Add some variety to your fitness classic with these 4 killer push up variations from Dustin Myers. These superhero-inspired push-ups will increase your serious strength sensations!
Although you are capable of doing numerous impressive acrobatic exercise styles in gym, I'm willing to bet that the first exercise you ever tried was push-ups.
While they are quite simple to perform, there is more than half of the muscles in the upper body involved. Push-ups are the true gold standard of strength growth and the point physical development for many.
My four-year-old son has been doing push-ups for a year, and other than needing a little more depth, his form is pretty good.
Now I'm sure you're wondering why you should continue to include push-ups in your routine. strength training if even preschoolers are able to do them. This brings me to my next point; Push-ups are not only one of the most accessible exercises, they are also one of the most versatile exercises.
Standard push-ups are essentially the same movements as the bench press (albeit using 60-70% of your body weight). The exercise mainly works the triceps, pecs, anterior delts, abdominals, and serratus anterior, which play a supporting role for stability.
In order to turn push-ups into plyometric movements, you can engage these same muscles in a more dynamic, explosive manner and recruit many secondary muscles, especially in the hips and torso, as stabilizers.
SUPERMAN
When it comes to plyometric push-ups, this exercise is one of the great-grandfathers of them all. Begin the exercise in a regular push-up position with your hands no wider than shoulder-width apart. Lower yourself slowly and as soon as your chest touches the ground, push up explosively with your legs and arms, lifting your limbs off the ground.
As soon as your hands leave the ground, arch your back and raise your arms forward like Superman does. Bring your hands back to initial position and catch yourself when you go down. The goal is to complete 5 sets with 5-10 seconds of rest between reps.
in addition to developed triceps and deltas, this exercise requires significant strength of the torso, hip flexors, thoracic spine and shoulder mobility.
Since your muscles are in concentric contact at the top of the movement (great for developing speed and explosive power), strong eccentric contraction is required here, especially in the triceps and pectoral muscles to catch yourself and slow your descent to the floor.
Beginner Plan: to start working on this exercise, try splitting Superman into two different push-ups. During the first, you will push off with your arms, and extend your arms forward with your feet on the ground. For the second exercise, keep your hands on the ground and lift your legs and align your body as straight as possible. Once you've mastered both parts, it's time to put them together and become superman.
SPIDER-MAN
start this exercise from the standard push-up position. As you lower your body, lift one leg and bend your knee towards the elbow on the same side. Bend slightly on that side so that you are closer to the opposite side at the bottom of the push-up. Return to the starting position and switch sides on each set. Do 5-10 reps on each side.
Required strengths: Although this push-up style is not plyometric, it is an incredible exercise for building strength and stability in the hips and gluteal muscles. Serratus anterior, obliques, and hip flexors (eg. lumbar muscles) play important role in stabilizing your body during the Spider-Man exercise. The movement of lowering your active leg also creates more range of motion for your abs and delts than regular push-ups.
Beginner Plan: good way To start working on this exercise, simply lift one leg up while performing basic push-ups. This will help you strengthen your hips and lower muscles belly enough for Spider-Man. Once you can do 10 of these reps on each leg, it's time to move up and become Peter Parker.
MEDBALL OR Georges St-Pierre exercise
There are many fantastic variations of medicine ball push-ups, but I have always referred to this version as Georges St-Pierre. It is named after the legendary fighting champion Saint-Pierre, as he was the first athlete to start making them.
Start in a position where one hand is on the ground and the other is on a small medicine ball in the middle. Don't let the ball move and do push-ups without taking your hands off your positions. Be sure you don't hit the ground and keep the ball in the middle as you switch sides. A set of 5 reps per side is a good starting target.
Required strengths: in addition to the concentric power and eccentric strength required from the pecs, delts, and triceps (similar to superman and all other plyometric variations), this exercise requires the development of a range of muscles, including latissimus dorsi back and rhomboids to stabilize and hold the torso during movement.
Using a medicine ball also allows you to go much deeper in push-ups on a specific side, creating big stretch abdominal muscles and anterior deltoid muscle. Be careful! In the lower range of motion, it is important to catch yourself and control the descent to keep your moving shoulders safe.
Beginner Plan: The best way to work on this exercise is to "walk" your path. When you do push-ups, bring your hand from the ball to the floor. Lower and repeat the process, returning to the position with the other side. Once you can complete 10-12 unbroken reps, it's time to take off like one of the greatest fighters.
French Press Combination
I learned about this type of killer pushup from a superhero or champion wrestler. I first made them while on vacation while jogging. Start in a box push-up position (a bench will suffice), placing your hands on the box slightly less than the length of your outstretched arms.
Push up in a plyometric manner and catch yourself on the edge of the box as you extend your arms forward. Keeping your body fully stretched, point your elbows down towards the ground, and tilt your forehead towards your hands. Extend your arms with force and then straighten up with a push up. 5 sets is a good goal. I prefer to do as many sets as possible before finishing.
Required strengths: one word - triceps. If your triceps are weak, this exercise will be impossible. Performing this exercise with your own body weight on a surface of less than 45 degrees is a really difficult task.
For all variations, this exercise also requires the most statically stable torso to prevent your hips from sagging due to your arms being so far in front of you.
Beginner Plan: fast track to mastering this monster consists in training two component movements. Work on plyometric pushups where you catch yourself on a low box in front of you. You can even start by raising your arms in a "walk" instead of jumping to get used to the corner.
Those with explosive upper bodies have a very significant advantage. Speed and power training prepares the nervous system and joints to withstand heavy loads. The more power your arms, chest and shoulders have, the stronger they become. And the stronger they get, the harder it is for you to train them as they grow. Athletes who have ever done slow paced exercises can build significant muscle mass, but a person who combines high speed training with strength training will definitely have a strength advantage as well. muscle mass.
Perhaps outdoor athletes jump over ribbons and zigzag through cones on the ground because they lack the knowledge when it comes to explosive upper body training. Yes, sometimes you can see two guys throwing medicine balls at each other, but this method is frankly weak - it has always been not so hot. The balls are too light to really force the body to develop power. Of course, you can also train with the barbell, using explosive techniques, performing, etc., but these methods usually involve working with such large loads that it is very difficult to perform exercises at high speed, so true power is lost. the athlete is also prepared for jumping movements on open palms (flips forward and backward), which are essential elements of acrobatics. It is known that heavy external loads can definitely lead to shoulder injuries (not to mention wrists, elbows, upper back, etc.) over time. As always, the best way is the one that nature has given us.
Pushup Components
It can be difficult to give an example of the perfect power push-up because different techniques can vary. But we can discuss a number of principles that describe most of the movements in this series of exercises.
Elbow position
This is the first moment. The position of the arms is very important, because the elbows in such a series of exercises as push-ups move behind the hands, and the shoulders behind the elbows. The secret, as always, is in the naturalness of the movements. Avoid too wide arm positions - this does not allow you to develop optimal power and leaves your shoulders vulnerable. At the same time, with constant use narrow position for explosive exercises, too much stress is placed on the wrists, forearms and elbows. Try to find the middle ground. For regular push-ups, I personally prefer a shoulder-width or slightly narrower position if I want my elbows to lightly touch the latissimus dorsi. When it comes to explosive push-ups, most people find it easier to do them with their arms slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, which allows them to push their arms off the ground as hard as possible. At the same time, the elastic ligaments of the shoulder girdle can absorb a little more load than the elbows.
Hand position
A few tips on hand position. Some guys with pumped wrists do push-ups on their fists, even on the backs of their hands. Believe me: trying to perform explosive push-ups in this way is a direct road to a turning point. Even if you have strong, like a karateka, fists, one unsuccessful repetition - and you will dislocate your arm at the wrist, just as you can dislocate your leg during, or even break your wrist. Keep your palms flat on the floor with your fingers slightly spread, which will allow you to absorb the impact of a fall, reducing the load on your wrists and forearms; try to distribute the force across the arms as evenly as possible.
Setting up the body
The third point is especially important. When you do push-ups, keep your torso in the correct position - legs, hips and torso should form a straight line. The hips should not sag and - listen to me carefully, brothers! - the butt should not stick up.
The most serious athletes seem to realize this when they do standard push-ups. But when they are taken for powerful push-ups, it seems that everything is like peas against the wall. Even strong guys have their asses rearing as soon as they push off the ground! This plebeian habit is called "worm" (sometimes also called "caterpillar") because it resembles the movements of a surveyor caterpillar when it moves.
There's a reason why this habit is associated with explosive pushups. It increases the leverage and time spent in the air (when clapping) and greatly simplifies all exercises. Unless you're intentionally doing dive push-ups, jackknife push-ups, or Aztec push-ups, the worm technique is a cheat and should be avoided. Always remember that you are doing exercises to develop power to an insane level, not to demonstrate this power. Yes, to the untrained eye, it looks like the worm technique allows you to do a few pops between push-ups. But you are just deceiving and so narrow-minded people. sticking strictly correct technique exercises and by maintaining the correct position of the body, you will quickly reach higher levels of explosive strength.
Rack
Narrow stance should be used for slow strength push-ups, as narrow stance prevents the twisting technique that is so common in single-arm lifters. For some high speed means a more stable base is needed, for others asymmetrical exercises are much rarer in explosive training (there are none at all in the power push-up series), so twisting and other similar ways of hacking into the exercise are not much of a problem. For this reason, you do not need to set your feet narrowly.
In fact, within reason, a wide base is good for explosive pushups. A stance somewhere between slightly wider than shoulder-width and double shoulder-width is ideal for almost everyone. More advanced athletes with excellent balance can perform the exercise in a narrow stance.
Depth
Push-up depth
Another difference between standard push-ups and power push-ups is depth - how low you lower your chest. For normal exercises, full is desirable, which means that you should lower the body until your rib cage will not be at a fist-height from the floor. When doing power push-ups, you don't need to go that deep - you need strength and speed, and if you go deep, it will slow down the pace of the exercise. To develop the maximum explosive ability of the joints and the nervous system, it will be enough for you to go down to a depth of 10-15 cm, perhaps only a third of the amplitude. Imagine that you are not going down, but, on the contrary, your hands are pulling you down. Try this: if you don't go deep enough, you won't have the strength to push your body up as high as possible, if you go too deep, then the elastic force of the ligaments will be out of your comfort zone.
Myotatic feedback
When you do push-ups slowly, you should ideally pause at the bottom of the exercise - this develops tremendous strength and promotes muscle gain. But if you're training for power and speed, don't delay the bottom phase of the exercise. Quickly lower the body under the force of gravity and immediately push the body up with a sharp movement as quickly as possible. This will allow you to use the elastic force of the ligaments, as well as to use the myotatic reflex with maximum efficiency. Look at it not as a quick reverse variation of a jump, but rather as a use of recoil.
Series of powerful push-ups
The series begins with simple, safe explosive pushing exercises - horizontal pushes(first stage). The athlete can perform the ballistic press in a semi-standing position. As soon as this exercise is easy for us, we move on to knee jerks(second stage). This exercise is much more explosive, although it requires less arm and chest power, as well as core strength due to the leverage created in the kneeling position.
Fulfilling simple push-ups with bouncing on straight palms(third step), the athlete approaches the floor, and then, extending his arms, jumps into the air, as shown in the first step. When the bouncing push-ups (about 10 cm off the floor using arm strength) become easy, the athlete is ready to add the clap: you get classic push-ups with cotton(fourth stage).
Once the clap push-up technique is perfected, the athlete tends to hang in the air longer, which will require a more powerful push from the floor. Once cotton is easy to do, the next step is clapping palms on the chest(fifth step), then - on the hips(sixth step). The most difficult variation is to clap your hands behind your back, as in prison push-ups(seventh step).
The next two steps prepare the athlete for the complex superman push-ups, in which the arms are thrown forward with a sharp movement, and the feet are lifted off the floor, as if you are flying - hence, in fact, the name. Start practicing the position of the hands in front of the body with push-ups "almost superman"(eighth step), and then you will learn how to lift your legs off the floor in the upper phase of the exercise, its most difficult variation, requiring the strength of the muscles of the body and the explosive technique of movement of the whole body. This exercise is called push-ups with a full lift off the floor(ninth stage). Once an athlete has mastered the near-superman push-ups and full-off push-ups, they can combine the two techniques by lifting their feet off the floor while throwing their arms forward. These two elements make up the master stage - exercise "superman".
This variation requires significantly more power and speed than the regular clapping push-ups, where most athletes start to slip.
Horizontal pushes
Order of execution
Find a firm, stable surface that is about chest high.
- Place your hands flat on a surface at about shoulder height.
- For stability, place your feet as wide as possible.
- Maintain proper body position: keep your legs, hips, and torso in line with a slight bend towards the ground.
- Bend your arms and shoulders, bringing the body closer to the surface at a distance of a few centimeters from it.
- Push off quite hard so that the brushes come off the surface a few centimeters.
- As the force of gravity returns the momentum back, catch the surface with your hands as you move.
The essence of the exercise
Tilts are perfect way gently work out the shoulders, elbows and wrists for harder training later on.
Ways to Reduce Complexity
Beginners can start doing explosive pushups even at an even easier level, . However, since athletes need to train their joints before explosive training, this is not really required.
Ways to Increase Difficulty
In horizontal pushes, the lower the surface from which you push off, that is, the lower the hands are, the more difficult it is to perform the exercise. You can make the exercise more difficult by lowering the surface over time: start from a table on a different work surface, then gradually move to a bunk or bed, then to a box, etc. A great way to make this exercise more consistent is to practice on the stairs, methodically moving your hands one step down. It is important that the surface is stable.
Knee pushes
Order of execution
- Get on your knees, keep your hips and torso straight. Stretch your arms forward and tighten them. * Tilt your body forward until it begins to collapse. Maintain proper body position: keep your legs, hips and torso straight.
- Place your palms on the floor, keeping your arms about shoulder-width apart or slightly wider.
- Bend your arms and shoulders, bringing your body closer to the floor. More strong athletes can touch the floor with the body (see photo).
- Quickly explosively push off the surface, straightening your arms.
- Explosively lift your torso, keeping your legs, hips, and torso straight.
- Stop when you reach the starting position on your knees.
- Repeat the exercise.
The essence of the exercise
This movement requires a big leap in power development. Believe it or not, some strong guys have a hard time pushing their arms at first. It's not that they lack strength, it's just that they lack the speed to turn that strength into power.
Ways to Reduce Complexity
In general, this is not to say that this is a way to fiddle, but the butt swing is one of the ways to master this exercise if you do not succeed. It is best to bend the body with your hands on the surface. Some athletes have noticed that it can help to feel this technique if you spend a little time doing the exercise only in its negative phase - when falling with your palms to the floor.
Ways to Increase Difficulty
As soon as you start picking up speed, you will immediately find that you can perform the exercise in unilateral mode - pushing off with one hand. It's exclusive effective method develop punching power. Some athletes can even perform this exercise (two-handed) in the style of classic push-ups - using legs/toes instead of knees as a support. However, this is considered an extremely difficult variation.
Push-ups with bouncing on straight palms
Order of execution
- I
- Push off with force so that your hands are off the floor.
- Use spring recoil to immediately repeat the exercise.
The essence of the exercise
Straight-handed bouncing push-ups are an almost magical preliminary exercise for siblings looking to get well-prepared for clapping push-ups (the next, fourth step).
Ways to Reduce Complexity
This exercise is the basis of almost all explosive push-ups, and the transition from regular (slow) push-ups to powerful push-ups (via straight-handed jumping push-ups) is very simple. Just try to increase the push speed as much as possible. Finally, your hands will begin to come off a small distance from the floor.
Ways to Increase Difficulty
This perfect exercise to increase the time in the air, which is necessary for the athlete in order to master the more difficult plyometric variations. This is exactly how you need to approach them - perform them in order to increase the height of the bounce.
Push-ups with cotton
[Push-ups with cotton. Tip: when doing push-ups with a full outstretched legs A good way to increase the intensity of the exercise is to put your feet up. The higher the legs, the more body weight is on the arms]
Order of execution
- Squat down, place your palms on the floor and stretch your legs back.
- Your palms should be under your shoulders, arms shoulder-width apart or wider.
- Place your feet at a comfortable width; beginners should practice on a wide base, professionals can put their feet narrower.
- Keep your legs, hips and torso straight and horizontal.
- Bend your arms and shoulders, lowering your torso deeply to the floor.
- Push off the floor with a quick explosive movement, straightening your arms.
- Jump up as high as possible and, while in the air, make a sharp clap with your palms - you should hear the sound of clap.
- As the force of gravity will bring the body back, in motion, "grab" the floor with your hands.
- Use spring recoil to immediately repeat the exercise.
The essence of the exercise
Clap push-ups are probably considered classic exercise on upper part bodies to develop explosive pushing power, and for good reason. Boxers, martial artists, and football players have always known that this exercise develops significant core power and arm speed while strengthening the arms and shoulders.
Ways to Reduce Complexity
Start the exercise with narrow setting hands - it will be easier to clap.
Ways to Increase Difficulty
There is a classic linear way to increase the difficulty of clapping push-ups, once you reach flawless physical form. Clap more before landing! Many guys clap their hands so fast that they can do a dozen claps, but this is more of a trick - it seems like the palms flutter rather than clap, and the required time in the air requires the use of the "worm" technique. Instead, concentrate on good hard thrusts and get good quality loud doubles and then triples. Having overcome this threshold, move on to clapping your palms on your body.
Chest clapping push-ups
Order of execution
- Squat down, place your palms on the floor and stretch your legs back.
- Your palms should be under your shoulders, arms shoulder-width apart or wider.
- Place your feet at a comfortable width; beginners should practice on a wide base, professionals can put their feet narrower.
- Keep your legs, hips and torso straight and horizontal.
- Bend your arms and shoulders, lowering your torso deeply to the floor.
- Push off the floor with a quick explosive movement, straightening your arms.
- Jump up as high as possible and, while in the air, make a sharp slap with your palms on your chest.
- As the force of gravity will bring the body back, in motion, "grab" the floor with your hands.
- Use spring recoil to immediately repeat the exercise.
The essence of the exercise
The range of motion of your hands in the air while doing power push-ups is a great indicator of the time in the air that you can achieve. And just like that, your time in the air increases in direct proportion to the explosive propulsion power of your upper body. This is why clapping on the chest is a step up from push-ups with a simple clapping: the hands have to cover a greater distance. The biceps are also involved in the movement, as they make them bend at lightning speed.
Ways to Reduce Complexity
Begin the exercise with your palms facing your chest before "grabbing" the floor with your hands, and you'll be ready to slap your chest muscles in time.
Push-ups with cotton - one of the modifications of the usual exercise, aimed at developing the so-called explosive strength. The essence of the explosive load is that the athlete needs to develop a powerful effort in a short period of time. This is a plyometric exercise, the meaning is the same as, for example,.
The benefits of such exercises are primarily in the development of strength and speed, and only then - in increasing muscle volume. Therefore, they are often used in training professional athletes. Push-ups with cotton are practiced in preparation for boxing and other martial arts, gymnastics, etc. Bodybuilders use plyometrics to improve, for example, allowing them to work with more weight.
Muscle work
Clap push-ups engage virtually the same muscles that work when performing the classic version, namely:
- large pectoral muscles;
- triceps;
- deltoid.
Of course, during the exercise, many other muscle groups also receive a load - this is the undoubted benefit of almost any push-ups. The abdominal muscles keep the body in a straight position, the entire shoulder girdle, the lats are turned on, the muscles of the legs receive a static load.
Preparation
If you are just planning to learn how to do push-ups correctly in this way, we recommend that you proceed gradually in order to prepare the body for the load and avoid the possibility of injury. The most obvious type of injury is a fall to the floor when you just don't have time to complete the clap.
Firstly, it is advisable to learn how to do push-ups in the usual way, using different options for setting hands. So you strengthen the right muscles and get ready to get tough.
Second, once you feel ready to move on, start doing the classic push-ups faster and more vigorously, explosively as you go up to the top. At first, try to just straighten your arms with a quick and powerful effort, then, when you feel confident, try lifting your arms off the floor (without clapping).
In time, you will realize that you are already jumping high enough to make a clap. So, it's time to disassemble the equipment!
Execution technique
Take the starting position - emphasis lying (on the palm), as in ordinary push-ups. The arms are slightly wider than the shoulders, the back is straight, the body and legs form one line.
- From the starting position, lower yourself to the lowest point, inhaling, bending your elbows and bringing your chest closer to the floor (it is not necessary to touch the floor). Keep the body straight, dropping to parallel with the floor.
- Push up with a powerful and quick (explosive) effort, while exhaling, pushing the body up with such force, which will be enough to clap your hands in front of you and not fall.
- Make a clap and return your hands to their original position.
- Lower yourself down to parallel with the floor and do the next repetition. Repeat as many times as needed.
There are complicated options for performing: clap on the chest, behind the head or behind the back, as well as performing with the floor off not only the arms, but also the legs at the same time. The more difficult the element to be completed while in the air, the more time it will take. Therefore, the meaning of such complications is always the same - you need to jump as high as possible.
Of course, such tricks look quite impressive, but they are not at all necessary. It is enough just to try to jump higher to get the required complication and reduce the risk of injury.
Contraindications
Everything is trite here. Injuries elbow joints and brushes - this is an excuse to refrain from doing push-ups with cotton. All the benefits of the exercise in this case will be nullified.
Also, the exercise is contraindicated for people with the presence excess weight, as there is an excessive compressive load.
The benefits of the exercise will be maximum if you pay attention to the following important points:
- Don't skip your workout. Be sure to warm up before starting your workout.
- Keep your body straight. Resist the urge to lift yourself off the floor by using your pelvis to help you.
- Gradual and more gradual. If you are a beginner and decide to master push-ups with clap, increase the complexity in stages: first, regular push-ups, then a sharp, powerful and fast exit to the top point, then jumping without clap, and only then add clap.
- It is not necessary to use additional weights (and it is problematic). Better try to jump as fast and as high as possible.
It consists, firstly, in strengthening the joints and, secondly, in increasing the explosive strength of the muscles of the hands. Why it is necessary to strengthen the joints, there is no need to explain: even when practicing air strikes, unprepared elbows can be damaged; when working on paws and bags, fingers and wrists easily “fly out”. For people who are still too early to “throw” the barbell from the rack, push-ups are the most suitable exercise.
Why do we need push-ups on fingers and fists
To strengthen the joints, which are usually struck, do push-ups necessary on fists- we beat, as a rule, with them. Next stage - finger push-ups: on five, four, three, two, one (large - for complete maniacs). If in a normal position it is not possible to lean on your fingers, then you can do push-ups from your knees. This sharply reduces efficiency, but after all, Moscow was not built right away. Strong fingers allow not only not to injure the hands, but also give a tenacious grip in the fight.
Sometimes one hears the opinion that during push-ups on the fists, the joint fluid is squeezed out of the bags, the joint " dries”, and if, after such a warm-up, you begin to work intensively with your fingers, then in ten or fifteen years it will backfire with diseased bones. However, I have not yet heard of people who would have clearly suffered from intense perennial push-ups. In addition, it is purely physiologically difficult to imagine where this liquid actually flows.
Hand position for push-ups
Regarding the positioning of the hands during the exercise, one can think in two ways.
On the one side, fist for push-ups must be placed in the position from which you hit.
With another
- you need to hit with your fist in the position in which you do push-ups.
In other words, it is necessary for yourself personally to find the optimal setting of the hand and work like that. There are a variety of stances (wide grip, closed arms, elbows out, etc.) that are useful for working out. different groups muscles. It's beautiful, it's useful and allows you to build a harmonious body, but if the task is to "hit hard, hit fast, hit often", then the hands should be set as convenient.
Since the trajectory of the hand during push-ups with the elbows pressed to the body is very similar to a blow gyaku tsuki(a direct blow with the back hand), then the opinion was expressed (although it is already unknown by whom) that intense push-ups are the secret to strong punches. To some extent, this is true, but still, for practicing strikes, it is more expedient to beat these same strikes. A push ups- this is, whatever one may say, OFP. During such exercises, almost all muscle groups work. Plus interesting medical fact - hands have the largest projection area on the cerebral cortex. In other words, by working with your hands, you are actively stimulating the brain. And this is important, brains in martial arts are far from the last thing.
Slow push ups
Slow exercise builds endurance, which is primarily needed in the fight. Slowly push-ups must be continuous, smoothly flowing from the top point to the bottom. The fast pace of execution trains "explosive" strength, impact strength. To work it out, you can do push-ups with or without pauses. That is, it fell, froze - and rose sharply. This is how a non-amplitude throwing of a hand is developed, a blow without a swing. Whether or not to pause at the bottom is your personal choice (well, or the choice of a coach who counts push-ups as he sees fit, and can unnecessarily slow down "cheer up").
Explosive pushups
At one time I loved so much "explosive" push-ups who came up with his own own exercise: down on the fists, pause, then sharply up - so as to break away from the surface and exit with support on the fingers. Then, on the fingers down and up again, at the moment the hand leaves the floor, the fist clenched again, and I landed on my knuckles. And since as many times as possible - then a fist, then fingers. Excellent push up. The grip became such that, although the coins did not bend, it left decent bruises on the wrists of the guys.
Push-ups are a mental workout
Push-ups, among other things, are an excellent training of the spirit. You can not even do push-ups, but just stand on your fists until it stops. He loves to use this trick in his seminars Andrey Kochergin, the founder of koi-no-takinobori-ryu karate: whoever stays longer is that man. Other, not very physically prepared people show simply miracles of endurance, although they then fall almost unconscious.
You can push up any way you like. There are no laws, there are only principles - push off from the ground maximum amount times, keeping as even a body position as possible. For those who want to diversify this exercise, I offer several interesting methods outlined former coach Ukrainian national team in Kyokushin karate Vitaly Kushnirik. They are good when there is no extra at hand. sports equipment, and you have to improvise:
And yet, an important fact - after intense push-ups, it is useful to disperse the blood by working on the bags or just having a little “shadow boxing”.
This time I found an original way to increase strength through explosive push-ups.
How to improve push-ups?
By themselves, the classic push-ups are known to everyone. They are used to develop a general physical training military, athletes and ordinary people seeking an active lifestyle. Even professional bodybuilders warm up with push-ups.
Over time, some exercises become uninteresting. By introducing diversity into this process, we will at least prevent the muscles from adapting to monotonous movements and the same loads.
Try the following types of explosive push-ups and you will feel the difference. I must say right away that without appropriate physical preparation it can be difficult. Start small.
1. increase reps.
The usual number of repetitions for push-ups is 15-20. Performing the same number of repetitions from time to time, you do not feel your "Ceiling". Therefore, to increase productivity, it is sometimes useful to perform the maximum number of repetitions before muscle failure, so you can add 2 to 5 new repetitions every time you challenge yourself. It also helps to increase the number of repetitions in basic strength training.
2. do push-ups in 60 seconds.
This type of push-ups is the complete opposite of the first, because the basic principle is the speed of push-ups. Many people can push up an infinite number of times, but here it is necessary to push out the maximum number of times in 1 minute. The advantage of this method is the powerful filling of the muscles with blood, which, of course, gives growth, strength and endurance. The so-called explosive training.
3. time, speed, quantity.
Quite a difficult way, even for physically prepared people. It is necessary to perform 8 sets of 20 seconds with breaks of 10 seconds. Muscles get tired pretty quickly. At first, in 20 seconds, you get to do 15-20 times, but approaching the eighth approach, the number of repetitions decreases significantly. If you are able to perform at least 10 times on the eighth approach, then you are a very prepared person.
4. interval push-ups.
The classic method involves uniform push-ups with average speed, to improve muscle quality and growth, try the high-intensity interval method. It looks like this: a total of 20 push-ups, of which the first 7 are explosive at the highest speed (half a second each), the next 7 are performed very slowly (5 seconds each) And the last 6 at normal speed (2 seconds each. To further improve the results, increase the number repetitions.
5. rule three by seven.
How many times can you push up 10, 15, 20, 25? I think many people will do at least 20 push-ups. But these are not the 20 that will be discussed now. Even the simplest task can be made more difficult. The total number of push-ups is 21. The first seven are performed in half, extending the arms (from the floor to the middle), then 7 in half, bending the arms (from the middle to full extension) and the last seven in the usual way with full extension and bending of the arms (from the floor to the top point. Very good exercise. Now will you do 20 times?
6. angle of inclination.
With regular push-ups, the legs rest on the floor, so the emphasis is on the lower part of the chest. By changing the angle of inclination, you can influence the upper part. For example, you can put your feet on the sofa. Now your legs are higher than your head, and the load falls on the upper chest. Well, this method is probably no secret to anyone. You can change the angle in the first five ways. Imagine how much the load on the muscles will increase.
7. plyometric or explosive push-ups.
Regular push-ups, but with a percussion push method. You are like a spring pushing the body from the bottom point. 3 sets of 7 reps. Rest between Sets 1 minute.
8. push-ups with a load.
The classic way with only weight on the upper back. Gives strength and muscle growth. You can use a partner as a weight. Due to the additional weight, the load on the chest, triceps and shoulders increases.
9. push-ups with dumbbells.
Many find it difficult to change the angle of their palms or do push-ups on their fists. Using dumbbells or special weights as a support, you can effectively change the angle of the wrist, focusing on the work of the triceps, as well as lower the chest deeper, stretching the muscles. Big minus this method- the presence of dumbbells or kettlebells of a special stable shape.
At first glance, the described variations of the popular exercise may seem complicated, but with regular use, you can see a significant increase in strength and muscle mass. The obvious plus is that you can practice at home. And for dessert interesting video about push-ups. I liked it very much.
How to learn to do explosive push-ups. Exercise options
There are several options for performing explosive push-ups. We have selected the most effective ones for you and placed them in ascending order of difficulty. In each case, the starting position is the same - lying down. Next come variations with the position of the hands, the involvement of the muscles of the legs, etc.:
With hands off the floor
- We put our hands slightly wider than our shoulders, lower our chest to the floor, by bending our arms at the elbow joints. We push off with both hands from the floor, the hands come off the floor, but they do not change their positions - they pushed off the floor - the phase of “tearing off the hands” - touched the floor with their palms.
- We place our hands shoulder-width apart, lower our chest to the floor and powerfully push off the floor. In the “flight” phase, we spread our arms wider than shoulders and land in this position. After landing, perform push-ups from the floor wide grip, we push off again and in the “flight” phase we change the position of the hands to the original, that is, shoulder-width apart.
- Before starting the exercise, on both sides of the hands we place small bars 10-15 centimeters high. They can be installed both from the outside and from inside from the hands, but at a small distance from the hands. We lower our chest to the floor, sharply straighten our arms in the elbow joints and tear them off the surface, moving our palms to pre-prepared bars. We perform push-ups on the bars, push off again and return to the floor.
- Starting position - hands shoulder width apart. Next, we lower our chest to the floor, then sharply straighten our arms and throw them over our heads, as if we are trying to dive into the water. At the end of the exercise, we land in the starting position.
- We put our hands shoulder-width apart, do a push-up. Next, we push off with our hands from the floor and in the “flight” phase we make one clap in front of the chest and one clap behind the back, after which we lower ourselves onto the palms.
Video The secret of explosive push-ups. SWK team.
Plyometrics is a training style that allows you to maximize the strength and speed qualities of an athlete. Plyometric push-ups from the floor are performed with explosive effort and the greatest amplitude. Plyometric push-ups differ from simple push-ups in that they lower position the athlete makes a sharp jerk up and, in a kind of jump, takes his hands off the floor. This adds movement: clapping palms together, palms on the hips or behind the back.
Doing this unique exercise possible only with controlled and synchronous muscle work. It is thanks to the jump that the explosive power of the athlete develops. Exercise is good and that allows for short workout burn a significant amount of calories.
The benefits of plyometric push-ups
Any athlete can learn this. It is only necessary to constantly monitor the execution technique. Push-ups will help increase performance in other basic exercises and generally strengthen the ligamentous apparatus.
With regular performance, the following indicators improve:
- coordination and balance;
- explosive strength of the shoulder muscles;
- the speed of the presses;
- neuromuscular connections between the brain and the muscles of the torso.
Contraindications
Since plyometrics requires serious effort, contraindications also exist. It is not recommended to perform with diseases and injuries of the joints, inflammation in deltoid muscles, tendon problems. In this case, you can replace push-ups with a dumbbell press on incline bench. Lever trainers are also suitable.
Execution rules
Starting position - lying down, back straight, arms slightly wider than shoulders, look in front of you.
Performance:
- do a few regular push-ups from the floor in a short amplitude, without full extension of the elbows;
- make a sharp jerk up from the bottom position with the help of an impulse jump;
- on a powerful exhale, quickly and sharply tear your palms off the floor;
- at the moment of “hanging”, make a clap in front of you, while the muscles of the press and buttocks statically tighten;
- land on your palms with your elbows slightly bent, immediately lower yourself to the bottom position;
- do 10-12 such repetitions.
Varieties of plyometric push-ups
If you have not previously encountered plyometrics, you should start with the simplest option - push-ups with a short break from the floor. Having mastered it, try to fly up as high as you can. If you can do 20 repetitions, proceed to the following steps:
- push-ups with cotton in front of you - the traditional option described above;
- with hands touching the shoulders - in a cross movement with the palms to touch the right and left shoulders, it requires more effort than with a simple plyometric push-up;
- with cotton on the hips - requires maximum control over the implementation;
- with a clap of the palms behind the back - high level difficulties, the first few times try to perform on a soft mat;
- with a turn - for the most prepared, a 360 ° turn is considered almost an acrobatic stunt.
An athlete who performs even a couple of varieties of push-ups is worthy of the title of “superman”. This is an ideal exercise for developing strength, speed and endurance.
Explosive push ups. Clap Pushup Technique - Developing Explosive Strength
Push-ups with cotton - one of the modifications of the usual exercise, aimed at developing the so-called explosive strength. The essence of the explosive load is that the athlete needs to develop a powerful effort in a short period of time. This is a plyometric exercise, the meaning is the same as, for example, jumping out of a squat.
The benefits of such exercises are primarily in the development of strength and speed, and only then - in increasing muscle volume. Therefore, they are often used in the training of professional athletes. Clap push-ups are practiced in preparation for boxing and other martial arts, gymnastics, etc. Bodybuilders, on the other hand, use plyometrics to improve strength performance, for example, allowing them to work with more weight.
Muscle work
Clap push-ups engage virtually the same muscles that work when performing the classic version, namely:
- large pectoral muscles;
- triceps;
- deltoid.
Of course, during the exercise, many other muscle groups also receive a load - this is the undoubted benefit of almost any push-ups. The abdominal muscles keep the body in a straight position, the entire shoulder girdle works, the lats are turned on, the leg muscles receive a static load.
Preparation
If you are just planning to learn how to do push-ups correctly in this way, we recommend that you proceed gradually in order to prepare the body for the load and avoid the possibility of injury. The most obvious type of injury is a fall to the floor when you just don't have time to complete the clap.
Firstly, it is advisable to learn how to do push-ups in the usual way, using different options for setting hands. So you strengthen the necessary muscles and prepare for complication.
Second, once you feel ready to move on, start doing the classic push-ups faster and more vigorously, explosively as you go up to the top. At first, try to just straighten your arms with a quick and powerful effort, then, when you feel confident, try lifting your arms off the floor (without clapping).
In time, you will realize that you are already jumping high enough to make a clap. So, it's time to disassemble the equipment!
Execution technique
Take the starting position - emphasis lying (on the palm), as in ordinary push-ups. The arms are slightly wider than the shoulders, the back is straight, the body and legs form one line.
- From the starting position, lower yourself to the lowest point, inhaling, bending your elbows and bringing your chest closer to the floor (it is not necessary to touch the floor). Keep the body straight, dropping to parallel with the floor.
- Push up with a powerful and quick (explosive) effort, while exhaling, pushing the body up with such force, which will be enough to clap your hands in front of you and not fall.
- Make a clap and return your hands to their original position.
- Lower yourself down to parallel with the floor and do the next repetition. Repeat as many times as needed.
There are complicated options for performing: clap on the chest, behind the head or behind the back, as well as performing with the floor off not only the arms, but also the legs at the same time. The more difficult the element to be completed while in the air, the more time it will take. Therefore, the meaning of such complications is always the same - you need to jump as high as possible.
Of course, such tricks look quite impressive, but they are not at all necessary. It is enough just to try to jump higher to get the required complication and reduce the risk of injury.
Contraindications
Everything is trite here. Injuries to the elbow joints and hands are a reason to refrain from doing push-ups with cotton. All the benefits of the exercise in this case will be nullified.
Also, the exercise is contraindicated for people with excess weight, as there is an excessive compression load.
The benefits of the exercise will be maximum if you pay attention to the following important points:
- Don't skip your workout. Be sure to warm up before starting your workout.
- Keep your body straight. Resist the urge to lift yourself off the floor by using your pelvis to help you.
- Gradual and more gradual. If you are a beginner and decide to master push-ups with clap, increase the complexity in stages: first, regular push-ups, then a sharp, powerful and fast exit to the top point, then jumping without clap, and only then add clap.
- It is not necessary to use additional weights (and it is problematic). Better try to jump as fast and as high as possible.
Push-ups are explosive. What is explosive power
Explosive strength is the ability to apply the most force in the least amount of time. In the process of performing explosive movements, the muscles contract very quickly, almost instantly. At the same time, not only they experience the load, but also nervous system which provides fast response muscle fibers for a signal to cut.
Explosive strength often develops in parallel with muscle reactivity - the ability to quickly switch from eccentric to concentric contractions.
Concentric contractions occur when the muscles change the position of the body, overcoming resistance, and eccentric contractions occur when the muscles stretch, yielding to the force of gravity of the limb or load.
During exercises for the development of only explosive strength, there is no stretching phase: the muscles quickly move from a relaxed state to an active one. If, during the exercise, the muscles are not just tensed, but pre-stretched, this also develops reactive ability.
Let's take an example. If jumping to a hill is performed from a relaxed state, for example, from a sitting position on a pedestal (the athlete is sitting, the muscles are relaxed), then only explosive strength develops. If, before the jump, the athlete does a deep squat, stretching the muscles, reactive ability also develops.
Quick push ups. Push-ups with normal hands
These are push-ups in which the hands are shoulder-width apart. This is probably the most basic exercise for those who just decided to go in for sports. It involves several different muscle groups, develops endurance, speed and explosive power.
To perform this element, take a pose with your hands shoulder-width apart. It is very important to learn how to do push-ups correctly, and the effect will be better, and it will look much more harmonious from the outside. Having taken the starting position, lower the body down, keeping a straight line in the legs and back. No need to bend or squirm, use only the strength of your hands. Push-ups can be both fast and slow, depending on what you want to get. Fast push-ups will increase the speed of your hands, and build up "explosive" strength. Such push-ups are most often practiced in martial arts.
Slow push-ups are much more difficult to perform and are therefore considered more effective. They increase your strength and endurance, and also contribute to the growth of muscle mass.
You can do push-ups by pressing your elbows to the body, or by spreading them to the sides. Pressing your elbows, you load the triceps to a greater extent, and spreading them apart - the chest muscles. The number of push-ups depends only on your capabilities, but remember, the main thing is not how many repetitions you can do, but how many push-ups you can do correctly.
