Benefits of Push Ups

What are the benefits of push ups? Push ups allow you to train and build stability in a variety of muscle groups. This can help you avoid injury during day to day activities or other forms of athletic training, particularly if you perform push ups the right way.

Push ups are commonly used as a strength building exercise. You perform pushups by placing yourself in a horizontal position balancing on the hands and toes while facing down, then using the arms to raise and lower yourself. This may also be known as a press up. Physical education or civilian athletic training will frequently incorporate pushups into their routine. Push ups help to train the midsection of the body while strengthening the core.

Benefits of Push Ups for Certain Parts of the Body
▪ Scapula. Push ups move the scapula through a full range of motions while exercises such as bench presses limit the amount of movement the scapula performs. During exercise it is beneficial to both retract and depress the scap muscles to create a stable platform that can be used during other variations of this exercise.
▪ Serratus Anterior. Performing push ups correctly will allow you to activate the serratus anterior while you are at the top of this motion. This muscle is usually inactive during other activities, but those that regularly perform motions over their head will need this muscle to be in good shape to prevent injury. If the serratus anterior is not performing properly it may cause your scapula to wing which may jeopardize your stability and ability to rotate your arm upwards. In order to exercise this muscle during push ups makes sure you are pushing yourself up off of the floor as much as possible, perhaps even until the arms lock and avoid allowing the torso to sag. This can also help you build back strength that can limit your risk of back pain later.
▪ Torso Stability. Push ups help you develop stability that will help you avoid lower back pain or injuries to this area. Push ups allow you to activate your obliques more effectively than other exercises, allowing you to build strength within the torso and core musculature. This will help you develop the strength necessary to take pressure off of the lower back.
▪ Shoulder. Push ups help you to stabilize and with the proprioception of your shoulder girdle. Performing blast strap or medicine ball pushups increases these benefits. These exercises help you activate the prime movers in the shoulders so you can increase strength and function in these areas.
Benefits of Push Ups for Women
▪ Push ups help you exercise the chest, abdominals and lower back while building strength in the quadriceps, eliminating your need to perform a wide variety of other exercises.
▪ Women often prefer performing pushups to performing other weight lifting, stretching or cardiovascular exercises that would help them get the same results.
▪ Women often lack upper body strength. Push ups can help women develop the necessary strength in these areas.
▪ Doing push ups helps women tone their butt, lower body, trunk and shoulders all in one workout. Women can work on a large variety of muscle groups at once, helping them get more out of workout.
▪ Push ups allow women to stretch back and biceps while toning the triceps, chest and deltoids.
Benefits of Push Ups for Men
▪ Push ups can be performed at home without the need for expensive exercise equipment, which can save you money on a gym membership and other startup costs.
▪ Performing pushups stimulates the metabolism and blood circulation, allowing you to burn more calories throughout the rest of your workout.
▪ Studies have shown that performing pushups can help increase testosterone levels, reducing risk of developing osteoporosis.
▪ Push ups provide better results than many similar exercises. Many who include pushups in their workout routine find that they are able to reach their fitness goals more easily than those following workouts that rely on other methods.
▪ Push ups allow you to provide a full body workout, allowing you to access many muscle groups at once. You can work the quads, hamstrings, calves, chest, shoulders and arms all at the same time with a few pushups. You will notice that performing push up reps regularly will help you get a more toned chest, shoulders, forearms, upper arms and wrists.

Here are 10 variations of the push up that you will either love or hate:

Source: MD-Health