You’ve been doing push-ups your whole life. Even though it is a pretty simple exercise, it can make you sweat if done using some proper techniques. This single exercise comes with multiple variations that challenge different muscle groups in your body and takes your workout to a whole new level.
This next level push-up workout will sculpt your arms and shoulder muscles and it’ll literally feel as if your pecs are about pop out of your shirt.
The Ultimate Push-up workout was designed by the fitness Director of Men’s Health, BJ Gaddour, and he says it is hard as hell and challenges your muscles in a completely different manner you’ve never experienced before.
So, let’s start the workout!
The Ultimate Push-Up Workout
First of all, bring your body in a starting position to do a push-up. Your legs should be open at shoulder’s width, forming a V-shape, your arms by the side of your chest and head facing forward, not towards the floor.
Gaddour says to start doing push-ups as fast as you can. Do as many reps as you can without any pause. This intense tempo helps to develop constant tension in the pecs which ultimately results in muscle growth. Continue to do this until you can’t do another push-up. At this point you will switch and perform an isometric hold, hovering just a couple of inches from the floor.
Maintain this position for as long as you can. This will not only give you some break but also develop more strength and stability at the bottom position of a push-up which is also considered the hardest.
The final part of this workout includes eccentric push-ups. To perform an eccentric pushup, you have to bring your body in a completely different starting position as compared to a normal one.
Place your hands firmly on the ground with your arms fully extended so that your body is raised. Your back, hips, and legs must be in a straight line. This will be your starting position.
Now gradually descend down while counting to four. As soon as you reach the bottom, push yourself up as if you were storing energy in your arms like a spring, but don’t bounce your arms off the floor.
Do not pause between the reps. Immediately lower your body again for another push-up. Do as many as you can until you reach a point of a muscle failure.
When you lower the body gradually, it stimulates growth, boosts your strength and enhances stability in your muscles.
Gaddour says that after your eccentric push-ups, you will feel as if the pecs are about to pop out of the shirt.
Tips That Makes an Effective Push-up
Here are Five essential tips that guarantee an effective push-up workout.
- Always brace the core: During push-ups, you often tend to round the spine and forming a banana back. To prevent this, brace your core hard. This prevents the risk of injury and keeps the spine neutral.
- Squeeze the glutes: Glutes are the biggest muscle group in the body and often remain inactive. When you squeeze them during the pushups, they protect lower back, improve overall body posture and provides maximum tension.
- Pack the elbows: If you flare your elbows wide, it does provide some strength but can cause shoulder and rotator cuff problems. To prevent this, pack the elbows towards your sides and keep less space between the armpits. This improves shoulder’s health.
- Grip the Floor: Never join the fingers. Instead, grip the floor by opening them. This creates maximum body tension, tighten your lats and triceps and engages the upper back muscles.
- Push the ground away: Instead of pushing the body off the ground, think as if you were pushing the floor away from your body. This will naturally produce a bracing effect in your body and will utilize more muscles during the workout.
Do you think this is something new? Don’t forget to share it with your gym partners.
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