Push-ups or press-ups may be fairly common exercises in basic calisthenics (various physical exercises with rhythmic movements performed without exercise aids), but that doesn't mean they're easy. If you want to increase the number of push-ups you can do in a set, you can learn to get your body into the right position and increase the number of sets and reps you can do in the right way. You can also learn some muscle isolation exercises that can make you stronger and improve your push-up skills.
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Part 1 of 3: Doing Push-Ups Well
Step 1. Perform the stretch beforehand
In order to do push-ups properly and ensure that you can increase the number of push-ups you can do at a time, it's important that you learn the correct positioning of these exercises and stretch thoroughly before starting to do them.
- Stretch your chest muscles in a warrior posture by interlacing your fingers behind your back at waist level, then gently extend your arms away from your body to stretch your chest. Hold for a count of 15-20 to gently stretch the pectoral muscles.
- Stretch your upper and lower body. While push-ups are an exercise for the majority of your upper body, they also require core strength so your body should be relaxed and ready to work out.
Step 2. Place your weight on the front of the foot
For push-ups, the front of the foot should be on a non-slip surface and it would be better if this surface was slightly soft, such as a yoga mat. You can wear sports shoes to better protect your feet if needed.
- If you're doing this on carpet at home, it's best to wear shoes to help your feet grip the floor more and prevent them from slipping. If you are only wearing socks or barefoot, this position is more difficult to do.
- If you're having trouble doing regular push-ups, try starting with modified push-ups on your knees instead of your toes until you have enough strength to do a regular push-up.
Step 3. Keep your shoulders straight and your spine straight
Your head should be facing the floor, your neck as straight as possible to prevent it from getting too tense. Keep your shoulders straight, not arching your neck. It's a good idea to keep your spine as straight as possible without disturbing its natural curvature. This straight line must be maintained all the way to the heel of the foot.
You can use a mirror or have someone observe your position to make sure your back is straight when you take a push-up position. Have someone take a photo of you to confirm your position and make the necessary adjustments if your position isn't quite right
Step 4. Position your hands and arms well
Your arms and legs should be shoulder-width apart although you can spread your arms a bit wider to make this push-up exercise easier the first time you try it. As you get better at this, try bringing your hands closer together to be shoulder-width apart and achieve the ideal push-up position.
- Keep your elbows in, no matter how wide your hands are. Then, position both hands slightly lower than the shoulders. When taking a push-up position, imagine that there is a straight line between your shoulders and the floor, and don't let your hands cross that line.
- Doing push-ups can put a lot of strain on your wrists. Use the outer edges of your hands, rather than your palms flat on the floor, to do push-ups. Sometimes some people grip dumbbells to do push-ups, instead of bare hands to get around this.
Step 5. Bend your arms at a 90 degree angle
Bend your elbows while locking your back and hips in a very straight position, then lower your body slowly. When your arms are bent to a 90-degree angle, push yourself back up until your arms are straight again.
- You should not try to touch your nose to the floor or jerk your body back up after doing this exercise. Try to focus on correcting the position until you get the technique right and keeping your back straight if you want to be able to do more push-ups.
- Several other variations of push-ups, some of which require you to lower your body even lower, are done to build more muscle. Usually this variation requires a slightly different hand placement position and will be discussed at the end of this article. When doing regular push-ups, don't lower yourself until your arms are bent more than 90 degrees.
Step 6. Keep the core of the body locked
If done correctly, this push-up exercise will also feel in the stomach, as well as in the chest. The core or abdominal muscles will be tense to maintain correct posture, but there should be no dynamic movements other than those made by the arms, shoulders, and chest area.
Try doing this, holding your body in a push-up position, but don't do the movement. See how long you can hold it, keeping your body very straight and locked in that position. Where in your body will you begin to feel the burning sensation? Keep your muscles tense as you do push-ups and keep your body straight as the exercise progresses
Step 7. Do the movement slowly at first
This is not a race. Lower your body in a slow, smooth motion, inhaling as your body descends and exhaling as you push your body away from the floor. You'll be able to do more push-ups in the long run if you start doing them less and at a slower pace.
- If you're pushing your body up really fast, this trick feels like a great way to increase the number of push-ups you can do. But it's important to first build strength, then start thinking about the number of push-ups you can do.
- If numbers are your goal, of course your goal in this case is to do more push-ups faster. However, fast push-ups are not that challenging.
Part 2 of 3: Increasing the Amount Doable
Step 1. Find the maximum amount
If you want to increase the number of reps you can do in any exercise, it's a good idea to find out how many reps you can do at a time. Therefore, try to do as many push-ups as you can. When you lower your body and can no longer push your body up, this is your maximum.
Step 2. Do several sets of progressive push-ups each day
If you're using heavy weights, it's a good idea to keep dividing your workout into sets so your body can rest for a while so it can recover. This gives the muscles the opportunity to build strength more effectively instead of pounding it by doing a set of multiple reps that puts more stress on the muscles and joints. There are different ways to divide the push-up exercise into sets:
- You can increase the number of reps per set you do, and increase these reps slowly. Start by doing three sets, each set consisting of one-third the maximum number of reps, before slowly increasing the number of reps in each set.
- You can increase the number of sets consisting of the maximum number of repetitions. Do one set of the maximum number of reps you can do, and allow your body to recover for a moment. After that, do another set. Slowly increase the number of sets you can do at a time, then slowly increase the number of reps until you reach the maximum number.
Step 3. Try to divide the maximum number of reps into three sets
If your maximum number of reps is 15, do three sets of five push-ups each, with a 10-second break between each set. Do this for a few days, then slip in an extra push-up or two for the next try. Do this for a few days then do the same thing again.
Eventually, you'll be able to do 3 sets of 15 reps and you can start to progressively add one or two reps to each set. Alternatively, you can try doing fewer sets of more reps
Step 4. Try doing three sets of which the total number of reps is equal to your maximum number of reps
You can also try to start by doing one maximum set but inserting longer breaks between each set. Using this method, you can add reps more slowly, but the total number per workout will add up very quickly, and you'll also get stronger.
Do 3 x push-ups alternately with sets of fewer reps. If you start with 15 reps, try doing three sets of 15 reps and see what that feels like. If it's too difficult, try doing 5 sets of 10 reps and see what it feels like
Step 5. Try adding more push-ups to each set progressively
Start by playing around with how much you can do sets of multiple reps interspersed with more sets. Try alternating these two approaches to keep your workout as dynamic as possible.
- Try to move according to your own ability. If your goal is to increase the number of sets or increase the number of reps, obviously there is no one way that will allow you to start doing more push-ups. To get any of these things, you need to be consistent and do an amount of push-ups that are comfortable for you.
- To maintain safety, you should not increase the number of repetitions every 2-3 days. Give your muscles time to get stronger and so you don't feel overwhelmed.
Step 6. Try timed push-ups
There are two basic ways you can take to make this task more challenging: increase the workload you have to do, or reduce the time. If you have a good push-up technique, try to find out how many push-ups you can do in a set timed for example one minute and write this down and on what date you did them in a journal to keep track of your progress.
It's important to make sure you maintain good push-up technique if you want to try a timed exercise
Step 7. Try pushing yourself to the max once a month
In this exercise, remember to take breaks between sets and find out how many push-ups you can do in one set without stopping. You should be able to see results pretty quickly.
Even if you start with a specific goal, such as being able to do 50 push-ups, you should try to achieve this goal by doing a variety of different exercises and sets on a regular basis. It's easy to become stagnant if you're just doing the same thing
Step 8. Try to be consistent
If you don't do push-ups regularly, you will also find that the number of push-ups you can do is reduced. If you do 50 push-ups one day, and stop training for a week, the next time you try to do them again, you will find yourself unsuccessful. A consistent attitude pays off in any practice.
It's more efficient to try to do fewer push-ups on a regular basis, instead of trying to do a lot at a time but not regularly. If you want to be able to do more push-ups, you need to do them at least 5 days a week
Part 3 of 3: Targeting the Push-Up Muscles
Step 1. Incorporate push-ups into your workout routine
While this move is a great move for a full body workout, you'll also need to do other exercises to work certain muscle groups and get your body into overall shape. Other exercises you can do at home, or with simple hand weights include:
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Squat
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Plank
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- Russian swing
- Leg raise
- Split-jump
Step 2. Do chest curls
Push-ups generally target the pectoral and triceps muscles. Another exercise that does the same thing and can be done with a set of hand weights is the chest curl, also known as the butterfly curl.
Use a set of weights that will add to the challenge as you do 10-15 reps. Lie down on a weight bench and bring your hands close to each other and lift them up to your chest. Keep your arms straight and long, then lower the weight by extending your arms and dropping them to your sides until they are in line with your chest. Exhale and bring your arms back close to each other over your chest for one rep
Step 3. Do a pec row
The pectoral row is similar to a reverse push-up, and requires stiff arm weights for 10-15 reps. This is a great way to work the same muscles and add variety to your workout menu.
Stand with your back straight and weight in each hand, then lean into a 45-degree angle and keep your back straight. Lower the weights with your arms straight, then slowly lift them back up to work your triceps and pectorals. Stretch your arms at a 90-degree angle as if you were doing a push-up. Lower the weight slowly. Do several sets of 15 reps
Step 4. Try doing a raised guillotine push-up
If you want to start going to the extreme and challenge yourself to do more push-ups, this method is a great way to go. In this method, you lower your body slightly lower than a traditional push-up by lifting the rest of your body. This way, the shoulders are a little more isolated when compared to regular push-ups. Keep in mind that you should only do this type of push-up if you can do traditional push-ups with good technique.
Place your hands on two barbells or a medicine ball to lift your body slightly higher. Put your feet on something similar in height if needed. Lower your body until your chest is in line with the assistive device
Step 5. Do another variation of the push-up
If you're tired of doing regular push-ups, you can use basic techniques to isolate other upper body muscle groups and get more effective results from your workout. Try the following push-up variations:
- In a push-up planche, your feet are placed in a higher support which helps to isolate the chest muscles.
- In a one-handed push-up, position one arm toward the center of the body so that the weight of the other arm is heavier.
- In a maltese push-up, you move your hands closer to your waist so that the back muscles are isolated.
- In the diamond push-up, the triceps are isolated and this exercise is performed by positioning the hands in a "diamond" pattern, touching the floor with the thumb and forefinger.
- Bridge push-ups are performed using hand weights. To do this, grab your hand weights and do a regular push-up, then tilt your body to one side while lifting one arm in the air. Return to the starting position and do another push-up, then tilt to one side and lift the other arm. This type of push-up is difficult to do.
Tips
- When you reach your goal, don't stop practicing because you might have to start all over again.
- Make sure you take the correct position.
- Don't overdo push-ups.
- Try weight training. Strengthen the muscle groups used when doing push-ups (chest, triceps, shoulders, core, back, and so on).
Warning
- If you overdo this exercise, you will feel excruciating pain.
- This article is not responsible if you are injured.
