ALL ABOUT PUSH-UPS
Push-ups are my absolute favorite exercise. A push-up makes me feel strong and being a compound movement, while you do it, you work multiple muscles at the same time. Mastering push-ups also helped me improve on some abs exercises I've been struggling with (such as L-sit), as your core is working hard while you perform the exercise.
My Story
it has not always been like that. When I first got into weights training and my personal trainer asked me to do a set, I only managed to do 5 knee push-ups and I felt like I'm dying. In time, I've worked on this exercise and got better and better. Upper body exercises such as push-ups and pull-ups could be a challenge for most women, as naturally, our upper body is weaker and we need to work really hard to overcome the genetics.
But it's definitely possible! During the lockdown, at the beginning of 2020 when all the gyms were closed, I decided to challenge myself and become good at pushups. I introduced a one-hour pushups workout per week, doing different variations such as spider-man pushups, archer push-ups, typewriter push-ups, etc. I have to say it hasn't been easy at all, but it's the period when I developed so much strength on my upper body and also my arms and back have visibly changed their appearance.
Now I enjoy doing push-ups and I try to find all sorts of variations to challenge myself even further, such as clapping push-ups.
Never say 'I can't do this, better say 'I can't do this...yet. If your mind will think you can, your body will listen eventually. Keep pushing yourself 💪💪💪
Bonus: You can do push-ups anywhere and you do not need any equipment. And if you feel that regular push-ups are too easy you can always do push-ups variations. Superman push-ups are pretty cool, I have to admit.
Key benefits of doing push-ups on a regular basis:
You will strengthen muscles, but also your body’s supportive structures, such as your joints and bones.
You will improve your posture. As many people spend many hours sitting at their desks every day, their back is directly impacted. Doing push-ups will help you have a better posture.
Your heart will get some benefits as well, as doing push-ups will enhance your cardiovascular system.
It will build strong shoulders and will help you prevent having a rotator cuff injury which is fairly common after a certain age.
PUSH-UPS PROGRESSIONS
If you're a beginner you'll most likely tend to avoid doing push-ups. I encourage you to start with an easy variation and progress to the next one once you master the technique. When you can do 15 push-ups with the correct form and you feel like you could have done a few more, then move to the next progression.
Progressions based on your fitness level:
👉 Wall push-ups
👉 Box/bench/ chair push-ups
👉 Knee push-ups on the floor
👉 Wide grip regular push-ups
👉 Variations: diamond push-ups, spider-man push-ups, uneven push-ups, etc.
👉Decline push-ups
👉Hand stand push-ups
How to make push-ups more fun – three ways
Start a 100-day push-up challenge. I did that to improve the number of push-ups I was doing in a set and I promise it works. You’ll see how you will improve from one day to another. I also put a paper on my bedside and wrote ‘100 push-ups’ for motivation.
create a friends’ push-ups group and do push-ups with your friends. You can start with knee push-ups and slowly progress to regular push-ups. You can either meet to do push-ups or make a video call and do them together at the same time.
If you’re more advanced try to do one hour of push-ups per week and choose different variations to work multiple muscle groups. You’ll feel super strong at the end of the workout!