After sharing with you our ultimate guide to strengthening abs and its counterpart dedicated to the pectorals, let’s focus on a specific exercise: the push-ups. Simple in appearance, this exercise has the advantage of being able to be executed without equipment and can be performed in multiple variants.
In this article, we will specifically explain why push-ups are among the best exercises for toning the arms and the pecs. We will also give you some tips to vary the pleasure during your training.
If you do these exercises seriously, at a rate of three sessions per week, you should see good results after 5 to 6 weeks.
Is it beneficial to do push-ups every day?
Just like with crunches for abs, some (many) men are particularly proud to announce that they do 100 push-ups a day without shaking. Indeed, this seems to testify to a great endurance and a well-developed musculature. But do we really have to go that far? And first of all, what are the real benefits of doing push-ups?
Because yes, gentlemen, let’s be clear: push-ups are a real health exercise. Yet, this is a relatively unknown aspect of this weight training exercise, at least widely overlooked. We often think that we’re going to hurt our body through the violence of the imposed effort. In reality, we’re doing it a favor!
Keep in mind that it is the muscles that support the skeleton, not the other way around. This means that one of the objectives of bodybuilding is to relieve and prevent various traumas inflicted on your muscular architecture. The lumbar-abdominal belt fits perfectly into this framework. It covers a crucial area for the body: the entire base of the trunk. This has a great influence on your back skeleton.
A reinforced abdominal-lumbar belt is a guarantee of better support for the spine. Firstly, it relieves your intervertebral discs, responsible for many back pains. It also helps to prevent their long-term deterioration. It’s no wonder that weightlifting is often recommended to people suffering from back problems! And when you know that, according to the WHO, back pain is the most common ailment in the world…
Finally, know that push-ups allow you a very deep muscular work. This has a direct impact on the so-called “postural” muscles, those that shape your man’s figure, your posture, and therefore your presence. This is not insignificant in a world, especially professional, guided by the dictates of appearance.
5 variants to build muscle by doing push-ups
Push-ups are a more difficult exercise than they seem, so it’s best to do them right the first time. This will prevent you from developing bad habits, potentially traumatizing for your body, and achieving much faster results. Nothing is more discouraging than giving your all during intense exertion… in vain.
But before getting into the heart of the matter, we believe it’s important to give you some instructions:
- if you are a beginner in weightlifting, it is advised to start push-ups on your knees. The exercise will be less difficult.
- be careful not to arch your back! To avoid this, brace your abdominals as much as possible to maintain good posture.
- pay attention to your breathing : inhale during the descent and exhale when you return to the starting position.
1. The classic pumps
This basic version of push-ups allows you to work the middle muscle bundle, that is to say, the central part of the pectoral muscles.
Starting position:
For beginners: knees on the floor, feet raised, hand spacing is wider than shoulder width (if you are using a floor mat, place your hands at the two ends of the mat to get the correct position). Shoulders are set back. Round your back and tighten your abs as much as possible for good support.
For non-beginners: the exercise is done on the tips of the feet, with slightly bent legs and tense abs.
Exercise:
Lower your torso, inhaling, until your head almost touches the ground. Don’t forget to keep your abs contracted. Return to the starting position while exhaling. Do 4 to 5 sets of 10 repetitions or 20 when you feel more comfortable. Recover for 1 minute 30 between each set.
2. Wide arm push-ups
This variant allows to strengthen the outer chest muscles.
Starting position:
On the ground, on the tiptoes. The arms are well spread (with a floor mat, take the edges of the mat as a reference, the hands are placed a few centimeters from the edges). For safety, the arms are never stretched out.
Exercise:
Lower the torso while inhaling, keeping the abs always tight. At first, go down to a 90° elbow bend. Return to the starting position while exhaling. Do 4 to 5 sets of 10 repetitions. Recover for 1 minute 30 between each set.
3. Close-grip Push-ups
This variation of push-ups works the upper muscle bundle but also the triceps.
Starting position:
On the ground, on the tips of your toes. The arms are brought close to the body. The thumbs are spread apart and touch each other.
Exercise:
Go down while inhaling. Go up while exhaling. The abs are always contracted. Do 4 to 5 sets of 10 repetitions. Recover for 1 minute 30 between each set.
4. Inclined Pumps
Here, you must do the exercise with your feet elevated, placed on a very stable support. With this exercise, you will work the upper muscular bundle, that is to say the upper part of the pectorals.
Starting position:
Feet are placed on a chair. Hands are flat on the ground and fingers are spread apart for greater stability.
Exercise:
Lower yourself until your forehead is about to touch the ground, while inhaling. Rise while exhaling. The abs are always contracted. Do 4 to 5 sets of 10 repetitions. Rest for 1 minute 30 between each set.
5. Declined arm pumps
Unlike the previous variant, push-ups with declined (or elevated) arms allow working the abdominal-lumbar belt, the pectorals and triceps. For this, you need to find a high support. Anything will do, as long as stability is guaranteed: a chair, a low wall, a coffee table…
Starting position:
Toes on the ground, hands resting on two chairs. The arm spread is a bit wider than the shoulders.
Exercise:
Inhale as you go down. Exhale as you come up. The abs are contracted to support the back. Do 4 to 5 sets of 10 repetitions. Take a 1 minute 30 second break between each set.
We can still consider other variations for doing push-ups, for example by leaning (with hands or feet) on an unstable object like a ball, or by working on your explosiveness with clapping push-ups (even if their effectiveness is often more imagined than real).
And you, what is your favorite variant to strengthen your arms and chest?