The push-up is listed as one of the top ten greatest exercises of all times. It has been used successfully by military institutions worldwide, to shape and trim recruits. It (the push-up) also acts as a great disciplinary tool. As a karate Instructor, I have used the line-"Drop and give me 60!" to many a karate student who would dare venture into the dojo five minutes after the class has started.
Regular performance of the push-up can give you a very trim, lean physique that is appealing to both men and women; instead of that bloated, "ole time strongman look," that makes you appear as if you were caught in a 1950's muscle beach time warp. It is cause for concern, if you are a healthy male and you can't do even one push-up; since quite a number of healthy females I know, are quite capable of performing ten, without breaking a sweat.
Benefits of the Push-up
• You don't need expensive equipment.
• You don't require much space. Just roll off your bed, onto the floor, and you are ready to go.
• Because of the many muscle groups recruited during performance of the push-up, it builds lean, hard muscle that is going to help increase your metabolism.
• You can also use it as a warm-up exercise, before specialised training such as-karate, boxing etc.
Body Parts Worked
The push-up effectively works your:-
• Chest.
• Hands and forearms.
• Upper back and lower back.
• Abs.
• Glutes.
• Quads and hamstrings.
• Calves and feet.
• Heart.
Executing the Push-up
The push-up, though a popular exercise, is performed incorrectly by so many would-be fitness enthusiasts. Follow these instructions to perform the standard push-up correctly:
• Lie face down on the floor with your hands, palm down at a position just outside your shoulders.
• Keep your body in proper alignment; this means that your head, neck, spine and legs are in a straight line. Avoid sticking your butt up in the air. Push your body up until your arms are in almost full extension; however, avoid locking your elbows out, because you will then transfer the stress off your upper body muscles and on to your skeletal structure, thereby negating some benefits of the exercise.
• Lower yourself back down, with control, until your chest is an inch off of the floor.
• Perform at least 15 reps, until you are strong enough to do five sets of 40 reps.
Push-up Variations
Apart from the standard push-up, which I described above, you can perform many variations such as:
• Elevated- feet push-ups.
• Clapping push-ups.
• Two finger push-ups.
• One hand push-ups.
• Knuckle push-ups.
• Push-ups with extra weight on your upper back.
Military institutions world wide, are not going to include useless, ineffective movements in their fitness programmes, and the push-up is very much a part of any combat-oriented organization.
This means that besides giving you great shape, it (the push-up) builds functional strength.
Keep Training
-Brian Chin Leung is a certified personal trainer
