BodyFitnessInfo.com BLOG » Give the Pushup Some Credit

Give the Pushup Some Credit

Posted by Dan on April 18th 2007 to Training

Let’s face it: there are a lot of good body weight exercises out there that a lot of us don’t do because we think you can only workout by going to the gym. But what about those days where you just didn’t have time to go? Think about it, what would be better: don’t workout at all or do some good body weight exercises so that you still get your workout even though you aren’t pumping iron? Yes, its sort of a duh statement - you should at least get in some sort of a workout!

One of the great classic moves is the pushup. The nice thing about the pushup is that it isn’t just a chest move. Its actually more of a full body workout that most people give it credit for. Let’s break it down a little bit and see what groups are being worked when doing pushup:

Chest - yes, the pushup does work the chest. Similar to the compound movements of the bench press, doing pushups will also stimulate your chest muscles

Arms - also very similar to the bench press, doing pushups will work your arms as well. Especially the tripceps.

Abs - here’s where some of the differences start to come in. By holding your body straight you are also working out your abs because you have to contract them in order to keep your back straight.

Lower Back - similar to the reason doing pushups works your abs, you also have to clench your lower back muscles to keep your back straight. This actually applies to you glutes as well.

Looking at the list above, you have to agree that pushups are much more than what a lot of people think. In fact, it might not be a bad idea to incorporate some of them into your standard workout as well. (The military has had people doing pushups for a long long time . . .)

If by chance you don’t want to do pushups because you think they’re boring, look at them again and spice things up a bit. There are a lot of variations that you can do with pushups. Here’s a great article from Men’s Health writer Scott Quill: More Power to the Pushup

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