Push-ups are one of the most basic strength-building exercises that you can do. It’s a body-weight exercise, meaning that it doesn’t require the use of free weights or any other special equipment. You can do push-ups at home, in the gym, or anywhere you like.
One of the best things about push-ups is that they’re a great starter for your strength training routine. Strength training is essential to healthy living. It helps take the stress off your skeletal system by powering up your muscles. Strength training, also called resistance training, helps prevent injuries and burns calories so that you lose weight.
Related: Chest Workouts at Home Without Equipment (Chest Sculpting Exercises)
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FAQ
Can you do push-ups every day?
You certainly can do push-ups every day, but it’s better to rest a couple of days a week. Your goal should be to have a well-rounded fitness routine. That includes strength-building exercises, a healthy diet, and cardiovascular exercises like running or biking. The great thing about daily push-ups is that you are in total control. You can spread them out over the course of the day and allow your body the time it needs to gradually get stronger.
Is it safe for beginners to do push-ups every day?
Push-ups uses your own body weight for resistance. So without the heavy lifting, there is less chance of over-training or tearing the muscle fibers. Most experts would advise taking a few days off to rest, but you can spread out your exercise routine throughout the day. This will help you build up your ability to work out the muscles gradually, especially if you are new to physical exercise.
For example, you might start out by doing 10 push-ups in the morning, 10 push-ups in the afternoon, 10 push-ups in the evening, and 10 push-ups at night. You can gradually build up the repetitions over time. With good rest and a proper diet, your body will be able to safely maintain a daily push up regiment.
Now, what if you’re an advanced athlete, are daily push-ups still safe?
The answer is more complicated and the danger of over-training becomes much greater for advanced level athletes. You might have the capacity to do hundreds of push-ups in a day, but if you perform that routine every single day, you might not be giving your body adequate time to recover.
If you’re also doing other high-intensity exercises you could actually damage your body. Weightlifters and bodybuilders often incorporate push-ups into their warm-up routine, but you’re sure to burn out if you try to make a thousand push-ups the main focus of your strength training regiment. Therefore, you should train in moderation.
Daily pushups are fine, as long as you’re getting the proper amount of rest and not exercising the muscles to total failure every single day. You should also refuel the muscles by eating potassium-rich foods such as bananas and lean cuts of protein-rich chicken, fish or beef.
What are the benefits of every day push-ups?
The most notable benefits of daily push-ups are increased muscle tone, power, and elasticity. You aren’t going to get jacked like an Olympic bodybuilder, but you will get ripped and gain a high level of functional strength. Remember: heavy weights and low repetitions increase your mass. Lightweights and high repetitions increase your muscle definition.
What muscles are you building?
You’ll notice an increased amount of striation in the three muscle bands of the deltoids in your shoulders. Push-ups also work the brachioradialis of the forearm, brachialis, and triceps of the upper arms. You will feel and see improvement in the rectus abdominis and obliques of your mid-section. Most notably, you will increase the definition and tone of the pectoralis muscle group in your chest.
Can women do push-ups every day?
Sure, women can certainly do push-ups every day. It all comes down to frequency, form, and intensity. The common variation for the female version of the push up is to perform them from a kneeling position, rather than doing push-ups with the legs fully extended. This reduces the amount of resistance in the exercise.
Women can also decrease the amount of resistance by doing push-ups with a decreased range of motion. Simply place your hands on an elevated workout bench. This way, you’re not going all the way down to the floor when you bend your arms at the elbow. Again, don’t work out to total exhaustion.
Push up Variation
For some people, the idea of doing traditional style push-ups every day can get a bit boring. Luckily, you can add lots of variation to the push-up and target different muscle groups while you work out. It’s one of the most versatile exercises on the planet.
If you truly want to maximize the potential of every day push-ups, then you’ve got to try handstand push-ups. With this exercise, you are lifting every ounce of your own body weight with each repetition. You’re going to feel this exercise primarily in your back and shoulders, but also in the forearms and abs.
Beginners start out by facing a wall. Place your hands on the floor in front of the wall and slowly kick your legs up until your feet touch the wall. Once you’re completely vertical, slowly lower your body toward the floor. Press up, extending your arms and repeat as many times as you can.
For you advanced body-weight athletes out there, try doing handstand push-ups without the stability of a wall. You can suspend your body between two dip bars or use two workout benches. Your entire upper body will feel the burn.
Some Helpful Tips
If you want to gain more muscle mass with every day push-ups, then increase the resistance. There are a few ways you can do this. You can place your feet on a workout bench or inclined surface. This increases the angle of the push-up. You can also have a workout buddy place a weighted plate on your back. Some people might say this is no longer a body-weight exercise, but your ridiculous gains will soon silence all the haters.