How to do push-ups correctly - exercise technique and different options for beginners

Push-ups are an integral part of CrossFit training. They can be used both in warm-up and in the main complex. How to place your hands during push-ups to diversify this exercise?

The standard position of the hands during push-ups mainly forces the deltoids and pectoral muscles, abs, biceps and triceps to work. Your palms should be approximately shoulder-width apart, so that when you straighten your arms, they are perpendicular to the floor.

What are the benefits of exercise

Push-ups are one of the basic multi-joint exercises, the classic execution of which does not require any sports equipment, only your own body weight.

Therefore, you can do push-ups anywhere, as long as there is a flat surface. They gained the greatest popularity among military personnel, athletes and prisoners.

It is much easier for men to perform it than for women, since they have more developed muscle strength, but if desired, this exercise can also be done by women. So, let's take a closer look at the positive aspects, that is, the benefits of push-ups.

Among them:

increase in physical strength and endurance;
improvement of the figure and acquisition of body relief;
burning calories and, as a result, losing weight;
strengthening the health of the whole body;
working out the muscles: triceps (back of the arm), chest, shoulders.

The muscles of the abdomen, back, buttocks and legs are indirectly involved. It turns out that almost the whole body works in this exercise and, if performed correctly, leads to harmony. Push-ups prevent sagging breasts, problem areas in women’s arms, and the development of osteochondrosis.

But in order to lose weight, you can’t do push-ups alone, it’s better to combine them with squats and abdominal crunches. And, of course, don’t forget about cardio exercises.

Mistake 4: Not Full Range of Motion

This is where your ego comes into play. You want to build up your push-up count, but you won't get any benefit from the exercise if you can't work through the full range.

Quality is always important, not quantity. You are limiting yourself and your strength if you don't go all the way up and down.

The Fix: Take your time, let go of your ego, don't chase numbers and focus on proper technique.

Correct technique for performing push-ups

Here I will present the classic technique of push-ups, which is taken as the basis by all practitioners of this exercise. And only then, you can modify it for yourself - simplify or complicate it. Experts recommend that girls learn to perform this particular option and this is quite enough.

Take the starting position - plank with outstretched arms. That is, the palms are under the shoulders, the fingers are spread as wide as possible, the legs are together and straightened back, the feet are on the toes, the neck and head are an extension of the spine. The whole body is tense like a string.
Bend your arms and lower yourself down, with your elbows pointing slightly to the sides; this position will evenly load the muscles of your arms, chest and shoulders. At the same time, do not touch the floor with your chest, leave a gap of 2-5 cm, this will remove excessive deflection of the spine.
The most difficult stage. Push yourself up using the muscles of your arms and chest, while you can leave your elbows slightly bent, this will reduce the load on your joints. Fix your pelvis in a neutral position; it should not go down or go up, this would be a mistake.

That's all. Now it all depends on your physical fitness, because once is not enough. You need to do at least 5 repetitions without stopping, and over time increase the number of times and approaches.

How to do push-ups correctly: preparation

As with any exercise, proper technique is important in push-ups. Doing push-ups correctly is the key to ensuring that you properly load all your muscles and won’t pull or hurt yourself. Proper technique is also important in order to accurately evaluate your progress. And if yesterday you performed 30 “correct” push-ups, and today – all 60, but at the same time lowering yourself halfway and sticking your soft spot into the air, this does not mean that you have become stronger. Most likely, you just relaxed.

Therefore, let’s agree on this and consider it this way in the future: you perform all push-ups with the correct technique, and if it doesn’t work out, it means the load is too great, and it makes sense to perform push-ups on a higher support and/or fewer times.

The main points and photographs for this article are taken from the Nerdfitness blog of the famous US fitness enthusiast Steve Camb. Thanks Steve!

Variations of push-ups for different muscle groups

You may want to work your arms to make them more toned, or your goal is the pectoral muscles to visually make your chest higher; for this, there are different variations of push-ups, the differences of which are only in the position of the hands.

For arm muscles.

In such push-ups, the triceps, whose function is to extend the arm at the elbow joint, should be used to the maximum. You need to perform push-ups according to the above scheme, with the only difference being that your hands need to be placed slightly narrower than shoulder width, and when lowering your body, your elbows should be directed back, not to the sides.

When lifting your elbows up, try to straighten your elbows completely, otherwise the pectoral muscles will be involved in the work. The most difficult version of the triceps push-up is to place your hands with your palms facing each other, or at least with your thumbs touching.

For chest muscles.

Those who want to work their pectoral muscles should, on the contrary, place their arms wider than their shoulders, almost perpendicular to the body and point their elbows to the sides.

You will immediately feel all the tension concentrated in your chest. Only now, when lifting, you don’t need to fully extend your elbows, otherwise your triceps will be involved.

You can make this push-up more difficult by placing your feet above your head, for example on a chair or bench, here the pectoral muscles will simply begin to burn.

There are also many more modifications of push-ups, the most popular of which are:

on fists - allow you to strengthen the muscles of the hand;
circular - the body describes a circle, the body weight is transferred from one hand to the other;
with a jump - a sharp rise with a jump, perhaps with a clap of the palm.

These exercise options are quite difficult for girls, so it is better to leave them to the guys. Yes, and pumped-up arms in women do not always look beautiful. But here, of course, it’s a matter of taste.

Working with Push-ups

Take intervals

Too many people focus on doing X number of push-ups. It doesn't matter if you do 500 a day or 1000 a day, it's easy when you're not pressed for time. Instead, you should give yourself time intervals, such as 1 or 2 minutes, where you do the maximum number of push-ups you can do in that time. Intervals are MUCH harder than you are.

Doing push-ups (as well as other exercises) over timed intervals will quickly develop better levels of conditioning in your body, and will place your focus on a more functional athletic goal (tempo of effort) rather than a generalized one (total effort).

Do intervals for a better workout . It's too easy to do push-ups when you're not under time pressure .

Interval 60/45/30/15/10 (Military training)

My favorite pushup workout, and the one I did regularly in the military, is what I call the 60/45/30/15/10 interval:

Do as many push-ups as possible in 60 seconds.
Rest for 60 seconds.
Do as many push-ups as possible in 45 seconds.
Rest for 60 seconds.
Do as many push-ups as possible in 30 seconds.
Rest for 60 seconds.
Do as many push-ups as possible in 15 seconds.
Rest for 60 seconds.
Do as many push-ups as possible in 10 seconds.

It goes without saying that you must use proper form and technique. A push-up with poor form does not count as a push-up, and more importantly, does not count as a useful exercise!

Interval 60/30/15 (for beginners)

I'm sure many of you won't be able to do the previous interval, so I'm giving you another one that I recommend for beginners.

Do as many push-ups as possible in 60 seconds.
Rest for 60 seconds.
Do as many push-ups as possible in 30 seconds.
Rest for 60 seconds.
Do as many push-ups as possible in 15 seconds.

This will be quite difficult, since each approach will bring you to the point of failure.

15-WORK/15-REST interval (Tabata interval)

This is a Tabata style push-up. Very effective and heavier than you think.

Do as many push-ups as possible in 15 seconds.
Rest for 15 seconds.
Do as many push-ups as possible in 15 seconds.
Rest for 15 seconds.
Repeat this interval up to 10 times if you can.

How else can you do this, you can try doing 10 push-ups every 15 seconds. Each time the interval starts, you do 10 push-ups as quickly as possible. The faster you do them, the sooner you can rest. Do this for 10 sets if you dare.

A few words about breathing

In order not to provoke the appearance of serious diseases, such as high blood pressure or damage to the blood vessels of the brain, you need to breathe correctly while performing this exercise.

Proceed as follows:

Go down and inhale, while slightly inflating your stomach;
As you rise up, exhale slowly.

It turns out that when you exert effort, you inhale, and when you relax, you exhale. Holding your breath while doing push-ups is harmful to your health.

How to do push-ups correctly: safety precautions

Push-ups, like most other bodyweight exercises, are relatively safe. This means that if more or less correct technique is followed and the practitioner has common sense and an instinct for self-preservation in his head, push-ups will not lead to any injuries. A curved spine (when you lift your head or butt) can lead to compression of the nerves by the vertebrae or other minor neurological problems, and if you position your hands in an awkward manner, you can strain your joints or even fall to the floor at the most crucial moment. Therefore, as always, approach the exercises responsibly, and sooner or later push-ups will become your favorite exercise.

I would like to mention two questions that often concern beginners.

Question: Why does my lower back hurt, although the main load falls on my arms?
Answer: most likely this is caused by weak lower back and abdominal muscles, which do not support the spine well. Over time, the lower back will get used to it, but it makes sense to pay more attention to these lagging muscles during training.
Question: Why do my head and neck hurt?
Answer: Most likely, this is caused by some problems in the cervical spine (for example, muscle spasm) or weak blood vessels. Consult your doctor and he can help you tailor your program to suit your case. Check whether you are holding your head correctly during the exercise.

How to master the exercise from scratch

Even after doing various types of fitness, your arms may still be weak. Push-ups can be one of the best exercises for strengthening your arm muscles. Personally, my first push-up was not the most successful, because I tried to do the classic version right away.

As a result, the cheerful start ended with me simply collapsing on the floor and being unable to get up again. In fact, this is not where we should have started at all. I suggest you do everything consistently, without extreme stress and injury.

Therefore, experts advise beginner girls who have very weak chest and arm muscles to try simplified push-ups. Only before this there is a mandatory warm-up, this can be lifting and lowering, spreading your arms in different directions, circular movements, bending the body. And at the end - light stretching.

How to do push-ups correctly: several points

As you lower yourself to the floor, your hands should be slightly more than shoulder-width apart. Regardless of your strength and fitness, you should be comfortable during the exercise. Even before you start training, in your free time, experiment with a lying position - which hand position is most comfortable for you? It is worth noting that placing your hands shoulder-width apart is typical for classic push-ups, which load the chest to a greater extent and the triceps to a lesser extent. If you position your hands narrower, the load is redistributed and you get more complex triceps push-ups. If you place it wide, you get push-ups with maximum emphasis on the pectoral muscles, and the exercise practically goes from basic to isolated (on one or two muscles). These two variations are much more difficult to perform, and I recommend trying them only after you have mastered regular push-ups.
Your feet should be as comfortable as possible. Some find it comfortable when their legs, like their arms, are shoulder-width apart, while others find it comfortable when they are brought together and touching. The position of the legs in this exercise is not particularly important, so do it so that you are comfortable. Let me just say that the wider your legs are, the more difficult the exercise will be, but at the same time you will be in better balance.
Your body should be in one straight line, from your head to your feet. This means that you should not lower or raise your head too much, or stick out your loin. Remember, the more straight you push up, the better the load will be perceived, and the safer the exercise will be.
If for some reason it is difficult for you to take the correct position, then try the following. Stand upright, lying down in a position that is comfortable for you, and then tighten your buttocks and abs, pulling in your stomach. This will straighten your spine, pushing you into the desired position.
During push-ups, your head should look forward, not down. The guy in the pictures is only looking down because he hasn't started doing push-ups. As soon as he starts, he will raise his head and look straight ahead, and his body will stretch out in a straight line (as in the fourth picture).
In the starting position, the arms are straightened and support the weight of the entire body. Now you are ready for push-ups.

How many repetitions and approaches

The record for the number of push-ups was set by Mr. C. Servizio in 1993, who was able to complete 46,001 repetitions in 21 hours and 6 minutes.

Another record belongs to M. Yoshida, who was able to do 10,507 times without stopping. Just think about these numbers. But don’t be alarmed, because you and I are not going for a record.

Therefore, girls can start with 1 set of 10 push-ups at a moderate pace. Then you can increase the load and go to 2 approaches, and then to 3. You need to rest between approaches, but no more than 1 minute, especially for those who want to lose extra pounds.

By the way, studies have shown that 10 exercises of 3 sets burn about 60-100 calories, these are excellent indicators, comparable in effectiveness to running and jumping rope.

You shouldn’t try to do push-ups every day; muscles need time to recover, so 3 times a week will be enough. After about 2 months of regular training, you will see the first positive results.

Record holders for push-ups

The championship in continuous push-ups belongs to the Japanese Minoru Yoshida. In the fall of 1980, he performed 10,500 push-ups in a row and became the world record holder for this indicator.
There is another category in the Guinness Book of Records: “Most push-ups in a day,” here the record was set by Charles Servizio. In one day, or rather in 21 hours, he completed 46,000 exercises.
And the youngest push-up conqueror is Ronak Atul Vitha. He was born in India in 2005, and at the age of 3 he began to be interested in physical activity. He currently does more than 1,400 push-ups in 40 minutes.
In the world-famous book of records, there is no nomination for push-ups supported by one arm, although it is problematic to perform this even for a trained athlete. So, the Swiss Ivan De Veban performed 120 repetitions in 1 minute in 2001, but was later surpassed by a schoolboy from Georgia - Georgiy Basilashvili, who did 157 push-ups on one arm in 1 minute.

Push-ups are a universal exercise; they help improve physical fitness regardless of a person’s fitness level. Spend a few minutes a day doing simple exercises, and within a couple of months you will see significant results, and at the same time improve your health.