Getting started Make sure that you do a warm up before you start to reduce the risk of injury, such as arm swings and arm circles for a few minutes. How many push ups should I do? This will depend on your strength but try something between 1-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions. If you have good upper body strength you can build up to 3-4 sets and 20-30 repetitions. Wide push ups - This targets the muscles in your chest, shoulders and upper arms. Diamond push ups - Place your hands close together under your chest, with your thumbs and index fingers touching. Narrow push ups - A narrower hand placement involves higher muscle activation of both the chest and the triceps and is harder to do for most people. Exercise of the month Push ups Decline push up - You can have your feet elevated on a seat or bench and this will create more resistance and work the muscles harder. Medicine ball - With your feet on the ball and your body parallel to the ground, perform a push up. This will make your core work harder in order to maintain balance. Fitness & Wellness Cardiovascular health - push ups can get your heart rate up, with your heart having to work harder to pump enough blood and oxygen through your body Because you are building strength, you are also burning calories It improves posture by engaging the core muscles and assisting you to maintain a correct posture Get into a plank position. For beginners, you may prefer to start in the kneeling position Keep arms straight but avoid locking them Palms flat on the floor with wrists, elbows and shoulders aligned Engage your core and keep it straight (without sagging) Maintain a straight spine throughout Bend elbows to 90° in a slow and controlled motion Look down at the ground so you don’t strain your neck Pause for a second at the bottom - your chin might lightly touch the floor Push yourself back up to the plank position Inhale as you lower and exhale as you rise Push ups are a great exercise that use the major muscle groups and offer multiple benefits. There are variations that allow for a range of abilities. Activities are run by Abingdon School Enterprises Limited on behalf of Abingdon School. Company No.04442429 abingdon.org.uk/sports-and-leisure 8 Benefits Technique
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