ANSWERS: 1
  • People have been doing push-ups for many years to get in shape and to help keep their bodies toned. When performed properly, push-ups increase strength in the shoulders, biceps, triceps, chest and core.

    Benefits

    Fitness experts agree that the push-up is perhaps the best exercise to increase muscle in your triceps and chest--the major muscle groups involved in the act of pushing your own body weight up from the floor. Because you keep your body straight from head to toe during the proper execution of a push-up, this simple exercise engages every muscle to an extent.

    Execution

    To receive the greatest benefit from push-ups, you must do the exercise correctly or else risk injury--just as you can with any exercise done incorrectly. With your body straight, elbows locked and hands resting on the floor a little wider than the shoulders, lower your body until your chest almost touches the floor. Next, "push up" away from the floor.

    Technique

    With hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and elbows at a 45 degree angle to the body to put minimal stress on the body, push the abs out, squeeze the glutes and keep your chin tucked in to keep your neck in line with the rest of your spine.

    Variations

    Different forms of push-ups can help develop different muscles faster than simple push-ups alone. Push-ups with the hands narrower than shoulder-width work the triceps more, and holding the lower position for longer durations helps improve shoulder health and posture. Push-ups with your feet elevated on a chair or similar object work the shoulders.

    Push-up Errors

    Looking forward while performing a push-up places additional strain on the neck, and leading the push-up with your head can also cause neck injuries. A sagging torso during a push-up indicates a weak core that you can correct by keeping your body in a straight line from feet to neck.

    Source:

    Stronglifts: How to Perform Push-ups Correctly

    Top Fitness Trainer: The Benefits of Push-ups

    Medicinenet.com: Doing the Perfect Push-up

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