Il New York Times he defined the ups: “The barometer of your fitness”. Do a push-up training at least 3 times a week is great for helping you lose weight and tone your body.
Push-ups aren't just for pectorals, but they do work i triceps, the biceps, shoulders, back, the abdominal and buttocks! And don't think it's a male-only exercise!
It's true, the first time you try pushups it seems like an impossible experience! OnlyBelleza explains some tricks to overcome the initial discouragement and create a push-up training program at least 3 times a week!
Push-ups are not an exercise for men only!
Just think that pushups are an exercise reserved for Rocky Balboa! Often the practical woman cardio activity leaving out the upper body, but if you can integrate the pushups into yours fitness program you will feel the benefits very soon: firmer body and breasts but also more toned legs, buttocks and abs.
Indeed, from tomorrow I'll start too! Remember that it doesn't matter how many pushups you do, it's important to keep the right position and be able to extend the pushup within 2 weeks.
The right way to start doing pushups
How to do push-ups? The first time is not easy: focus on the starting position. It is essential to contract the abdominals and buttocks in order to always have a straight back.
Very important: in the descent to the ground, it is the chest that goes down and not the pelvis ... you have to stay straight as a board while doing push-ups!
Starting position: the opening of the hands must be slightly greater than the width of the shoulders, then when you become an expert you can think of modulating it to make the exercise more complex.
Try to respect the “chin, chest, thighs” rule: it means that these 3 parts of the body must come down together during the flexion. The goal is to try to touch the ground when you go down and push them away together when you go up.
How many pushups a day? Everyone must regulate themselves according to their physical form, the important thing is to be able to include this exercise in their training routine. You will feel the benefits when you are able to change the range of motion.
If you feel that you don't have a hard time doing classic pushups, you can add another set until you feel fatigued in your muscles. It doesn't matter if you do 5 or 20, the important thing is to maintain the right posture and set a goal, for example 5 more push-ups with each new training session.
The 5 push-ups of OnlyBelleza
OnlyBelleza offers you 5 variations of push-ups to become aware of your progress and to vary your fitness sessions. You can for example start with the wall exercise and combine another variation. The important thing is to know your limits and slowly try to overcome them.
If you can't go down or back up without taking a break, try the wall bend variant. If, on the other hand, it seems too easy, do the push-ups on the floor but start with your legs up. Once you understand the technique, you just need to improve!
The secret of pushups is practice!
There is no trick to improve, the secret to being able to do push-ups, whether you are a man or a woman, is to establish a mini program and follow it: even if at first you go down only 2 centimeters it does nothing.
After a few weeks, you will be able to skim the floor and climb back up without difficulty. To improve you have to get out of your comfort zone and suffer a little. If you have doubts about your position, ask a coach for help to avoid back problems!
However, always pay attention to:
1. do not arch your back while performing push-ups;
2. do not lift the buttocks;
3. do not stretch your neck or lower your head too much;
1 - Standing push-ups: for denial!
On your toes, place your hands against a wall, arms outstretched, hands hip-width apart. The body must be straight like a plank, shoulders, hips and feet must be aligned.
Movement: Flex your arms and bring your chest towards the wall, taking care to keep your stomach in and your back straight.
Breathing: inhale as you descend and exhale as you rise.
Variant for training: move your legs away from the wall in order to perform more demanding push-ups.
Reps: 4 sets of 10 push-ups with 1 minute rest
2 - Raised push-ups: great for beginners
These push-ups are suitable for those who are not very trained because they allow you to have a lower load on the arms and pectorals.
Place your hands on a medium height piece of furniture and get into the starting position with your arms straight, stomach in and your hands a little wider than shoulder width.
The higher the cabinet, the easier the push-ups will be. After 2 weeks of training, try repeating the exercise with a lower piece of furniture (or with a step or step) to test your progress! Your goal is to be able to reach a height of 50 cm from the ground!
Breathing: inhale as you descend and exhale as you rise.
Reps: 4 sets of 10
Variant for trained: slowly lower the height of the cabinet. You can also play with the opening of the arms.
3 - The classic push-ups
Everyone has done classic push-ups at least once in their life.
We start with the kneeling variant but if you already feel like an expert, man or woman you are, start with the classic version of the exercise!
Get on your knees in the cat position, cross your ankles over each other and lift them up. The arms are spread slightly wider than the shoulders. To perform the movement well and not risk getting hurt, keep your back straight and bring your stomach in throughout the descent. Come down to the ground by flexing your arms and opening your elbows
Breathing: inhale as you descend and exhale as you rise.
Variant for trained men: place your toes on the ground. For greater stability, you can open your feet to hip width.
Reps: 4 sets of 10 with 1 minute rest.
4 - Push-ups without hurting your wrists
When you do push-ups, the weight of the body on the wrists creates tension and the heavier the body the easier it is to have pain. OnlyBelleza offers you this variant to avoid getting hurt and having to stop training.
Place your hands on top of the handles or buy kettebells (spherical weights with a handle).
Using these handles has 2 advantages: you will not have pain in your wrists and in addition you will be able to gradually increase the amplitude of the flexion.
Movement: the wrists are always aligned. The position is the same and the movement is the same.
Breathing: inhale as you descend and exhale as you rise.
Variant for super trained: move the handles away so as to work on stretching the muscle
5 - Inclined push-ups to increase the difficulty
Incline push-ups performed with your feet resting on a piece of furniture or a chair are much more difficult because your body load is concentrated on your arms. To perform them, place your feet on a chair and put your hands on the ground. The body must always be tense and you must never bend your back.
Arms spread a little more than shoulders, hands must be with fingers open to give you greater stability. Lower your chest bringing it to the ground by bending your arms without lifting your head so as not to contract the cervicals.
Breathing: inhale as you descend and exhale as you rise.
Variant for super men: To make the exercise more difficult, you can bring your hands together in order to put more stress on the muscles of the arms.
Reps: 4 sets of 10 push-ups with 1 minute rest.
