Push-Up With Lat Row
This variation adds alternating dumbbell lat rows to the top of each rep. This modification increases the intensity of the exercise, activates the core stabilizers, and engages the latissimus dorsi (back) muscles.
To do it, perform the push-up with hands holding dumbbells versus pushing against the floor. At the top of the movement, pull the weight up to the chest before lowering it back to the floor.
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The push-up can be modified in a number of ways; novices can start with simpler variations while more experienced exercisers can utilize a tougher variety. The push-up can be done as a bodyweight exercise, a circuit training exercise, or a strength exercise.
Get down on all fours and position your hands slightly wider than your shoulders to perform a push-up. The elbows should remain slightly bent; avoid locking them out. Set your feet hip-width apart and extend your legs back until you are upright and balanced. Here is how to perform a push-up after you are in this position.
Pulling your belly button toward your spine will help you to tighten your core and contract your abs.
Inhale as you slowly lower yourself to the ground while bending your elbows until they are at a 90-degree angle.
Exhale, then push back up through your hands to the starting position by tightening your chest muscles.
All the way through the push-up, maintain a tight core. keep in mind
Benefits of Push-Ups
The abdominal muscles used to hold the body rigid during the push-up are the rectus abdominis and the internal and external obliques.2 As the push-up involves multiple joints, it is a compound exercise.
The upper body muscles that come into play in the push-up are the deltoids of the shoulders, the pectoral muscles of the chest, the triceps and biceps of the upper arm, and the gluteal or hip muscles, and the erector spinae of the back.1
In daily life, you often need to push against objects, from doors to shopping carts. The functional fitness you develop with push-ups provides the strength needed to perform these movements. Working the stabilizer muscles around the shoulders can help protect you from rotator cuff injuries.
A 2019 study also found that people who can do 40 push-ups have fewer cardiovascular disease events than those who cannot complete 10 push-ups.4 Push-ups can be used as a measure of upper body fitness, allowing you to assess whether you need to be doing more to keep your upper body in good working condition.
Do Push-Ups Burn Fat?
Push-ups do not burn fat directly, but resistance training does burn calories which can help create a deficit needed for weight loss. As well, building muscle can increase your metabolism.5 However, you cannot spot reduce fat and push-ups will not burn fat off a particular body part.
Other Variations of a Push-Up
Whether you are a beginner and need to make this exercise easier, or you’re advanced and want more of a challenge—or want to better target a specific muscle—there is a push-up variation for you.
Bent-Knee Push-Up
This is a modified version of the standard push-up performed on the knees rather than on the toes. Be sure to keep the knees, hips, and shoulders all in a straight line. Do not allow yourself to bend at the hips.
Incline Push-Up
You can also do incline push-ups to make this exercise a bit easier. Stand several feet away from the table or bench. Use the same push-up technique as above to lower yourself until the elbows are at 90 degrees, then raise back up. Keep your core engaged throughout the movement.