Men’s Fitness Workout Tips – Push up Variations
Knee Push-up
Pushups are wonderful exercise for total body work out which helps strengthen your body muscles. The pushup exercises are equally beneficial for your upper and lower body part. The best part of these exercises is that you can do in routine.
Whether you are on travel or want a quick workout for your fitness, pushups are best for you as you can perform it even with no equipments. While doing pushups you will require a good deal of upper body strength as well as a good support of lower body for stabilizing. The pushup exercises are best to pump blood to your muscles and enhance your fitness routine. Another great thing about these workouts is its variations. You can adopt the moves from beginner to advanced levels according to your endurance. Following are some of the effective pushup variations:
Knee Push-up
This is one of the easiest pushup exercises which are suitable for beginners. The knee pushup works out for your upper body and is very close to basic pushup. Beginners can perform it easily as it requires less upper body and core strength. The steps are simple for performing this pushup style. You need to balance your hands and knees on the floor in a way that your body forms a straight line from your knees to your head. Lower your body to the floor by bending your elbows, stopping just before your chest touches the ground. Repeat it by pressing your body back to start.
Incline Push-up
The incline push-up is another workout variation which is suitable for beginners. To perform this exercise you can use an Equalizer bar, a wall, a bench or a sturdy chair. You have to place your hands on the sturdy chair and step your feet back until your body forms a straight line from heels to head. Lower your upper body towards the object by bending your elbows, stopping just before your chest touches it. Reverse the movement and repeat the push-up by returning to start.
Standard Push-up
Once you have decided to begin the push-up variations, the best way is to start with Standard push-up. Balance your body by placing your hands and knees on the floor. Step your feet backward and balance your body on your toes. Make yourself balanced and relaxed making sure that your body is forming a straight line from heels to head. Start the push-ups by lowering yourself toward the ground, stopping just before your chest touches. By keeping your elbows in towards your body, you can target your triceps and hand muscles. You can also focus on your chest muscles by allowing your elbows to move perpendicular to your body. Reverse the movement and repeat the pushup by returning to start.
Push-up Jacks
This push-up variation will force to do something more and jump from the beginners’ level to intermediate level. This type of push-up will require core engagement and involvement along with lower body power and upper body strength. You can start this exercise by making a standard pushup position by balancing your body on your palms and toes. As you lower down your body to the ground, hop your feet up and out, as if you are performing a jumping jack. When your chest is just about to touch the ground, reverse the movement by hoping your feet back to center and pressing your body up to the starting position to repeat the variation.
By adding pushups to your workouts you will enhance the balance and stabilization of your body while strengthening your muscles. To make your workout more effective, try to include at least 3 different pushup variations and perform each for 1 to 3 sets, each set of 10 to 16 repetitions. As a beginner you can start with one variation and then move on to advanced levels.
