What muscles work during push-ups

Push-ups are one of the most comfortable and effective ways to develop your upper body muscles. They are easy to perform and do not require any special equipment. Push-ups can be done anywhere and anytime using your own body weight as resistance. Also, as a load, you can change the position of the arms, legs and perform any jumping movements. But what muscles work during push-ups from the floor in the first place, swing and strengthen with this exercise?

pectoralis major muscle

I think it's obvious. The chest muscles are the main muscle group that develops during push-ups. The chest muscles are located in the upper front of the body and work when you move your arms away from your chest. The wider the arms, the more the pectoral muscles are involved. They are highlighted in orange in the photo.

Triceps

This is the triceps muscle, which is located on the back of the upper arm. The triceps are essential for developing arm strength and work in elbow extension, while the biceps, on the other hand, work in flexion. The triceps take on the bulk of the push-up work, especially when doing this exercise with a narrow stance.

Deltoid

These are the muscles of the shoulder. The deltoids help the chest push the body upward. Even though the deltoid muscle is a relatively weak group, it is essential for shoulder strength. In addition, well-defined deltoids create roundness of the shoulders and are very important if you want to have an oblique fathom in the shoulders.

Elbow muscle

This narrow muscular plate is an extension of the triceps and helps to extend the forearm.

Serratus anterior

It is located under the armpits on the sides of the chest. They are also sometimes called "wings" because it visually expands the back. The serratus anterior muscle works when it draws the shoulder blades forward during push-ups from the floor. In the photo below, you can see where it is located.

Coracobrachial muscle

This is a narrow muscle that extends from the shoulder blade and chest to the biceps at the top of the arm. It pulls the shoulder forward in relation to the upper body. This movement is necessary to perform the lift up. Usually this muscle is hidden under the shoulder, but it is very important for the development of the upper body.

In addition, in the picture above you can see the muscles that work with push-ups with different grips and different hand positions.