For continued progress, it is important to maintain the intensity of your training, mastering new variations of exercises and moving away from what you are already used to.
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This does not mean that you need to replace push-ups with another exercise. Just try other variations of push-ups - this will be a real test for your muscles and will ensure rapid progress.
If up to this point you have always done only classic push-ups, Lifehacker will help you take your training to the next level. The push-up routine below will have your pecs begging for mercy.
Push-ups with wide arms
These push-ups are performed in the same way as classic ones, only the hands are placed not under the shoulders, but a little wider. By spreading your arms wider, you remove some of the load from the triceps and transfer it to the pectoral muscles.
If this is too easy for you, try spreading your arms as wide as you can and, keeping a slight bend in your elbows, do push-ups from that position. The wider you place your arms, the more load will be transferred to the pectoral muscles.
Perform 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions.
The benefits of exercise for girls
Often representatives of the fair half of humanity believe that push-ups are not necessary for girls. This opinion is deeply erroneous. This type of exercise is used in both strength training and fitness. Is it possible to pump up a woman's breasts with push-ups? Yes, you can. In addition, training has the following benefits:
- Push-ups have a great effect on the whole body, making the buttocks, arms, and thighs more elastic.
- With their help, you can lose weight, because training is extremely energy-intensive.
- By systematically exercising, you can easily remove your belly and extra centimeters from your waist.
- This exercise will help make your body more resilient and strong.
Having determined which push-ups are right for you, you need to prepare for the workout. Be sure to develop a program and schedule. Before performing the exercise, you should warm up thoroughly, warm up your muscles and joints. Don't forget to drink.
The main mistake of most girls is the desire to do the maximum number of repetitions. When performing a movement, the emphasis should be on quality. Let the internal and physical strength be enough for only 3-5 full push-ups at first. To increase your performance by 4-5 times, train on a regular basis for 2-3 months.
When thinking about how to pump up your chest muscles, you don’t need to look for complicated ways. Push-ups have been and remain the best exercise for this muscle group. Include them in your basic training program and enjoy the results of your labor.
Push-ups with cotton
The starting position is the same as in classic push-ups. You smoothly go down, and then sharply push yourself up, lifting your hands off the floor and clapping your hands under your chest. After the clap, land in the starting position.
A sharp release from a push-up provides an explosive load on the chest muscles, and this is the best way to jump-start stalled progress.
Perform 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions.
Before the exercise, be sure to warm up and stretch your wrists: a sudden load when landing on “cold” muscles can lead to injury.
Push-up program for 5 minutes a day
4 variations of push-ups, 100 reps in 1 super-intense set for 5 minutes.
This complex is best performed by people with experience in training and good technique for performing push-ups. This set of 4 exercises will work both parts of the chest and triceps.
This exercise cycle consists of 4 different types of push-ups, performed one after another in an intense manner, with the goal of properly pumping the chest muscles, improving muscle endurance and achieving maximum definition.
Your goal is to complete 25 reps of 4 exercises within 5 minutes as quickly as possible.
Break these reps up into as many sets as you like, and take rest breaks as needed. Your main goal is to complete 100 repetitions in 5 minutes. Try to improve your time or number of repetitions with each subsequent session.
After an intense upper body workout, this cycle (25 x 4) is a SERIOUS test even for experienced athletes. If this circuit is too much for you (at least not yet), adjust it according to your ability (for example, do 10 repetitions), and then gradually increase the load.
Push-ups with a fitball
Place your feet on the exercise ball so that your shins rest on it. Instead of a ball, you can use a chair, table or some kind of ledge.
Tighten your core muscles and keep your back straight. Perform push-ups without allowing the ball to move.
Perform a total of 25 repetitions and then move on to exercise 2.
Bench push-ups
Instead of a bench, you can use a flat ledge, a table, a fitball, 2 medicine balls, or any other surface that will allow your body to assume an inclined position.
Tighten your core and roll your shoulders back. The palms should be in line with the chest.
Perform a total of 25 repetitions and then move on to the 3rd exercise.
Spider push-ups
Take a lying position. Tighten your core muscles and keep your back straight. As you lower your body down, simultaneously bring your right knee towards your right elbow.
Tighten your abdominal muscles, hold this position for 5 seconds, and then move your leg back to the starting position. Repeat the exercise with your left leg.
Perform a total of 25 repetitions, alternating legs, and then move on to the 4th exercise.
Diamond push-ups
Take a lying position. The tips of your toes should point to the floor. Place your palms together so that your thumbs and index fingers touch each other, forming the silhouette of a diamond.
If you find it difficult to perform the exercise from this position, you can do it on your knees.
Perform a total of 25 repetitions to complete the exercise cycle.
Diamond push-ups
This exercise is the opposite of a wide-arm push-up. Here you place your hands close to each other, so that your fingers touch each other. During push-ups, your elbows should move close to your body.
If you can't do this exercise, first try placing your hands under your shoulders and doing classic push-ups, but make sure to keep your elbows moving close to your body. When you feel comfortable doing these push-ups, you can move on to diamond push-ups.
During diamond push-ups, more load is placed on the triceps. It's best to do them after wide-arm push-ups to give your stressed pectoral muscles a rest.
Technique: classic push-ups and their variations
The first thing a man should master is classic push-ups. Over time, they can be complicated in various ways, including additional weights, but first you should learn how to make a base.
The classic version of the exercise can be used as a warm-up or as a full-fledged workout. True, with this technique the load is evenly distributed between the chest, biceps and triceps.
- Starting position – high plank. The hand is located exactly under the shoulder, the elbows are pressed to the sides, the feet are placed at the level of the elbows. The buttocks are compressed, the abs are tense, the head is motionless, looking at the floor.
- Lower your body on your arms until your chest is just 1 cm from the floor, and immediately, without pausing, straighten your arms, returning to the starting position. As you inhale, bend your arms, and as you exhale, extend them.
- While performing, make sure that your elbows do not “walk” to the sides. You need to maintain the original position of your elbows and a straight back until the end of the approach.
The classic version can be performed both as an independent exercise and as a warm-up exercise. Those who are confident in their abilities should consider other techniques that more strongly emphasize the work of different parts of the chest.
Wide grip
To pump up the pectoral muscles, it is recommended to perform the exercise with a wide grip. It is in this version that the middle section of the chest is maximally loaded. The technique as a whole differs slightly from the classic version.
- Take a lying position, place your hands wide, the distance between the hands should be 1.5-2 shoulder widths.
- Place your legs together, feet closed. Tighten your abs, tighten your buttocks, straighten your back. The head and neck are not tense, are in a neutral position, look ahead.
- Inhale and lower your body, bending your elbows. The elbows go to the sides. Having lowered yourself so that you almost touch the floor, tighten your pectoral muscles and, as you exhale, lift your body, returning to the starting position.
The placement of the fingers is a controversial issue; there is no consensus here. Some trainers say that the chest is best loaded if the arms are exactly parallel to each other, while other athletes advise that the hands be slightly apart. It is best to try both options and draw a conclusion based on the nature of your own feelings.
On fists
An effective way to develop the upper part, but quite difficult. You should switch to this technique after you can easily do 25-30 lifts with a wide grip. The technique of execution is practically no different from the previous exercise, but the emphasis is not on the palms, but on the fists. Hands spread wide. The peculiarity is a large amplitude of movements; accordingly, the chest will be more tense at the moment of lifting the body.
Feet on the bench
Placing your feet on a bench will help to load the upper section even more. Place your hands wider than your shoulders. The height must be selected so that the legs and shoulders are at the same level. If this is not enough to feel the pectoral muscles burning, you can choose a higher support, so that your legs are higher than the shoulder girdle.
With elevation
To better work on the targeted area, you can complicate the technique by placing your hands on a slight elevation. This could be two low step steps or several weight plates. There are many variations of execution here - with straight, widely spaced arms, fists, or even with a clap. If this is not enough, you can also put support under your feet. At home, a box, bench, chair - whatever is at hand - will do.
Diamond push-ups
They differ in the specific placement of the brushes. You need to place your hands directly under your chest, your hands facing each other, your fingers touching and forming a triangle (between the thumb and index finger). During execution, the elbows are pressed to the sides, the legs are brought together.
The value for the chest is questionable, because the “diamond” version is more difficult to perform than the classic one, and both exercises are comparable in effectiveness, except that with a narrow grip the arms are more heavily loaded.
Bars to help
The parallel bars will help diversify the training process. At home, they can be replaced by two high and strong chairs with a strong top bar, but it is wiser to go to the nearest stadium or playground.
When working on parallel bars, the upper and middle parts of the pectoral muscles and triceps are used, the shoulder girdle develops well, which helps to form a harmonious male figure.
- Place your hands on the bars, raise your body and hang on your hands. The legs do not touch the ground during the entire approach.
- Bend your elbows, lowering your body, then return to the starting position.
- During execution, the back remains straight, the head is fixed in one position.
Compared to push-ups, this exercise puts about 30% less stress on the chest, but works the biceps more. You can introduce it into your training plan for variety and better upper body work, although this is not necessary.
Elevated push-ups
Stand facing a bench or other elevated platform. Place your hands on the edge of the bench (not under your shoulders, but slightly wider) and perform standard push-ups, trying to keep your body straight.
By positioning the body with the upper part elevated, this exercise puts more stress on the lower part of the pectoral muscle.
If these push-ups seem too easy for you, try bent-over ring push-ups. Feet on the floor, hands on rings fixed at a distance of half a meter from the ground. During these push-ups, you not only exert effort to lift your body, but also to maintain your balance on unstable rings. As a result, the pectoral muscles are loaded much more heavily.
Perform 3-4 sets of 12-20 repetitions.
Eating the Right Diet to Help Gain Muscle Mass
An important aspect of training is proper nutrition. In order to pump up your pectoral muscles with push-ups, you do not need to create a complex nutrition program and take sports supplements, but it is advisable to follow a healthy diet. Try to eat less sweets and starchy foods, add more protein-rich foods to your diet: meat, fish, nuts, eggs, beans, and so on. You should not purchase artificial supplements, as they are intended for professional bodybuilders. Push-ups don't take as much energy as a full-body workout at the gym, so just eating healthy will be enough.
Features of push-ups for girls
Push-ups, a training program for which is developed by professionals - which is especially important for girls - should be aimed at improving physical fitness. The basic principles of push-ups are identical for both males and females.
The difference lies in a simpler execution technique. Girls do not need to work out their arm muscles and develop their shoulders unless physical training requires it. To a greater extent, exercises for girls are aimed at strengthening the muscles of the chest, abs, buttocks and legs.
At the same time, push-ups will perfectly strengthen your chest and straighten your posture. Push-ups are often included in a general set of exercises aimed at losing weight and improving the health of the body.
When doing push-ups for girls, various weights and special devices are rarely used. Depending on the result, the position of the body and arms changes. The number of repetitions and exercises should be less than for men, since the female body is naturally less resilient.
Before performing push-ups, you must wear loose clothing, and also free your hands and other parts of the body from various jewelry. In between approaches, it is necessary to give the body the opportunity to rest and restore breathing.
Unprepared girls with poor physical shape can start doing wall push-ups.
To do this, you need to stand facing a wall at a distance of a meter and place your hands shoulder-width apart. The body must be in one line: it is unacceptable to sag. Calmly and slowly you should bend and straighten your arms, trying to keep your back straight.
