Introduction-
Pushups are an exercise performed to trin the upper extremity muscles, specially the chest and the triceps. They also strengthen back and core muscles of the body.
Technique-
The initial position to start with pushup is by keeping a prone position. Now place your hands palms down under the shoulders and the balls of the feet on the ground. Make sure that your back is straight. Now begin the exercise by pushing the body up and let it down by an alternate straightening and bending of the arms.
Pushups are a fast and effective exercise for building strength. They don’t require any equipment and thus can be easily performed anywhere.
Muscles Involved-
The prime mover muscle are the chest muscle which is pectoralis major. As you lower yourself toward the floor, the muscles lengthens and controls the descent. The muscle shortens when you push back up again.
Antagonists are the muscle which opposes the prime mover which are middle trapezius, rhomboids and posterior deltoids.
Synergists are the helper muscles they assist the agonist. The main synergist muscles are the triceps and the anterior deltoids.
Variations and modifications-
variety can be used to modify the basic exercise in order to alter the difficulty.
these include:
- Knee push-ups – done with knee touched on ground, provides extra supports, great for beginners.
- Wall pushups- performed in a standing position against a wall
- Incline pushups; Incline push-ups are performed with the hands positioned higher than the feet.
- Decline push-ups: performed by keeping your legs on a higher plane and hands on the floor. (use a bench, a box, or any piece of furniture for leg placement)
- One-arm push-up: advanced level- works on the core, shoulders, chest, biceps, triceps, and forearm muscles.
Advanced and higher level pushups-
- Pushups alternating with shoulder taps
- adding an unstable surface while performing the push‐up
- one arm pushup
- push-ups performed with hands in a narrow base position rather than a wide base position
- pushups with just his hands (feet not touching the ground at all)
Conclusion-
pushups are a great exercise that can be done by any one, performed anywhere. One can start with the basic level and progress to advance levels. It is a great exercise to train your upper body and core muscles. It is also widely used in shoulder rehab cases.
Also read- https://vcurehealthcare.com/understanding-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/
