P-P-P-Push It!
Many have asked what are the benefits of a push up? We'll start with some basics and break it down for you.Push ups are one of the basic and most common exercises for the human body. Push ups are not only great for your chest, but do a tremendous job of defining your abs, triceps, shoulders and torso. Push ups can be performed no matter where you are, and best of all, they are completely free - no expensive equipment or annual gym fees required!
Build Strength
Pushups are one of the oldest and most basic exercises and they are very effective. They work out all the muscles in the upper body and build optimal strength in the forearms, wrists, upper arms, shoulders and chest.
Increase Metabolism
Pushups push the body toward physical exertion. In addition to building strength, they force the heart to work harder and the blood to pump faster. This increases metabolism and helps you burn more calories. The benefit of the pushup is still felt hours after the exercise is done
Confidence
Doing pushups on a regular basis will make you stronger and improve your overall conditioning. However, it will also increase your confidence. You will find that doing pushups in sets of 25, 50 and 100 will build massive arm and upper body strength. Do it regularly and you will build as much strength as the guys who spend hours in the gym. This will give you tremendous pride in your accomplishment and the confidence that comes with achievement. It is such a good exercise that the U.S. Army still uses the pushup as one of its primary activities to get soldiers in shape.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150250691502677&set=o.4151708023&type=3Building Core Strength
In addition to building upper body strength and gaining more power in the arms, shoulders and hands, pushups done with the proper form will help build the core muscles in the middle of your body. To do pushups properly, your elbows must be fully extended at the start and end of a pushup, your toes should be on the floor and your legs, hips and back should be straight.
Benefits of Push Ups for Women
- Pushups help you exercise the chest, abdominals and lower back while building strength in the quadriceps, eliminating your need to perform a wide variety of other exercises.
- Women often prefer performing pushups to performing other weight lifting, stretching or cardiovascular exercises that would help them get the same results.
- Women often lack upper body strength. Pushups can help women develop the necessary strength in these areas.
- Doing pushups helps women tone their butt, lower body, trunk and shoulders all in one workout. Women can work on a large variety of muscle groups at once, helping them get more out of workout.
- Pushups allow women to stretch back and biceps while toning the triceps, chest and deltoids.
Benefits of Push Ups for Men
- Pushups can be performed at home without the need for expensive exercise equipment, which can save you money on a gym membership and other startup costs.
- Performing pushups stimulates the metabolism and blood circulation, allowing you to burn more calories throughout the rest of your workout.
- Studies have shown that performing pushups can help increase testosterone levels, reducing risk of developing osteoporosis.
- Pushups provide better results than many similar exercises. Many who include pushups in their workout routine find that they are able to reach their fitness goals more easily than those following workouts that rely on other methods.
- Pushups allow you to provide a full body workout, allowing you to access many muscle groups at once. You can work the quads, hamstrings, calves, chest, shoulders and arms all at the same time with a few pushups. You will notice that performing push up reps regularly will help you get a more toned chest, shoulders, forearms, upper arms and wrists.
If you're looking to develop a great chest and shoulders, follow the above and drop down and give me 50! Your core strength will also go through the roof too! Wondering how I won that $1000 push up challenge? Well, for starters, I did the following workout with a song, along with my normal endurance training and fitness on my own and with the team (SDWW). Now that you've read the benefits of a push up, I'm about to introduce a fun and new challenge for all of you! YOU can do this!
Here's the push up challenge:
Every time you hear, "Bring Sally Up" you press up and when you hear, "Bring Sally Down" you press down and hold in plank till you hear, "Bring Sally Up", and so on 'n so on, until the end of the song! No worries, the workout is only just under 3.5 mins! How many times can you do this in a day/week? =)
The song is: Moby - Flower - [Bring Sally Up] (Gone in 60 seconds soundtrack)
Rules:
No stopping to get up or rest, hold your plank, and no touching the ground with your body at all. Always maintain a good straight position.
Good luck!
Es
