Which muscles do push-ups work?

Push-ups do not require any equipment and are not restricted by space or time. They can exercise many parts of the body, so many male friends like to do them. Push-ups also have many benefits. They can improve the quality of life and slow down aging. There are also many standard postures for push-ups. So, which muscles do push-ups train? Now let me give you a detailed introduction, I hope it can help you.

Push-ups can train the biceps, triceps, pectoral muscles, latissimus dorsi, psoas muscles, and abdominal muscles. Generally speaking, it is the upper limb muscles. But it also depends on the specific method of push-ups. To see which muscle is exerting force in an action, the contraction of the muscle can be seen through the movement of the joints in this action.

Push-ups work the chest (pectoralis major), arms (triceps brachii), shoulders (anterior deltoid), back (teres minor, infraspinatus), buttocks, and legs.

1. Compound set push-ups (horizontal, incline, decline) Exercise muscles: pectoral muscles, deltoid muscles, upper back muscles, triceps. Practice: Do 3 sets continuously, pausing only when changing positions between sets.

A. Standard push-ups: Place your hands on the ground shoulder-width apart, straighten your legs and back, keep your feet together, straighten your arms, and lock your elbows. Look forward, not at the ground, and lower yourself until your chest almost touches the ground, keeping your back straight, then push yourself up in a controlled manner to return to the starting position. Pay attention to the rhythm of the movements.

B. Incline push-ups - place your hands on a bench 50-70 cm high. Lower your body until your chest is parallel to your hands, then push yourself up. This exercise mainly works the lower pectoral muscles. In addition to the bench, you can also support your hands on a fitness ball. This is more difficult because more muscles will be involved in the movement to maintain balance, including the waist and abdominal muscles.

C. Decline push-ups - Place your feet on a bench for support and your hands on the ground. Lower your body until your chest almost touches the ground and then push up. This training method mainly targets the upper chest muscles and the front shoulder muscles. You can also use a fitness ball instead to increase the involvement of your trunk muscles.

2. Power push-ups exercise the following muscles: chest muscles, shoulder muscles, upper back muscles, and triceps. The starting position is the same as a standard push-up, but with your right hand on the ground, your left hand is on a support approximately 20 cm high. Slowly lower your body until your left shoulder is close to your left hand, then use explosive force to push yourself up so that your hands are briefly in the air. At the moment when both hands are in the air, turn the body slightly to the left so that the left hand falls to the ground and the right hand falls on the support.

3. Push-up rotation exercises muscles: posterior deltoid muscle, lumbar lateral muscles, and lower back muscles. The starting position is the same as a standard push-up. Prop up your body, stretch your arms, then rotate to the right, raise your right arm, and look to the upper right as your right arm moves. After a short pause, return to the starting position and switch to the other side.

4. Triceps push-ups exercise muscles: triceps. Perform the same push-up as a standard push-up, but place your hands together and slightly rotate them so that your thumbs and index fingers form a triangle. This changes the load on the triceps.

When practicing push-ups, you must proceed step by step, from easy to difficult, and don't rush. Before doing this, you should fully massage, shake and stretch your upper limbs to prevent muscle stiffness. During the practice, you should fully explore the push-up form that suits you and reasonably control the exercise load. After finishing, you should also relax in time. Don’t eat immediately. Wait about half an hour before eating.