Standing at a counter cooking in the kitchen, at work making photocopies or even while traveling? Make your idle time count towards your fitness goals! At DBM Strength training, we know our clients want efficient strategies for optimal results. Below are a few tips fitting more push-ups during the day.
Benefits of Push-ups
Push-ups position all the muscles in our upper body and build optimal strength in the forearms, shoulders, chest. And when done properly, also put emphasis on building a strong core by stabilizing the abdominals and back. There are even some benefits to your quads and hammies.
Push-Ups Boosts Metabolism
Because you’re making everything work, you are pushing your body towards total physical exertion. And while that hurts a little, might make you want to throw up a little, it also forces your heart to work harder. Your muscles demand more oxygen to make energy and the only way to get it is from the heart pumping blood around faster. That will boost your metabolic rate so you burn more calories. Your metabolism is essentially your paycheck in terms of calories. The higher your metabolism, the more calories you get to eat. So doing push-ups is like giving your body a promotion and a big raise!
If you are just beginning to exercise, recovering from an injury or looking for exercise variety, listed below are 5 useful tips:
- Countertop push-ups – Using a waist-high countertop or desk, position your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. Place your feet about 2 to 3 feet from desk or counter. Tighten your abdominal muscles and straighten your spine so your body forms a line from your head to your feet. Bend your elbows and lower your chest towards the counter very slowly, about 3 breaths while lowering. Exhale, straighten your arms and return to starting position. Repeat for about 8 reps.
- Wall push-ups – same as above but using a wall and have your hands at shoulder level.
- Bent knee push-ups – Perform bent-knee push-ups on the floor. Place your hands flat on the floor with hands wide and under shoulders. Slide your knees backward, align your hips towards the floor until you for a straight line from your head to your knees. Bend your elbows and lower your chest towards the floor. Breathe out and straighten your arms to starting position. Keep your abdominal a tight as you perform the push-up. This will protect your back and give you never cow abdominal muscles!
- Negative Push-ups – one way to progress to more push-ups are Lowerings. Get into a regular push-up position by places no hands shoulder with apart and under shoulders. Lower your body (but up and chest down) about 8 slow breaths. Lay your body down on the floor, then get back up to starting position and repeat this for about 8 reps.
- Negative knee push-ups – repeat steps above for regular negative push-ups but this time start on your knees. This is ideal for beginners.
