When you think about pushups , what comes to mind? Maybe it's that challenging bootcamp class you barely survived. Or the drill-sergeant-like soccer coach you had in high school who frequently barked "Drop and give me 20!
But despite the less-than-stellar feelings that pushups can evoke, they're actually good for us. There's a reason this total-body move is a staple in many workouts, from HIIT to yoga to pure strength training. Here, we set the record straight on pushups, explaining the legitimate health benefits you'll get from doing this move on the reg, how to actually do it correctly, tips for modifying the pushup to your fitness level, and more.
It's no shocker that pushups seriously challenge your upper half. You are, after all, bending your arms to lower and lift your entire body. That's because they work essentially your entire upper half, including the front of your chest, both the front and back of your arms aka biceps and triceps , shoulders, and upper back, she explains.
Building strength in these areas will make certain day-to-day activities—like carrying a hefty bag of groceries, or lifting a suitcase into an overhead bin—feel a little easier. Another perk: Compared to other upper-body moves that target just one specific muscle group—like bicep curls, for example, which home in on surprise, surprise your biceps—pushups hit many different muscle groups at once, making them an efficient, effective exercise for improving upper-body strength on the whole.
But pushups aren't just about upper-body strength. He describes the pushup as a good "bang for your buck" move as it works many different joints and muscles simultaneously. A big part of that total-body work includes core strength and stability. When performed correctly, pushups are a great way to stabilize and strengthen your core , says Zetlin, who defines "core" as essentially all parts of your body that aren't your heads, arms, or legs.
That means the core isn't just about your rectus abdominis aka "abs" but also includes many other muscles in your midsection. And while certain core moves focus primarily on the abs looking at you, crunches , a properly performed pushup targets some of the lesser-known muscles in your core, like transverse abdominis the deepest core muscle that helps supports your spine , multifidus a series of small muscles that run along the spine , and others. By targeting these other core muscles , you're helping the entire unit of your core become stronger and more stable.
Because the core is essentially the powerhouse of the body and a crucial component of the movements we do in so many different scenarios, a stronger core unit will essentially make everything in life easier. That includes activities both at the gym whether you're squatting or running or lifting weights and in day-to-day life from walking or carrying groceries to picking up a child.
In certain scenarios, pushups can also double as cardio, says Zetlin. If you do enough pushups, your heart will likely start to pump faster, and you may feel out of breath. Depending on your fitness level, you may not need to bust out a bunch of reps to get to this point. A set of 10 pushups, for example, may be enough. You can repeat sets of pushups, resting enough in between each set to catch your breath, for a cardio workout, says Zetlin.
Also on the topic of heart health: A study of 1, adult male firefighters found that baseline pushup ability may be associated with risk of cardiovascular problems. In the study, men who were able to bust out at least 40 pushups over 30 seconds had significantly lower risk of experiencing cardiovascular problems think heart attack and heart failure over the following decade compared with men who could do less than 10 pushups.
Keep in mind that this study focused solely on male firefighters a pretty niche population and that the results don't mean that pushups are your surefire ticket to good ticker health. But the results do suggest that your pushup abilities might predict your risk of developing cardiovascular problems. Pushups do more than build muscles and challenge your heart. Because they are a weight-bearing move, pushups can also promote good bone health— weight-bearing exercises can help build strong bones and slow bone loss, according to the National Institutes Of Health.
Thanks to today's tech-tethered world, many of us spend our days with hunched shoulders and a rounded spine, hallmarks of poor posture. Pushups, if done correctly, can help counteract this by teaching our bodies good positioning, says Zetlin. A proper pushup, he explains, involves engaging the scapula and rhomboids two mid-back muscles that are typically underworked without relying as much on the muscles on top of your shoulders and neck which many of us typically overuse in day-to-day life anyway, especially when we're stressed.
Good posture also comes from quality core strength and stability, and as mentioned, pushups can definitely help with that. There's no one magic number of pushups that will give you the benefits mentioned above. Instead, simply try challenging yourself. Zetlin suggests starting with eight reps, and then adjusting that number depending on how difficult the set feels.
The goal, he says, is for the last two reps to feel challenging enough that you're struggling to complete them, though not too challenging that you aren't able to keep good form more on that below. In terms of frequency, Zetlin suggests doing pushups one to three times a week. Though daily pushup challenges are popular, both he and Mansour aren't big fans of doing pushups every day as that frequency likely won't give your body the time it needs to properly rest and recover.
Mansour suggests simply listening to your body to determine how often to do pushups—if yesterday's set left you feeling sore, wait until that fatigue subsides before you get back at it.
You can tackle pushups before a cardio workout or do them after weight lifting, says Zetlin. Or you can bust out sets of pushups as their own mini workout.
Tip: If you're new to pushups, try to perform them next to a mirror, says Mansour, or record yourself on your phone, adds Zetlin. And if you have any injury or pain in the chest or shoulder no matter if anterior or posterior , you should consult with a certified trainer, physical therapist, or another healthcare professional for a full assessment and to ask for explicit guidelines and modification options to prevent re-injury or exacerbation of an existing injury, Capritto advises.
Capritto says you should always talk to your doctor, physical therapist, or orthopedic specialist before attempting push-ups if you have any other condition that might be aggravated by the activity. Capritto recommends starting with box push-ups or knee push-ups if you need to modify instructions below.
Modifications make the movement safer for beginners, as they build strength in the muscles of the core and scapula shoulder , she says. Once you can complete three sets of 5 to 10 reps of modified push-ups with the correct form, Capritto suggests you might be ready to try regular, nonmodified push-ups.
Then, once your form starts to fail, switch back to modified push-ups and finish the set. And remember, most people progress slowly when it comes to upping the number of nonmodified push-ups they can do. Subscribe to Military. What should you eat to refuel properly after an intense workout? Here's the skinny on how you should refuel. There are two types of training you must be prepared for to become a member of special operations of any branch of service or While deployed, many soldiers pass the time by setting goals.
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