Many people likely have a love-hate relationship with push-ups. Push-ups are an exercise that your body needs to look and feel great, but at the same time your body is very likely to strongly dislike doing them. While you probably don’t wake up in the morning eager to do push-ups at some point in your day, push-ups are great for the entire body. Here are some of the many benefits of the sometimes dreaded push-up:
Push-ups won’t cost you a penny. You don’t need a gym membership or fancy exercise equipment at home. Push-up don’t require a personal trainer or a whole lot of skill. All you need is yourself and some space on the floor. Unless you are suffering from an injury, there are no excuses for not giving push-ups a try.
Push-ups are a total body exercise. Push-ups are a classic exercise and one of the most effective exercises out there. There are very few parts of your body that do not benefit from engaging in regular push-ups. Push-ups help to strengthen the forearms, chest and shoulders. They also work to stabilize and build strong back and abdominal muscles. Push-ups can even help strengthen your hamstrings and quadriceps. Talk about a total body workout!
Push-ups help to boost your metabolism. In an effort to lose weight and look great, push-ups can be very beneficial. Push-ups exert your entire body while forcing your heart to work harder. While exerting yourself, your muscles require more oxygen in order to produce energy. The only way to make more energy is to get your heart pumping quicker. As a result, you boost your metabolism and cause your body to burn more calories as you workout.
Push-ups can help to increase your bone mass. With age, bone mass tends to naturally decline. Bone mass peaks in your mid to late 30s and then gradually declines from there. A loss of bone mass (especially in women) can lead to osteoporosis. Performing weight bearing exercises, including push-ups, can help to strengthen the bones in your upper body including your wrist, shoulders, forearms, elbows and upper arms. Weight bearing exercises can help to promote stronger and more dense bones.
Push-ups can also double as a stretching exercise. While performing push-ups, your biceps and back are also stretching. So by performing push-ups, you are also toning your biceps and back. Stretching also encourages flexibility.
Push-ups can help to improve your posture. Correcting your posture can help reduce your risk of developing back pain or a back injury. It is important to remember that push-ups are only beneficial to your posture if you are performing the exercise correctly. If you arch your back too much during a push-up, this will not help with your posture. If you are unsure of proper form, ask a trainer at your gym, a physician, physical therapist or another individual familiar with exercise science.
