Push-ups from the floor are not only the classic exercise itself, familiar to us from the school bench, but also a number of its modifications that allow you to work out certain muscle groups, develop strength and endurance. A lot of articles and books have been written about push-ups. In order not to get confused in a large amount of information, let's systematize the knowledge about this exercise and figure out what goals it can help achieve.

What can be achieved with push-ups?

If we approach the issue globally, then during the performance of push-ups, almost all the muscles of our body work. However, when planning the training process with an insignificant load that, say, the press receives, we can neglect and focus on those muscle groups that do the main work.

The most involved in push-ups are:

• pectoral muscles (top, bottom or middle of the chest);
• triceps;
• deltoid muscles of the shoulders.

By changing the position of the arms and body, we can shift the emphasis of the load on any of these muscle groups. In addition to training muscles, push-ups are an excellent way to develop endurance, increase explosive strength (plyometric), train the cardiovascular system, strengthen ligaments and tendons.

In this article, we will first consider the classic exercise technique. Let's take a look at the following questions:

• What kind of push-ups to train the pectoral muscles, arms and shoulders?
• How to achieve strengthening of the hands, fists and fingers?
• What are plyometric push-ups (developing explosive strength)?
• Complicated exercise options and work with additional weight for trained athletes.
• How to start training push-ups for beginners?
• How many reps and sets to do?

Most of the push-up options that will be listed below are covered in separate articles on our website. You can always read about the exercise in more detail by clicking on the appropriate link.

classical technique

The traditional version of the exercise is as follows:

1. Take an emphasis lying down. Place your palms slightly wider than your shoulders and stretch your body into a string. The neck is a continuation of the back, the stomach does not sag, the lower back is even, the buttocks do not rise up. Place your feet at a small distance from each other on your toes.
2. While inhaling, without changing the straight position of the body, lower your chest down by bending your arms at the elbow joints. A few centimeters remain between the chest and the floor.
3. As you exhale, straighten your arms and return to the top point.

This basic execution technique loads the pectoral muscles, triceps and slightly anterior deltoid bundles. Additionally, the muscles of the stabilizers of the body work. It can be considered as a basis from which we will build on, considering variations for an accentuated study of specific muscles.

Emphasis on chest muscles

To pump the chest, the technique for performing the exercise must be built in such a way that it implies bringing the arms (shoulders) together. After all, this is the main function of the pectoral muscles. Think about any chest exercise: bench press, crossover, chest press in a hummer, etc.

With push-ups with a wide setting of the hands, the chest works the most. After all, in fact, in order to raise the body to the highest point, you need to straighten your elbows and, overcoming the weight of your own body, bring your shoulders together.

The distribution of the load on the pectoral muscles depends on the position of your body relative to the floor:

• Hands and feet on the floor - the middle and a little lower chest work.
• Legs elevated - the upper chest works. Feet can be placed on a bench or step. However, the higher the legs, the stronger the shoulders are included in the work. Therefore, in order not to shift the load from the pectoral muscles, do not raise your legs too high. The height of the bench is the maximum.
• Hands on a raised platform - the bottom of the chest works. There is a slightly different feature here. The higher you put your hands - the less the load on the upper body in principle (since the weight presses on the legs). Therefore, it is for the purpose of developing the lower chest that push-ups from the floor are rarely used. As a rule, in this case, push-ups on parallel bars are used, when your legs do not rest on the floor, but hang in the air.

It is also no secret that the effectiveness of muscle development depends on the amplitude of movement. That is, in total, on how much you contract the muscle in the positive phase of the movement and stretch it in the negative.

In order to better stretch the pectoral muscles at the lowest point, you can use special stops for the brushes. They will let you go down. The role of the stops can be performed by any two stable objects on which you can put your hands.

Focus on triceps

Accordingly, to train the back of the arms, the chest should be turned off as much as possible. Therefore, the reduction of hands to each other is removed from the movement. The palms are not widely divorced, but placed shoulder-width apart or narrower, up to the contact of the palms, and the elbows are retracted and brought to the body.

With push-ups with a narrow grip, as well as with (a variety of the previous ones), it is the triceps muscles of the shoulder that are best trained.

There is another type of triceps exercise that deserves special attention. These are reverse push-ups. With this technique, the hands are placed on the bench behind the body.

For shoulder development

With the help of special push-ups, you can pump the middle and anterior bundles of the deltoid muscles well. To do this, you need to raise the pelvis and legs as high as possible, that is, actually stand upside down and press yourself off the floor. In other words, inclined and vertical push-ups are aimed at developing the shoulders.

It is worth taking on their implementation only when the options for exercising the chest and triceps have already been worked out by you to an ideal state. Keeping your weight on your hands is much more difficult than on your feet, so you should be especially careful here. When performing vertical push-ups, the legs are wound high on a support, which may well be a wall.

Strengthening fists, hands and fingers

So, above we examined three main groups of push-ups, differing in the width of the arms and the position of the body relative to the floor. But the scope of the exercise is not limited to training the chest, triceps and shoulders.

Now let's move on to more narrow points, for example, targeted strengthening of the hands and fingers. This aspect is extremely important in martial arts and any sports that involve punches, palms or fingers.

To strengthen the impact surface of the fist and ligaments of the hands, they are also used on the back of the palms. To make your fingers strong and strong, respectively, push-ups on your fingers will help.

Development of explosive power

Explosive strength is the ability to do maximum work in the minimum amount of time. This quality is necessary when doing CrossFit and many other disciplines. Explosive strength exercises already presuppose good endurance of the athlete and developed muscles. Therefore, they are not recommended for beginners.

Plyometric exercises include push-ups with clap, spartan push-ups (one hand is placed slightly in front and the other slightly behind, their position changes as they jump), and any other variations that involve a dynamic change in posture during the movement.

A great example of a multi-functional plyometric exercise that combines jump-ups with push-ups is the burpee.

Difficult exercise options

Below are listed exercises of a high degree of difficulty, designed to demonstrate a good level of fitness of the athlete. Namely, strength, muscle development, the ability to maintain balance and coordinate the work of the whole body.

Here are some of these exercises:

• Hindu push ups.
• Planche (a version of push-ups without legs or in the horizon).

In addition to making bodyweight push-ups more difficult, you can increase the load by doing the exercise with additional weights. For example, you can ask your partner to put a barbell pancake on your back. If you do push-ups at home, a normal backpack can act as a load. A special weighted vest would also be a good purchase.

When push-ups with weights, it is especially necessary to carefully monitor the technique of performing the movement.

Easy options for beginners

In most cases, trained athletes know without outside help what exercises to perform and how to provide a load on certain muscle groups. But what about those who are just starting their journey?

You can start by mastering chest and triceps push-ups, but do them with an emphasis on your knees and not on your feet. In this way, it will be much easier to hold your body and gradually your muscles will get stronger enough to move on to the usual, and then to the complicated technique.

Aim to increase the number of repetitions to 10-15 in at least three sets. Then increase the load, for example, starting to perform the first approach in the standard technique, and the next two from the knees.

How many repetitions to do?

The number of repetitions and sets largely depends on the role that push-ups play in your training program.

• If push-ups are one of the exercises you use to bulk up your chest or arms, then do 8-12 reps for 3-4 sets. With the free performance of this volume, perform the exercise with additional weight or master the complicated options.
• If you want relief and fat burning, do 15-20 relatively fast reps in 3-4 sets, in combination with other exercises.
• If push-ups are your primary upper body training exercise and the goal is not so much to gain mass as to build overall strength and endurance, do as many reps and sets as possible. There are various programs and techniques aimed at increasing the number of push-ups.

Summing up everything said above, we can say that push-ups from the floor are far from an outdated atavism from school physical education lessons, but a whole range of various functional exercises that allow you to effectively work out the muscles of the upper body, develop strength and endurance. Train with pleasure and the results will not be long in coming!

In the process of push-ups, it is possible to shift the emphasis on those muscle groups that you want to use (triceps, shoulders, chest - read about this later) - to emphasize the load, you need to redistribute the load.

A feature of push-ups is that the activation of the muscles occurs immediately after taking the starting position. Regular push-ups help build strength and increase endurance. Some other benefits of push-ups should be noted:

• the respiratory and circulatory systems are strengthened;
• metabolic processes improve;
• the immune forces of the body increase.

Article author:

coach Anton Muraviev Write

A professional in his field. Qualified trainer. Winner and prize-winner of regional and city competitions. Diploma of higher sports education. I am a fitness specialist. I have been involved in martial arts and fitness for over 15 years.

Liked? - Tell your friends!

Many novice athletes underestimate the importance of push-ups from the floor for pumping up the pectoral muscles. Although many types of push-ups from the floor help pump up different muscle groups.

Beginning bodybuilders find push-ups to be ineffective and most often completely remove it from their training program.

Are they doing the right thing? It is very difficult to answer this question clearly. Agree, common pushups very boring: up and down, up and down, and so on. Although all push-ups from the floor are among the most effective and simple bodyweight exercises.

Push-ups from the floor to the mass can be done anywhere and anytime. Pushing up from the floor, you can develop triceps, shoulder, pectoral, deltoid muscle groups. In addition, the muscles of the press, back and legs are trained.

Types of push-ups from the floor

Most people only know about the military and high school push-up styles. But it turns out that there are a huge number of types of performance of this exercise. There are many types of push-ups from the floor to the mass. This is a big plus, since different push-ups can work out different muscle groups.

Good luck in your endeavors. Believe in yourself and you will definitely succeed!

These are exercises that are one of the simplest, but extremely effective. You can perform them at any time and, importantly, you don’t have to visit for this, since you can work with your own weight. All types of push-ups from the floor affect different muscle groups.

In addition to the fact that they develop triceps, deltoid, shoulder and pectoral muscles, the muscles of the legs are also included in the work, and. grows moderately and strengthens, endurance gradually increases, and becomes more prominent. Further in the article, we will analyze in detail the technique for performing the most popular and most effective types of this.

From my knees

This is the basic and somewhat simplified view. It is used in their girls, as well as novice athletes. This is a very good alternative to the classic push-ups, but in a simpler form. Work includes triceps, anterior bundle of deltas, pectoralis major and serratus anterior.

To perform this type of exercise, you should:

• Get on your knees and do emphasis lying down. Hands should be slightly wider than shoulder width and under the upper chest.
• Straighten and slowly lower down.
• Leaning on your knees and straightening up, you need to raise the body to its original position.
• Repeat the desired number of push-ups.

It is important, when performing such an exercise, to do movements under control and slowly. The work must be constantly felt. , and the pelvis throughout, while push-ups are performed, should be located on the same line. The shoulder blades cannot be reduced, they must be lowered and divorced.

Medium grip

Push-ups from the floor for the pectoral muscles with an average grip are very effective. Additionally, they also train triceps and deltas. Everything is static.

• You need to take an emphasis lying down. You can’t lift or lower your head down, it must be kept strictly along the line of the spine.
• The hands should be slightly wider than the shoulders.
• Slowly lower the body down, then, with a powerful effort, squeeze the body up.
• In the upper position, it is necessary to tighten the pectoral muscles at the expense of “one-two”, then again lower to the floor.

• It is necessary to take an emphasis lying down, while placing the brushes slightly wider than your shoulders and at chest level.
• On inspiration, the body weight must be moved to the first hand and, going down, move to the second.
• As you exhale, you should lift the body up, returning to its original position.
• Repeat the same steps but in the other direction.

head up

The level of difficulty of this type of push-ups is low. You will need a bench on which you can rest your hands. The distance between the brushes is a little wider. To prevent your feet from slipping, you can install a support for stability or lean against the wall. The back is straight, without deflections. even.

• When inhaling, you need to go down, the pelvis is held at the level of the spine, without rising or falling down.
• On exhalation - return to the starting position.

Thus, it will be possible to give a load to the lower part of the pectoral muscles, which will help novice athletes well.

Analyzing different types of push-ups, it should be noted that performing such a head down is the most difficult and suitable for advanced ones. This exercise is performed upside down.

• It is necessary to perform an emphasis lying on straight arms, while one leg should lie on the other.
• On inspiration, lower the body down so that it is about 3-5 cm from the hands to the chest. At the same time, the elbows should be kept as close to the body as possible.
• On exhalation, by straightening both arms, the body must be raised to its original position.

By performing push-ups with cotton, you can use large, and triceps. Additionally, the muscles that support the body in a level position, the entire shoulder girdle, as well as the leg muscles that receive a static load will be involved.

• You need to take an emphasis lying down, resting your palms on the floor. Spread your arms shoulder-width apart, keep your back straight.
• While inhaling, you should lower the body down, bending your arms at the elbows.
• Then, with an explosive and powerful effort, you need to push yourself off the floor, pushing the body as high as possible. should be enough to have time to make a clap in front of you and not fall at the same time.
• After making a clap, you need to return to the starting position, resting your palms on the floor.

Important! You can complicate the training by making a clap behind the head, behind the back or on the chest. You can also tear off the floor in the process, not only hands, but also legs.

different names

The essence of opposite push-ups is that one arm will be located in a classic stance, that is, slightly wider than the shoulders, and the elbow is directed to the side, and the other in such a way as with triceps push-ups - the palm under the chest, and the elbow is directed back. With this type of push-ups, you can divide the load on the triceps and pectoral muscles. The position of the hands will need to be alternated.

• Take the starting position.
• The left hand should be taken to the side, and the right hand should be placed with the elbow back under the chest.
• While inhaling, you need to bend your left elbow, moving it to the side. Right hand to slide down the body.

We are sure that push-ups are included in the training program of all men involved in sports and who want to pump their muscles. This basic exercise is performed without any devices - the load is only due to its own weight. Push-ups from the floor perfectly work out the muscles of the arms and back, and also involve the abs and legs. The proof of the effectiveness of this exercise is the fact that all the coolest fighters, athletes, bodybuilders do push-ups without fail. So in no case do not ignore them - it is better to strive for high results and try all types of push-ups from the floor.

In this article, we will look at the rules for performing the exercise, draw up a program by which you can learn how to do 100 repetitions, and also tell you about the varieties of push-ups from the floor.

The advantage of push-ups from the floor is the fact that they are suitable for everyone, since they can be done outside the gym - you can do push-ups at home even with a minimum of free space.

When performing a push-up program, the following muscle groups are worked out:

• Triceps (turns on when the arms are straightened, the triceps receives a special load when doing push-ups with a close setting of the hands).
• Large pectoral muscles (if your goal is to give a load to these muscles, then focus on push-ups with a wide arrangement of hands).
• Delta and biceps (in the process of push-ups from the floor, they are involved, but receive less load compared to triceps and pectoral muscles).
• Gluteal muscles and abs (work in static mode - by maintaining tension when the exercise is performed correctly).

Basic Mistakes

Whatever types of push-ups on the uneven bars, from the bench, from the floor you choose, remember - only the correct execution of the exercise can bring results. If you do it wrong, with mistakes, then you can only harm yourself.

When performing a push-up program from the floor, remember:

1. About the correct posture of the back. It should be straight throughout the entire push-up, should not arch or round, and the shoulders should be taut towards the shoulder blades, not the ears. As soon as you bend your back, then immediately the weight will be incorrectly distributed. To make it easier to keep your posture - constantly make sure that the muscles of the core, buttocks, and back are in tension.
2. Pain and sport are not best friends. Yes, training should be based on a constant increase in load, which is associated with muscle discomfort. You should feel tension, burning, but not sharp pain - it already signals some kind of “breakage” in the body, and before returning to the exercises, you should find out the cause and eliminate it.
3. You should not chase sports records, but you also don’t need to feel sorry for yourself. The increase in load should be constant, but smooth. You should not strive to complete 100 push-ups from the floor at once on the first day of the program. You need to perform the exercises in sets (with short breaks between sessions), gradually increase the number of repetitions in each of them.
4. Do not forget that before the exercises it is necessary to warm up, warm up the muscles. Our muscles are like plasticine - if you first knead them, make them warm, then you can sculpt anything from them, but if you try to work with "raw material", then the muscles will simply burst.
5. Push-ups alone won't help. Weak core - press, hip flexors, calf extensors - makes it difficult to do push-ups. When performing an exercise, the body gives up not only when the agonist muscles (triceps, pectorals, deltoids) get tired, but also when the stabilizing muscles (abs and legs) cannot cope with the task. It is important to carry out a comprehensive program and work out all the muscles.
6. Push-ups that are too fast or too slow are not recommended. It is best to perform one rep for 1.2-1.5 seconds. This time is considered optimal.

You have to start from the base

There are several dozen types of push-ups from the floor. A little later, we will list the most interesting types that allow you to work out various muscles and give a higher load. But before proceeding to their description, let's talk about the basic exercise.

Remember: until you master it properly and achieve a noticeable result in its implementation, forget about more complex options. To get started, make sure you are doing the basic push-ups from the floor correctly:

• Take a lying position, arms and legs straightened, palms slightly wider than shoulders, feet together.
• As you exhale, bend your elbows and lower yourself down, try to touch the floor with your chest.
• As you exhale, take the starting position.

How can you learn to perform the maximum number of repetitions? It would be correct to gradually increase the load. There are many types of push-up programs.

Sample program

(5 days of intense push-ups + 2 days of rest)	Number of exercises (rest between sets - 2-3 minutes)
	First approach	Second approach	Third Approach	Fourth Approach	Fifth Approach

After you can easily complete the program in week 4, you can move on to mastering more difficult types of exercises instead of further increasing the number of repetitions.

Complicated options

Consider the more complicated options:

1. Raise your power threshold. To do this, start using weights in the form of a sports vest or disks (ask your comrades or a trainer to put plates on your back during your push-ups). As practice shows, when you learn to do push-ups with weighting 50 times, then the usual push-ups of a hundred repetitions will not be difficult.
2. Remove the sketch reflex. When performing an exercise, the muscles in response to a strong stretch reflexively tend to contract, and vice versa. This is called the sketch reflex. We will lose it if, when doing push-ups at the bottom point, we completely lie down on the floor with our chest and tear our palms off the floor. This type of push-up is much more difficult to do, as the mechanism of muscle work and amplitude increase.
3. Engage your leg. In push-ups, you can work out the muscles of the legs, the press very well and increase the load on the delta of the arms - for this you should try the Dutch push-up (it is also called the "grasshopper"). The exercise is as follows: at the bottom of the push-up, linger, lift one leg off the floor a couple of centimeters and take it to the side (do not bend). Return the leg back through the side, put it on the floor, straighten up in your arms. In addition, the mobility of the hip joints develops.
4. Push up from the floor with only one hand. When performing the exercise, it is allowed to take one supporting leg to the side (otherwise it will not work to maintain balance). Push-ups on one arm build up the muscles of the shoulder girdle well.
5. Try the "American corkscrew". A rather difficult exercise, performed as follows: starting position lying, arms slightly wider than shoulders, feet shifted forward towards the head (so that the legs are slightly bent at the knees, and the pelvis is raised to the ceiling). As you exhale, lower your pelvis to the side (you need to touch the floor with only one side, do not collapse), while bending your arms at the elbows. Return to starting position.
6. Push up on the floor with your fists. It is done in the same way as the basic exercise, only the emphasis is not on the hands, but on the knuckles. It is necessary to try to distribute the weight on the knuckles of the index and middle fingers, as they are the most durable. This type of push-up is useful for those who practice martial arts (a more complicated option is push-ups on the fingers, but it is very traumatic and requires lengthy training).
7. Do the Japanese uchi-machi push-up. It is used for training judoists and very well strengthens the extensors of the spine, buttocks and the entire core. It is performed as follows: in the starting position, lift one leg off the floor, stretch it parallel to the floor. Lower down on your hands, hold, raise your leg as high as possible, rise on your hands and return your leg to its original position (do not touch the floor with your foot throughout the approach).
8. Push-ups with accents (such push-ups are called "English" or "opposite"). In the starting position, set one arm a little higher (shoulders are obtained not on a straight line, but on a diagonal line), and lift the opposite leg above the floor. Do not fall over when performing lowering and lifting. This push-up allows you to load the rectus abdominis and hip flexors.
9. Try the Russian push-up. The difference from the classic push-ups is that it is performed with the support of the brushes on the weights lying in front of you. When bending your arms, you should try to go as low as possible. Unstable support allows you to add load on the shoulders and forearms, increase the rotation of the humerus, work out the wrist grip well (it affects the force of impact).
10. Work your back with the diver push-up. The initial stance is based on hands and feet with a raised pelvis and lowered head (in yoga, this pose is called “dog looking down”). Bend your arms and at the same time make a wave-like movement of the body - as if crawling through a gap under a low gate. Gently lower your pelvis and legs to the floor, arching your back and raising your head. Repeat the movement in reverse order. This exercise is very beneficial for the spine.

Finally, we draw your attention once again: despite the simplicity of the push-up program, it can cause harm if the exercises are done incorrectly. Train carefully, do not load the muscles immediately, increase the level of difficulty gradually, watch your breathing. Do push-ups regularly, do not skip classes. Only in this way can you achieve a high result and pump the muscles of your arms, chest, and core well with the help of push-ups. Good luck in sports!