Body Basic: Pushups

By Maureen Hagan - (Physiotherapist and certified fitness professional)Source: Canadian Living ( Health and Wellness)

Pushups are great: they're one of the most efficient and effective ways to strengthen your upper body. What more, you don't need equipment to do them because you use your body weight for resistance.

When performed properly, a pushup will work your triceps (at the back of your upper arms), your back muscles, your abdominals and especially your pectorals (in your chest). Besides contributing to upper body strenght, toned pectoral muscles help support breast tissue and give your chest a firmer look and feel.

It is also recommended to women to include traditional pushups or a variation on them (such as standing and performing them against a wall) in ther exercise programs.

The Pushup

These modified pushups start from the knees. It's difficult for most of us to do a full push up (from toes) in good form because it requires you to lift your entire body weight. To ensure proper form, or it you've never been able to do a full push up before, start from your knees first; this version is still highly beneficial. And you'll quickly progress to a full set of eight or more.

1. Begin by lying face down on the floor with your palms on the floor directly under your elbows. Keep your shoulders pulled down and back towards your spine and away from your ears, and your abdominals lifted up and in to support your spine throughout the pushup. Keep your eyes focused on the floor. Breathe in, then as you exhale, slowly push your chest up off the floor, keeping your knees on the floor, until you've straightened your arms without locking your elbows.

2. To ensure that you are pushing up using your chest, squeeze your chest muscles and push from the chest first, then follow with your arms.

3. Pause at the top of the pushup and inhal. Then, as you exhale, slowly bend your arms and return to the starting position. Rest on the floor just long enough to inhale before repeating.

Repetitions and Sets

Aim for one set of eight to 15 pushups, or as many as you can do with good form; progress to two or three sets. For greater challenge, do consecutive pushups without resting on the floor between repetitions.

Strengthen your upper body using our push-up techniques.

Push-ups are a great way to strengthen your upper body. It's not how many push-ups you do, but how well you do each one that will make a difference.

1. Lie on the floor face down, palms on the floor directly under your elbows, shoulders pulled down and back toward your spine and away from your ears, abdominals lifted up and in to support your spine and keep it straight throughout the push-up. Keep your eyes focused on the floor, breathe in and, as you exhale, push up off the floor from your toes. Tighten your gluteal (buttock) muscles and quadriceps muscles (at the front of the thighs) to help keep your entire body from the hips down straight during the push-up.

2. Exhale as you push up from your hands and toes from the floor. Keep your mind focused on pushing off the floor using your chest muscles and squeeze them as you push your body weight off the floor. Pause at the top without locking your elbows or allowing your hips to fall out of alignment, breathe in, then lower slowly as you exhale. Rest on the floor between repetitions, or for a greater challenge, lower, pause without resting on the floor and push up to repeat.

Repetitions and Sets

Aim for 10 reps at a time, rest for 30 seconds to one minute and repeat for two to three sets.