of your upper body with push-ups. As mentioned already, your workout push-ups can strengthen the triceps, deltoids, and pectorals muscle groups of your arms, shoulders and chest respectively.
You need these muscle groups to be strong in order to perfrom a variety of daily tasks that most people take for granted, such as; lifting and pushing gym equipment like dumbbells and barbells.
By including a push-up routine to your workout regimen, you will not only be strengthening your upper body, but also giving yourself a chance to improve your overall athletic performance.
#4. Workout Push-ups will Improve your Core
Whenever you engage in a perfect push-up workout with proper form where your trunk is kept stable, you stabilize and strengthen your core.
Having a strong core will help you in executing other workout routines including strength training workouts with heavy weights.
#5. Push-ups will Enhance Your Overall Body Posture
Push-ups will help to strengthen the muscles of your stomach (abs), shoulders (deltoids), back (latissimus dorsi and erector spinae), and arms (biceps and triceps) to help enhance your overall body posture as push-ups stabilizes and strengthens your core.
It is important to strengthen your body posture if you want to improve your breathing and avoid breathing difficulties, headaches, muscle fatigue, low energy and even back pain.
A poor posture can be detrimental to your weight training regimen and health, as you are at a greater risk of incurring injuries.
#6. Push-ups Help to Build Strong Bones
You can build up the strength of your bones and reduce your risk of osteoporosis and incurring fractures in the process with workout push-ups as push-ups are resistance and weight bearing exercises that help to strengthen your bones.
#7. Improve your Heart Health with Push-ups
You can improve your heart health with a regular workout routine that includes push-ups.
It is worth noting that heart disease is rated as the leading cause of fatality in the U.S, but you can avoid being a statistic with a good weight training and cardio regimen that includes your choice of push-up variants.
Push-up Variants to Try at Home Today
Did you know that there are different variants of push-ups? Many people may be familiar with traditional push-ups, but there are different variants of this resistance and weight bearing exercise that will help to stabilize and strengthen your core while building up the muscle groups of your arms, back, chest, shoulders, stomach, and hips.
Here are five push-up workout variants that you can try at home today.
#1. Resistance Band Push-Ups
With resistance band push-ups, you will strengthen your core while targeting the muscle groups of your arms, back, and chest.
To execute a resistance band push-up exercise, all you will need is a resistance band, exercise mat, and ample space. Follow the step below for proper form and execution:
Step #1: Wrap the resistance band around your back and just under your armpits. To tighten the band, loop it around your hands even as you hold the handles.
Step #2: Place the handles on the floor as you kneel to the ground. Next, extend your legs to form a plank position.
Step #3: Maintain a plank position as you gradually lower your chest to the floor. While still in a plank position, push back up from the floor with your arms until they are well extended from the floor.
Step #4: Repeat this exercise as many times as you can.
#2. 30-Second Push-Up
The 30-second push-up is a more traditional type of push-up with the only difference being in application.
A 30-second push-up is executed with a steady, but fast paced tempo within half a minute or 30 seconds.
#3. Incline/Decline Push-Ups
Another push-up variant that you can perfrom at home is the incline push-up. To perform this push-up workout, you will need to follow these steps;
Step #1: While standing in front of a bench or box, bend or squat down then place your hands shoulder-wide apart on the bench or box with your fingers facing forward.
Step #2: Assume a plank position with your core stable and your head aligned with your back and spine. Make sure your lower back is straight and not bent before you start the push-ups.
Look straight forward instead of looking down at the bench or box. Looking forward can also help to straighten your body.
Step #3: Gradually lower your chest to the bench or box and to do this you will need to bend your arms. In order to bring yourself back up, you will need to straighten up your arms.
Step #4: You can execute 3 sets of 10 reps of this push-up for starters. In time you can increase your reps as you become more comfortable with performing this push-up workout.
With decline push-ups, you will position your upper body to be lower than the other parts of your body. Make use of the bench or box that you used for your incline push-ups, but this time you will position the bench or box under your toes even as you maintain a plank position. The decline push-up targets your arms, chest, shoulders, and core.
#4. Archer Push-Ups
The Archer push-up exercise is for advanced bodybuilders and targets your triceps, anterior deltoids, and pectorals muscle groups. You can perform this workout at home or in a gym using a medicine ball. You can do the Archer push-ups in four steps.
Step #1: Take up a plank position by maintaining a strong core with your body straightened right from your head down to your feet.
Keep one of your hands on the medicine ball and about 1.5 to 2 times shoulder-width from your other hand with your fingers pointed to the side while your hands and elbows are bent slightly when you execute the push-up. Also, ensure that your glutes are tightened while you keep your core strong and stable.
Step #2: Next, avoing winging your shoulder blades by pressing away from the ground.
Step #3: You then need to lower your chest to the floor even as you glide your body towards your bent arm and through an optimal range of motion.
Do this until your chest is about just a few inches from the floor or your shoulders reach your elbow depth.
Step #4: You should then reverse the exercise before returning to the stwrting position and repeating the push-ups again.
Make sure you maintain a stable posture and make sure that your shoulders do not get rounded or elevated.
Ensure that your head is straight and your back is not arched or rounded while your hips are stable and not piked or saggy.
#5. Planche Push-Ups
The Planche push-ups is also a workout for advanced bodybuilders. With this exercise you target the muscles of your arms and core as you lift up your feet from the floor.
If you are performing this resistance and weight bearing exercise for the first time, then you should try out between 2 to 5 sets consisting of 3 to 8 reps per set.
When executing the planche push-up, you need to keep proper form at all times, so the number of sets and reps you decide to do should be based on your ability to maintain proper form.
Follow the steps below to perform this advanced level push-up variant.
Step #1: Get on all-fours with your knees as well as toes in direct contact with the ground. Ensure that your hands are slightly at a wider angle to your shoulders while your hands arebaway feom your body and turned outwards.
Step #2: In order to engage you lats, your hands need to grip the floor while your shoulders are turned outwards.
Step #3: Maintain a plank position by straightening your legs and lifting your knees from the floor.
Step #4: Engage you core while pressing your legs together and tightening your hips and shoulders.
Step #5: Try to push your body forward with your toes while squeezing your glutes and quads in the process as you assume a push-up posture. Also, squeeze both your shoulders and chest as you move your upper body forward.
Step #6: Maintain full-body tension as you engage your core and lift up your feet from the floor. Tuck in your chin all through the motion while your arms are straight and your shoulders are in front of your hands.
Also, keep your body straightened right from your head to your feet and note that this should be the posture you should maintain for the start of every repetition.
Step #7: As you balance your body with your hands and your legs are off the floor, bend your elbows in order to bring your chest to your hands. As you lower yourself to the floor you retract your shoulder blades.
Step #8: Keep lowering yourself to the floor until your elbows are at a 45 degree angle to your body while your back and upper arms are at an even level.
Step #9: Push up by straigntening your elbows and sqeezing your chest. As you push up to the peak of the motion, your shoulder blades will protract.
Step #10: You then complete your motion whe you squeeze both your triceps and chest.
Step #11: You can then repeat this planche push-up workout for as many repetitions that you can manage.
Tips for a Perfect Push-up Workout
- Make sure that your core is engaged whenever you perform your push-up workout. You can avoid arching your back and sagging your hips if you do this.
- Make sure that you keep your head, neck, and shoulders are straingthened and properly aligned with your spine.
- Avoid holding your breath while executing a push-up. Make sure you maintain a steady breathing pattern whereby you inhale when you lower yourself during a push-up and exhale when you lift yourself up.
Conclusion
Push-ups are a great resistance and weight bearing workout to train the muscle groups of your arms, shoulders, chest, back, stomach, and hips.
You also get to strengthen and stabilize your core which will help you in avoiding injuries during your weight training program when you have to lift weights.
Finally, you should always be mindful of maintaining proper form all through your push-ups, this way you will optimize your workouts gains and avoid injuries in the process.
