How to Perform Push-Ups with a Weight

Although not entirely easy, push-up is a common exercise because of its fuss-free, machine-independent execution. It works the chest muscles, triceps, and shoulders and increases muscular endurance. This is why push-up is a very popular exercise among athletes and military trainees. There are many variations of push-up, and one of them is the weight push-up. This exercise primarily involves adding weight to the back. If you are new to this, here’s how you should do push-ups with a weight.

• Do warm-ups. Never attempt executing pushups without first having some warm-up exercises. Warming-up will condition your body and help prevent injuries. Try, for example, stretching your arms, legs, wrist, and hands. Don’t forget to practice proper breathing as you warm-up.
• Start with a good form. Assuming the proper push-up position will produce the best fitness results. Start by lying down on your stomach, your chest almost touching the ground. Support your body by placing the hands on the floor, more than shoulder-width apart. Keep your elbows bent and your shoulders straight. Straighten your legs, as you keep your feet close together.
• Add weight. It is best to wear weighted vest, which usually ranges from 10 lbs to 50 lbs. If you don’t have one, you can ask your partner to position a weight plate or any other weighted object on your back. Your partner should hold the object in its position as you do push-ups. Make sure the weight matches your endurance level. If you are a beginner, it is wise to start with light weight and increase only if your body can handle heavy weights.
• Do the push-up. Slowly lift your body off the floor by straightening your arms. Your body should be making a straight line. Hold this position for a second, and count this as your first push-up. Now, bring yourself back to the floor by bending your arms at a 90° angle. Your chest should be as close to the floor as possible, while your knees should not touch the floor. Hold this position for a second before making another lift. Make sure to exhale as you lift yourself up and inhale as you bring your body down.
• Do repetitions. Try to make at least five repetitions. But to avoid injuring yourself, slowly execute weight push-ups. The fast push-ups you see done by athletes and soldiers are the result of consistent and prolonged exercise, so don’t imitate them. You will get that speed as you regularly integrate push-ups into your routine.
• Increase the weight. When you already are familiar with push-up techniques, put more weight on your back. Also, try increasing your repetitions. Aim for at least 10 this time.

After the weight push-up exercise, perform cool-down exercises. Do some stretching and squeeze your muscles. If any time during your exercise you feel pain on your shoulders, back, or any part engaged in the exercise, stop doing the weight push-ups. You might be doing the exercise the wrong way. It also could be that push-up with a weight is too intense for you. In this case, try doing less intense exercises.