When you are at the gym, the first ideal exercise that you receive from the trainer is either do push-ups or squats to get into the groove of gymming.
When you are at the gym, the first ideal exercise that you receive from the trainer is either do push-ups or squats to get into the groove of gymming. When you do push-ups, the exercise literally involves lying on your stomach and raising the lower your body by straightening and bending your arms. As sprinter Asafa Powell puts it, “sometimes I’m at home and I remember I’m supposed to do 100 push-ups and I don’t.” Well, the champion on the track-field will be left to rue his idea of not putting up those reps as its one of the most important exercise required for your body.
We asked trainers, Rafiq Mansuri and Manoj Chatse of Talwalkars Gym about how push-ups are important for your body:
- Push-ups affect the shoulders, chest and triceps in your body the most.
- The above muscles are strengthened and plus, the muscle power inside your body
. - The core muscles are in isometric form i.e they this form of exercise is ideal for increasing resistance and endurance in your body.
- The upper-body part joints receive an ideal warm-up pre-workout. So when you are about to hit the weights, you need not worry about those painful joints or back aches.
- Also, push-ups aim at improving your back.
Following we take a look at the variations of push-ups:
T-Rotational Push Up
A traditional push up involves lifting one hand off the ground and extending it towards the ceiling. Rotate your body to face the side instead of the floor and then replace your hand on the ground, and perform another push up, then lift the opposite hand and rotate to the opposite side. Continue doing your push ups, alternating sides.
Decline Push Up
Hold your feet on an elevated surface such as a flat bench, ledge, chair, or steps. When doing decline push-ups, load more of your body weight onto your hands, making for a more difficult push up.
Diamond Push Up
Place your hands together in front of your chest, making a diamond shape with your fingers. Then, use this hand position as you perform your push ups to engage your triceps much more heavily than a traditional push up.
Front Clap Push Up
When in a push-up position, slowly lower yourself down to the ground, then push up with explosive force so that your front half is airborne and you can clap your hands in front of your chest before catching yourself and descending into the next push up.
One Arm Push Up
When doing a one arm push-up, place one arm behind your back and center your weight on your remaining arm & legs. You will find it helpful to spread your feet apart wider than a normal push up foot position. Most trainers consider this push-up quite difficult than a normal one, so make sure you are ready for this one!
