Do you know push ups burn more than sit ups? And what are the benefits of doing push ups? Here are 5 benefits you can get from doing push ups! Wait, that's provided you do them properly and correctly.
Benefits of Push Ups
Push Up benefits not only those who are vying to pass fitness tests (e.g. IPPT for National Service).
Here are five reasons to convince you so:
Push ups engage almost all of our upper body muscles including the core. It is wise to engage several muscle group through 1 exercise. By doing that our body does burn more (fats). ps : sit ups only engages the core (1 muscle group)
Push ups helps in building our upper body strength. Ladies, your arms will be less flabby if you do them frequently. And yes your core will definitely become stronger by doing push ups.
Increase in metabolic rate. An increase in metabolic rate also means burning more calories throughout the day. We believe this is favourable for most of us right?
Increase in bone mass. As we age, it is important to have a stronger bone to prevent diseases like osteoporosis. Also, having a stronger bone helps to reduce the chance of getting injured.
Posture will improve for sure. As stated in LiveFit, push ups when done in the correct form are meant to strengthen the back muscles, which is key to having an upright form. It's recommended for sedentary adults to do push ups daily. Sitting at the desk crunching your spine the whole day doesn't sound good for one's back at all, right?
How many calories do Push Ups burn?
Many, especially those who struggle to do a proper push up, or can do a push up easily, are curious about the calories burned doing push ups. How many calories Push Ups burn could be a question in your head. Similar to all exercises, according to Healthline the amount of calories burnt is dependent on height, weight, sex, age, and the intensity (how fast you go) of the workout.
On average, push ups can burn about 7 calories per minute. But the quicker you go, the more calories you are likely to burn. So, if the question is how many calories do you burn doing 10 push ups? The answer is, the faster you complete them, and the more sets you do, the higher the push up calorie burn - there is no shortcut to that equation!
Push Up Variations
It comes as no surprise that there are different types of push ups due to variations in hand positions, degree of back arching, and even feet positions. According to Outside Online, there are about 14 possible different push up positions!
Here are some common ones we recommend:
Pike Push Up
Photo credits: Men’s Health
This involves being in a downward dog position (as per yoga) with your hands and feet at shoulder width apart. Your body will now be in an inverted V position and as you lower your head by bending your elbows, attempt to maintain that position before straightening your elbows. The pike push up targets the upper body and core, with particular focus on the shoulders.
Diamond Push Up
Photo credits: Men’s Health
This involves being in a plank position and placing your hands at the center in a diamond-shaped layout. Keep your shoulders tight and slowly bend them for your chest to approach the diamond you have created with your hands. Straighten your elbows again to complete one push up. Diamond push ups target the upper body and core, with a particular focus on the triceps.
Archer Push Up
Photo Credits: Men’s Health
This involves angling your hands outwards at a 45 degree angle. Instead of lowering yourself towards the center of the ground, bend your elbow in a manner that shifts your weight to mostly on one side of your body. The other arm will be fully extended instead, towards the bent arm. Straighten both elbows again to complete one push up. Archer push ups enable greater intensity training by allowing each arm to carry a heavier weight than usual (50% of body weight).
Wide Push Up
Photo Credits: Men’s Health
This involves open your hands up wider than the usual shoulder width apart. Usually, this means at least 75cm distance between both palms. When you bend your elbows to attempt the push up, be sure to keep your elbows close to your chest. Straighten your elbows again to complete one push up. Wide push ups target the upper body and core, with a particular focus on the pectoral muscles.
In summary…
Top three things for you (tldr):
1) Push ups come in many different variations, please watch our step by step tutorial for the most basic form
2) Push ups burn more calories when they are completed at higher intensities
3) Push ups are good for posture correction
When in doubt, feel free to reach out to us for personal or group training programs in Singapore. Together, Let us Witness your Fitness!
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