Push-ups are a fundamental exercise in all sports. Not a single training process goes without checking an athlete for strength and endurance. Many athletes perform push-ups from the floor every day in order to maintain the amount of accumulated weight and shape, if normal activities are impossible. Even bodybuilders include this exercise in their training program as an addition to the base and “finish off” target muscle groups. We have been familiar with this type of activity since the school day, because all boys from grades 5 to 11 passed the standards for push-ups from the floor. However, even in adulthood, few people do this exercise correctly. The execution technique suffers a lot, since people are not theoretically savvy at all. There is an excellent scheme of push-ups from the floor, which will allow you to hone this exercise to automatism in 10 weeks. But first, let's take a look at the basics.
Bit of theory
An interesting fact: a record of push-ups from the floor in one approach - 10 507 times. It was installed by the Japanese Minoru Yoshida in 1980. Impressive, isn't it? But before you chase the indicators, you need to understand the theory. The essence of any strength exercise is the load on certain parts of the body, which will subsequently grow and become stronger. But what muscles work when pushing up from the floor? First of all, it is the chest and triceps. They take on the lion's share of the load. The press and lower back are also included in the work, because we are forced to keep our body in a straight position. A small part of the load goes to the muscles of the legs and shoulder girdle, they act as stabilizers in this exercise.
Many athletes use push-ups for muscle growth. The mass chart will necessarily contain some modified types of exercises, and you will also have to use additional weight. Push-ups are a worthy alternative and even a replacement for the classic barbell bench press. In this type of physical activity, all muscle groups of the chest are involved, while the bench only works on the upper chest.
The benefits of push-ups
This exercise not only strengthens muscles and develops strength, but also has a beneficial effect on the condition of joints and tendons. You will immediately notice how the performance in other bench exercises has increased as soon as you add a push-ups scheme to your weekly training process. Also, this type of training has a lot of advantages:
- Muscle fibers are stretched and injured, which means that exercise provokes mass growth.
- Your muscles will strengthen and become much more prominent, because during push-ups they will receive a huge amount of blood and oxygen.
- Exercise develops speed and coordination, which is especially useful for people involved in martial arts.
- Exercise is considered power and quite energy-consuming, but at a fast pace it can acquire the features of aerobic training. Thus, push-ups help strengthen the blood vessels and heart muscle as a whole.
- All physical exercises contribute to the acceleration of metabolic processes and metabolism.
- Since push-ups are basic exercises, which means they involve more than one joint in the work. This means that regular exercise will have a beneficial effect on strengthening the ligaments and bones.
It is important to understand that a positive effect is possible only with systematic training and observing the correct technique.
The right technique is the key to success
Before you begin the scheme of push-ups from the floor, you need to familiarize yourself with the technical nuances of the exercise:
- Take emphasis lying. The body should be quite tense, and the spine absolutely straight. Deflection in the lower back is not allowed, the pelvis is lowered. Legs slightly apart, palms looking strictly forward.
- Start to bend your elbows and slowly lower the body down. At the lowest point, the distance from the floor to the housing should be no more than three centimeters. But if you manage to get lower, then the scheme of push-ups from the floor for beginners is no longer suitable for you, your physical indicators are at a fairly high level, which means you can start with an average or advanced program.
- Be sure to watch your breath. In the negative phase of movement (when lowering the body) - we take a breath, and in the positive (when lifting) - exhale.
- To raise the case, simply straighten your arms gradually, but do not do it all the way. Perform the exercise within the amplitude and keep all the muscles in constant tension.
Ladies can also do pushups from the floor. The technique for girls is a little simpler. After all, not all women have the strength to lift their body. To do this, there are several options for simplifying the technique:
- push-ups from the wall ;
- push-ups from the table;
- push ups from the bench;
- push ups with fitball;
- push-ups from the knees;
All these variations of the exercise slightly relieve the load from the working muscles, which will allow girls to use push-ups in their training program.
Hand push-ups
There are about 50 types of push-ups, each of them involves certain muscle groups in the work, and each technique is good in its own way. However, the main differences in the effectiveness of the exercise lie in the setting of the hands:
- Wide grip push-ups to a greater extent include the chest in work. Due to the strong stretching of the target muscles, we significantly increase the load. The amplitude is shortened, and the body rises only by the pectoral muscles, not including the arms.
- If you put your hands very narrowly, you will get push-ups from the floor to triceps. In this option, we greatly increase the amplitude of movement and concentrate the weight of the body at one point. Thus, in order to maintain balance, all hand stabilizers are included in the work, and in particular: the back and side of the forearm.
- The next trick is very useful to the fighters. If there is a need to strengthen the knuckles, then you need to implement push-ups on the fists in the training program.
- To increase the load on your biceps, simply turn your palms 90 degrees. This technique will resemble supination, as in the classic dumbbell lift.
- If there is a need to significantly increase the load or training with your own weight does not bring the desired effect, try push-ups on one arm.
Use of sports equipment
Any scheme of push-ups from the floor for muscle growth will include various complicated options and modifications of this exercise using all kinds of sports equipment. After all, this way you can concentrate the load on the target muscles and significantly complicate the exercise. The most commonly used devices are:
- Bench. It can be used both to facilitate the exercise (put under the arms), and to complicate it (put under the legs). You can also use the bench to do back push-ups on triceps. From the floor, they simply will not work. For this exercise, turn your back to the bench and accept the emphasis lying down. Hands are brought back and rest against the bench, legs are stretched forward. Doing the exercise is something like a cross between squats and push-ups.
- Chairs. This equipment can be used to significantly increase the amplitude and shock muscle stretch. To do this, take two stools under each arm and one for the legs. Perform push-ups in the usual technique for you, but you will fall much lower, which means that the muscles will receive the maximum possible load.
- Weighting. As extra weight, you can use absolutely everything: dumbbells, pancakes, books, a backpack with stones and even other people. The purpose of such push-ups is to increase strength indicators and improve the effectiveness of training. Indeed, in each type of training, a progression of loads must be present.
Plyometric push ups
One of the best exercises for developing explosive strength is plyometric push-ups from the floor. The training scheme is quite simple, just add one element to the classical exercise - a jerk at the peak load point. You can do this in the following ways:
- Springy push-ups. To do this, you need to make a significant effort on yourself to tear your hands off the floor at the top of the lift.
- Jump-ups: A more advanced form of the previous exercise. To do this, you must bounce the body to such a height that there is enough time to make a clap.
- Dynamic push ups. To do this, you will need two different heights. For example, the surface of the floor and step. Perform classic push-ups, while jumping hands on the platform, then returning back.
This explosive training method can be further complicated by simply adding extra weight.
Push up breath
The breathing technique when pushing up from the floor is quite simple. As in all strength exercises, exhalation is carried out at the moment of switching on the force, and inhalation is performed during the relaxation phase. The most common novice mistake is holding your breath. Yes, this greatly facilitates the exercise and makes it possible to exert maximum effort, but intermittent breathing can be very dangerous. If the brain does not receive enough oxygen in strength training, then there is the possibility of hypoxia, and this can adversely affect the functioning of blood vessels, and even lead to microcracks. The breathing should be smooth and rhythmic, then you will not bring the body into a state of rapid fatigue, which means you can perform the exercise as efficiently as possible.
What should I look for before starting training?
Before starting training, you need to make sure that you have no contraindications to this sport. And take it seriously. It is necessary to learn some features of such classes:
- We already remember which muscles work when pushing up from the floor, which means you must be sure that everything is in order with your body. There should not be any injuries that could interfere with the proper technique of the exercise.
- Perform a warm-up. Always prepare your body for training. Excessive injuries and muscle pain the next day will not be the best complement to exercise. All this can be avoided by simply taking a few minutes to develop the joints and warm up the working muscles. After the training, be sure to take the time to stretch.
- A systematic approach is important. There is no point in push-ups if you do them from time to time. If you have taken up the program, then bring it to the end. Follow your goal clearly, and who knows, maybe you will be the next person to set a new record for push-ups from the floor in one go.
Training program "100 push-ups"
There is a special technique, following which you can learn to perform multi-repetitive push-ups from the floor. The training program "100 push-ups" is designed for 10 weeks. After this period, you can squeeze out 100 times, or maybe even much more, in just one approach. However, such a long time may be needed only by those who have very weak physical characteristics. If your level of training is high enough, you will need much less time. To determine your starting point, simply squeeze as many times as possible, and then check your result against the list. The main thing is to strictly follow the technique and do not cheat, otherwise everything just makes sense:
- Level 1: 8 to 14 reps
- Level 2: from 15 to 19 repetitions;
- Level 3: from 20 to 29 repetitions;
- Level 4: 30 to 36 reps
- Level 5: from 37 to 44 repetitions;
- Level 6: about 45 to 51 repetitions;
- 7th level: from 52 to 61 repetitions;
- 8 level: from 62 to 71 repetitions;
- Level 9: from 72 to 79 repetitions;
- 10 level: from 80 to 88 repetitions;
If you can’t get out at least 8 times, don’t be upset. So you need a little more time to prepare. Spend a month of strenuous workouts doing pushups from your knees or bench, and then repeat the test.
How does the program work? The serial number of your level corresponds to the number of the training week. Just follow the suggested pattern and do the required number of repetitions. If the first time you can’t fulfill the standard proposed for the week, then repeat it until all the conditions are met. And only then move on to the next.
1 Week
This is the level of those who master push-ups from the floor from scratch. The training program includes three training days per week, which means that you need to engage in every other day. After warming up, you immediately go to push-ups. Perform exactly the number of repetitions indicated in the table. The training scheme is as follows:
The approaches | First training | Second training | Third workout |
1 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
2 | 7 | 7 | eight |
3 | 6 | nine | eleven |
4 | 4 | eight | ten |
5 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
Total reps: | 28 | 34 | 42 |
Note: the rest between sets should be at least 1.5 minutes, if more recovery time is required, then increase the interval to 2.5 minutes.
2 week
After completing this level, you can squeeze out about 20 times in one approach. If the program is difficult, go back. And if training is too easy, then go on to the next week as an external student.
The approaches | First training | Second training | Third workout |
1 | 7 | nine | fourteen |
2 | ten | 12 | 12 |
3 | 12 | nine | ten |
4 | eight | eight | 18 |
5 | nine | fourteen | nine |
Total reps: | 46 | 51 | 63 |
3 week
This level is a little trickier. If all else fails the first time, don’t give up, just repeat this week again. A person who is able to complete this program can squeeze more than 30 times per approach.
The approaches | First training | Second training | Third workout |
1 | 12 | fourteen | fifteen |
2 | 18 | fifteen | 16 |
3 | 12 | 19 | 22 |
4 | 16 | 13 | 20 |
5 | 13 | 16 | fourteen |
Total reps: | 71 | 77 | 87 |
4 week
Soon we will go half way. When you finish this week, you can boast of 40 push-ups in one set. And this is already a pretty good indicator. If at this stage there are difficulties, either return to the previous level or repeat the program one more time.
The approaches | First training | Second training | Third workout |
1 | 20 | 18 | 20 |
2 | 18 | 24 | 22 |
3 | 22 | 20 | 26 |
4 | 16 | 22 | 25 |
5 | fifteen | 18 | 20 |
Total reps: | 91 | 102 | 113 |
5 week
Congratulations! If you manage this week, then half the way will be successfully completed. As soon as you finish this level, the number of push-ups in one approach will increase to 50 repetitions.
The approaches | First training | Second training | Third workout |
1 | 21 | 22 | 26 |
2 | 22 | 24 | thirty |
3 | 28 | thirty | 26 |
4 | 21 | 28 | 31 |
5 | 26 | 24 | 24 |
Total reps: | 118 | 128 | 137 |
6 week
After passing the equator of the training program, the load will grow even faster. So you can’t relax. Remember that you can always step back a step or try again. The main thing is to adequately assess your strengths and capabilities.
The approaches | First training | Second training | Third workout |
1 | 34 | 27 | 28 |
2 | 25 | 37 | 38 |
3 | 25 | 25 | 26 |
4 | 25 | 35 | 36 |
5 | 32 | 29th | 34 |
Total reps: | 141 | 153 | 162 |
7 week
The load is growing. Having completed this week, you can overcome the milestone of 65 repetitions in one approach. Not bad, right? The main thing is to be diligent and clearly follow the training program. And if the training is given to you without effort and effort, you can always skip to the next week.
The approaches | First training | Second training | Third workout |
1 | 28 | thirty | 33 |
2 | 38 | 40 | 34 |
3 | thirty | 38 | 42 |
4 | 38 | 34 | 42 |
5 | 32 | 32 | 36 |
Total reps: | 166 | 174 | 187 |
8 week
You are at the finish line. Until the end of the scheme less than a month. Pull up and get ready! If you successfully overcome this week, you can squeeze as much as 75 times per set. And this can already be called an impressive result.
The approaches | First training | Second training | Third workout |
1 | 38 | 36 | 40 |
2 | 38 | 46 | 46 |
3 | 40 | 42 | 42 |
4 | 42 | 40 | 46 |
5 | 34 | 38 | 38 |
Total reps: | 192 | 202 | 212 |
9 week
You are on the penultimate stage. A little more, and the cherished 100 push-ups will be nothing for you. The main thing is not to cheat. If this training week is given to you with great effort, do not scoff at your body. It might be worth going back a step or repeating again.
The approaches | First training | Second training | Third workout |
1 | 41 | 50 | 44 |
2 | 42 | 42 | 53 |
3 | 46 | 48 | 46 |
4 | 46 | 42 | 50 |
5 | 42 | 44 | 44 |
Total reps: | 217 | 226 | 237 |
10 week
This week is the last spurt to the cherished goal. If everything works out, you can master 100 push-ups in one go. So, you can be proud of your strength, health and stamina. Do not be upset if everything comes out not the first time. After all, such a thing does not endure in a hurry, remember that we are working for the result, and not for speed.
The approaches | First training | Second training | Third workout |
1 | 45 | 48 | 50 |
2 | 51 | 52 | 54 |
3 | 45 | 46 | 50 |
4 | 52 | 54 | 54 |
5 | 45 | 48 | 52 |
Total reps: | 238 | 248 | 260 |
It's time to do the final test. Check if you can perform the cherished 100 push-ups. If so, then do not relax and stop there. After all, you worked according to a pattern with classic push-ups, but what if you try to repeat the program with a different variation of the exercise? Or add some weight? , . , 150 .
The principle of training remains the same. However, rest time can be increased. Despite the fact that your strength indicators have increased significantly, performing more than 50 repetitions in one approach is quite problematic. In order not to expose the vessels and heart to critical loads, the interval for respite can be brought up to 3.5 minutes. This will even out breathing and allow the muscles to recover.
11 week
This week will allow you to cross the line of 110 push-ups in one approach. The main thing is to watch your breathing and technique. These extreme loads may not be safe for your body. Listen to your body, if you feel discomfort in the joints or begin to lose consciousness - immediately stop the exercise. No records are worth your life and health.
The approaches | First training | Second training | Third workout |
1 | 50 | 50 | 52 |
2 | 54 | 52 | 54 |
3 | 58 | 60 | 60 |
4 | 56 | 56 | 62 |
5 | 48 | 58 | 58 |
Total reps: | 266 | 276 | 286 |
12 week
The larger the week ordinal, the faster the load. If you successfully complete this training program, you can squeeze more than 120 times per set.
The approaches | First training | Second training | Third workout |
1 | 64 | 70 | 72 |
2 | 60 | 68 | 70 |
3 | 66 | 66 | 68 |
4 | 58 | 62 | 64 |
5 | 68 | 60 | 62 |
Total reps: | 316 | 326 | 336 |
13 week
You got to the damn dozen. At this level, we will increase the number of push-ups to 135 repetitions at a time. Never forget the basic working rule of the scheme: if the result does not suit you, you can always go back or start over.
The approaches | First training | Second training | Third workout |
1 | 72 | 62 | 64 |
2 | 70 | 64 | 66 |
3 | 68 | 70 | 72 |
4 | 62 | 72 | 74 |
5 | 60 | 74 | 76 |
Total reps: | 332 | 342 | 350 |
14 week
The final training program of the scheme.
The approaches | First training | Second training | Third workout |
1 | 66 | 68 | 70 |
2 | 72 | 74 | 76 |
3 | 70 | 72 | 74 |
4 | 64 | 66 | 78 |
5 | 74 | 76 | 68 |
Total reps: | 346 | 356 | 366 |
Having successfully completed this week, you can squeeze out 150 times without much effort.