Pushups are a fast and effective exercise for building strength. They can be done from virtually anywhere and don’t require any equipment. You don’t need to start with free weights or fancy machines. The foundation of fitness is movement. And the movements you need to master for any exercise start with your bodyweight. Benefits of Pushups The upper body muscles that used the most in the pushup are the deltoids of the shoulders, the pectoral muscles of the chest, the triceps and biceps of the upper arm, and the erector spinae of the back. The abdominal muscles used to hold the body rigid during the pushup are the rectus abdominis and the transversus abdominis. As the push up involves multiple joints, it is a compound exercise. In daily life, you will often need to push against objects, from doors to shopping carts. The functional fitness you develop with pushups will serve you well. Working the stabilizer muscles around the shoulders can help protect you from rotator cuff injuries. Pushups are also a measure of overall fitness, allowing you to assess whether you need to be doing more to keep your body in good working condition. How To Do Pushups Get on the floor on all fours, positioning your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. Extend your legs back so that you are balanced on your hands and toes. Keep your body in a straight line from head to toe without sagging in the middle or arching your back. You can position your feet to be close together or a bit wider depending on what is most comfortable for you. Before you begin any movement, contract your abs and tighten your core by pulling your belly button toward your spine. Keep a tight core throughout the entire pushup. Inhale as you slowly bend your elbows and lower yourself until your elbows are at a 90-degree angle. Exhale as you begin contracting your chest muscles and pushing back up through your hands to the start position. Don't lock out the elbows; keep them slightly bent. How To Do More If the number of pushups you can do is lower than you’d like, there’s a quick fix that will help make your upper body more powerful and explosive. Follow the steps below, trying to perform each rep as fast as possible, and after 8 workouts test yourself again and see if you have improved. Week 1: Perform 10 sets of 8 repetitions of pushups. Rest two minutes between sets. If you can’t do 8 pushups, rest as needed following the same strategy used in the test. Week 2: Complete 8 sets of 10 repetitions with 1 minute of rest between sets. Week 3: Perform 6 sets of 15 repetitions with 1 minute of rest between sets. Week 4: Do 4 sets of 20 repetitions with two minutes of rest between sets. Take 5 days off from pushups, and then test yourself again and see how you did. You should not do pushups if you have a shoulder, wrist, or elbow injury. Talk to your doctor or physical therapist to see if this is an appropriate exercise. If you want to protect your wrists, you can place your hands on dumbbells or pushup bars to keep them in a neutral position. If you feel shoulder pain during the pushup or hear a clicking noise in your shoulder, end the exercise. Pushups are a great way to improve your fitness without spending a lot of time in the gym, and even fitness beginners can utilize them. For more tips and to shop our line of the cleanest and most effective supplements visit https://finalbossperformance.com/.