Benefits of Push-ups

Many people consider pushups as nothing more than a warm-up drill, a beginner’s workout, or a bad joke from gym class. This type of workout, however, is one of the best exercises that help develop upper body strength. Regardless of your fitness level, the push-up effectively works all of your muscles involved during the horizontal press, trains your stabilizers, and triggers your entire core.

1. Improves Functional Strength

If you are unfamiliar about the number of muscles involved during a push-up, then you willl be surprised to know that it literally engages every major muscle in your body. The major muscle groups include the biceps, tricepts, core muscles, deltoids, and the lower body. These mucles are called upon in order to execute the movement, and support your body as you stabilize.

2. Stretches Muscles for Vitality and Health

As you lower your body to the ground and recover back to the initial position, you need to be aware that this movement stretches your biceps and back muscles. This full stretch helps improve your flexibility, which is essential in injury prevention. A well-stretched muscle also gives you a solid and luring appearance.

3. Boosts Cardiovascular Health

The push-up, as a compound exercise, recruits multiple muscle groups in order to successfully execute the necessary movements. Your heart works harder when you engage large muscle groups simultaneously. This helps deliver oxygenated blood to the muscle tissue. As you regularly do the push-up, your body will also enjoy a cardiovascular exercise. This type of workout promotes cardiovascular health and helps burn stored body fat.

4. Improves Muscle Definition

The more you engage a muscle group in a strength training workout, the greater your body will produce and release human growth hormone, or HGH. This specialized hormone supports your body’s natural growth. The release of this type of hormone, however, declines as you age.

This makes muscle building a challenging task for adults. If you incorporate push-ups into your regular strength training program, then you will be able to boost your body’s HGH production for further muscular growth.

5. Protects Shoulders from Injury

The rotator cuff muscles surrounding the shoulders are among the most commonly injured muscles in the body. This is why there is a great need to protect this delicate part, and doing the push-up is one effective way to prevent this muscle group from any injuries. Push-ups help strengthen and condition your shoulder muscles for dynamic movements. By doing this exercise regularly and properly, your likelihood of getting injured shoulders will significantly be reduced.

6. Improves Posture

"source" - www.fitnesstranslator

Improper posture can negatively affect your health as you age. One of the common reasons why this is so is that poor posture means you have weak core muscles. You need to strengthen your core to support your back and shoulders. When you do a push-up, your core muscles are fine-tuned. Regularly doing it will cause your body to practice proper posture.

7. Helps Prevent Back Injuries

"source" - www.biomat.com

The lower back provides support for nearly all types of movements, so hurting or damaging it can significantly affect your daily activities. Doing push-up strengthens this important muscle group and helps protect it against injuries. Once you have strengthened your lower back, your body will become more stable at every moment, reducing your chances of getting injured.

8. Provides a Total Body Workout for Busy People

Most people, especially professionals, usually use their busy schedule as an excuse to escape exercising. This activity should not be overlooked as it can make or break your overall health. If you wish to live a healthy life, then you need to set aside time for exercise. Push-up engages nearly every major muscle group on your body, which means it can give you a total body workout in such a short time.

9. Comes Without a Cost

Signing up for a gym membership or an exercise class will cost you a lot of money. If you are always on a tight budget, then you should consider integrating push-up into your daily activities. Doing push-ups regularly will effectively work both minor and major muscle groups. You can do this without any fitness equipment, and at the comfort of your home.

10. Increases Testosterone Levels

Hormones begin to diminish as you age. The men experience the biggest loss in testosterone levels. Several studies suggested that doing a standard push-up triggers testosterone production. This hormone is essential for both men and women.

11. Lowers Risks of Osteoporosis

"source" - www.forkedrivergazette.com

Regular exercise, when executed properly, promotes bone health. Osteoporosis is a condition where the body experiences a decreased level of bone cells. This condition results in weaker bone structures, making you prone to injuries and serious health problems. Weight-bearing exercises particularly help in bone strengthening, including push-ups.