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Push Ups Workout
(BEST PUSH UPS WORKOUT FOR BUILDING MUSCLE AT HOME)

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<span class='title'>Push Ups Workout</span> <div class='subtitle'>(BEST PUSH UPS WORKOUT FOR BUILDING MUSCLE AT HOME)</div> <p class='post-meta'> By <span class='author vcard'><a href='https://www.lifebuddymobileapp.com' title='Posts by Brandon Lee' rel='author'>Brandon Lee</a></span></p>

push ups workouts

The Ultimate Push Ups Guide

Push ups are one of the most versatile and effective exercises you can do to build strength and muscle.

Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced athlete, push ups can be tailored to fit your fitness level and goals. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the anatomy of the muscles involved in push-ups and present the best push-up variations and workouts, all achievable with minimal equipment.

push ups

The Ultimate Push Ups Guide

1. Anatomy of the Muscles Involved in Push Ups

2. Optimal Push Up Workouts: Identifying the Most Effective Routines for Muscle Growth

Before we dive into the best push-up exercises, let’s first examine the different muscles involved in push-ups, so you can foster a stronger mind-to-muscle connection during your workouts. Each section is designed to be interactive, allowing you to click and jump directly to the topic of interest, facilitating an engaging and efficient learning experience tailored to your fitness journey.

1. Anatomy of the Muscles Involved in Push Ups

Push-ups primarily target the pectoralis major, triceps, and deltoids, but they also engage several other muscle groups.

The pectoralis major is the main muscle worked during push-ups. Decline push-ups, performed by elevating your feet on a chair and placing your hands on the floor, effectively target this area.

Decline Push Ups (Pectoralis Major)

The triceps brachii, located on the back of your upper arm, are heavily engaged during push-ups. Diamond push-ups are ideal for this area, providing a comprehensive workout that enhances both strength and endurance without any special equipment.

Diamond Push Ups (Triceps Brachii)

The deltoids, or shoulder muscles, are also engaged during push-ups. To target this area, Crucifix push-ups can be effectively performed by placing your hands on a raised surface, such as a sturdy armless chair.

Crucifix Push Ups (Deltoids)

Understanding how to engage these muscle groups with strategic exercise alignment enhances both the effectiveness of your workouts and the visual impact of your gains. Next, we’ll explore specific push-up variations that utilize your available equipment to optimally target these areas.

2. Optimal Push Up Workouts: Identifying the Most Effective Routines for Muscle Growth

The best push-up workout plan should target all the major muscle groups involved: pectoralis major, triceps, and deltoids.

This can be achieved by selecting exercises that cater to the distinct orientations of these muscles. To truly enhance your upper body, it’s essential to incorporate exercises that not only challenge these regions but also incorporate the principles of muscle stretching during the negative phase and muscle flexing during the positive phase of each exercise.

Military Push Ups – Mid Chest Overload

How to Perform Military Push Ups

  1. Position Your Hands: Place your hands on the ground at shoulder width, aligning them with your chest.
  2. Straighten Your Body: Extend your legs back, balancing on your toes and hands, and form a straight line from your head to your heels.
  3. Lower Your Body: Bend your elbows to lower your chest towards the floor while keeping your body straight.
  4. Push Up: Press your hands into the floor to raise your body back to the starting position.
    5. What Makes It Effective: Military Push-Ups are excellent for targeting the entire chest, especially the middle section, while also engaging the core and triceps.

Circle Reverse Decline Push Ups – Upper Chest Overload

How to Perform Circle Reverse Decline Push Ups

  1. Set Your Position: Place your feet on a sturdy armless chair and hands on the ground, wider than shoulder-width.
  2. Lower Into a Push-Up: Perform a push-up while lowering your body in a circular motion to emphasize the upper chest.
  3. Push Up and Circle Back: Complete the circular motion by pushing your body back up to the starting position.
    4. What Makes It Effective: This exercise overloads the upper chest and adds a dynamic component to traditional push-ups, enhancing muscle engagement.

Incline Push Ups – Lower Chest Overload

How to Perform Incline Push Ups

  1. Prepare Your Position: Face a sturdy chair sideways. Place hands on its side, feet on the ground.
  2. Execute the Movement: Lower your body by bending elbows, then push up.
  3. Controlled Return: Ensure that the movement is controlled and your body remains straight throughout.
  4. Repeat: Continue for the set number of repetitions.
    5. What Makes It Effective: This pushup variation reduces strain on the wrists and shoulders while targeting the lower chest and increasing core stability.

Remember, developing a strong and well-defined upper body involves more than just targeting the main muscle groups. It’s crucial to overload each section and ensure that you work the muscles across their entire range of motion, which is key for optimal growth.

Try out the exercises in this section, and you’ll be on your way to a more prominent and powerful upper body.

If you’re looking for a comprehensive strength training regimen to enhance muscle definition and strength across all muscle groups, explore our LifeBuddy Apps to find the perfect program tailored to your goals and the equipment you have available.

Push Ups FAQ

For major upper body gains with minimal equipment, these exercises are top choices:

Accelerate upper body development by focusing on exercises that target all the major muscle groups: pectoralis major, triceps, and deltoids. Ensure to perform movements that work these muscles across their full range of motion, critical for growth. It’s advisable to engage in these targeted exercises 1-2 times per week, integrating both strength and hypertrophy workouts from the LifeBuddy’s mobile apps.

REFERENCES
J Strength Cond Res. 2020 Oct;34(10):2877-2885. Explosive Push-ups: From Popular Simple Exercises to Valid Tests for Upper-Body Power

J Exerc Sci Fit. 2017 Jun;15(1):37-42. Low-load bench press and push-up induce similar muscle hypertrophy and strength gain

J Sports Sci Med. 2020 May 1;19(2):289-297. Push-Ups vs. Bench Press Differences in Repetitions and Muscle Activation between Sexes
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