Let's figure out whether it is possible to strengthen the muscular frame and pump up the abdominal muscles by doing push-ups alone.
It is believed that it is impossible to build a lot of muscle through exercise without any sports equipment or external load, solely under your own weight.
But research shows that this is not always the case. Building muscle mass naturally is only ineffective if the mass gain method is not properly developed in a complex manner.
How to truly build muscle with push-ups? Here we will talk about how muscles are structured, what foods effectively nourish your body, and what you need to do to get started.
Although results are not always achieved quickly, creating the right strength training regimen will show noticeable muscle gains within a few weeks. Push-ups are one of the best bodyweight exercises for the upper body. They can be done easily and almost anywhere.
Advice from professionals
How to pump up your shoulders with push-ups? Push-ups will help strengthen not only your shoulders, but also the muscles of your chest, back or arms. This is due to the fact that push-ups are not dangerous when doing them independently without a trainer. You can also perform push-ups at home in absolutely any conditions. Performing push-ups will be successful if you know how to properly pump up your muscles.
If you have not decided which part of the body to start doing push-ups to increase muscle mass, then you can perform these exercises with a medium grip, as they allow you to distribute the load across all groups, including the wings, triceps, and chest . In this case, the chest muscles are pumped up to their full potential, and if you place your arms a little narrower, for example, less than the distance between your shoulders, then a greater load will be placed on the triceps. At the same time, you will be able to pump up your wings with push-ups.
You can pump yourself up with push-ups, but it is important to monitor the position of your hands and elbows when performing this particular type of exercise. In this case, you need to place your hands so that your fingers point forward. It is not recommended to change this position in any way. When doing push-ups, you need to make sure that your elbows are as close to the body as possible, otherwise, with any deviation from the correct technique, you can pump up other muscle groups.
Within the walls of the “YourRevolution1905” club, we are ready to professionally help you tighten your body and improve your physical shape. Whole sets of exercises developed by certified specialists, nutritional recommendations, “smart” weighing and much more, all this will help you achieve your goal as effectively as possible. For the most effective and quick results, you can train individually (one-on-one with a trainer) or in mini-groups of up to ten people. Come to our classes and we will help you become the best version of yourself!
How muscles grow
julian.com
Skeletal muscle is the most adaptable tissue in our body. When we engage in extreme exercise, such as weightlifting, muscle fibers undergo what is called muscle trauma and satellite cells outside the muscle fibers are activated. They attempt to repair damage by joining together and, as a result, increasing muscle fiber.
Certain hormones also help muscles grow. They control satellite cells and are responsible for the following important points:
- sending nutrients to muscles during and after exercise;
- formation of new blood capillaries;
- restoration of muscle cells;
- - muscle mass management.
For example, resistance exercise helps the body release growth hormone from the pituitary gland. How much will be released depends on the intensity of the exercise performed. HGH increases metabolism and helps convert amino acids into protein to increase and strengthen muscle mass.
builtlean.com
Push-ups directly activate the deltoids, triceps, and pecs. They also affect the abdominal and lower back sectors, upper back, buttocks and all parts of the legs.
Almost all major and minor muscles are used to maintain the plank position that must be maintained during a push-up.
However, you cannot expect that by doing push-ups you will be able to build muscle mass in your back - it is only used for stabilization. see also
12 Bodyweight Exercises That Will Help You Build Muscle
How to pump up triceps at home without dumbbells SportSovety.ru
Many people want to learn how to pump up triceps at home without dumbbells, but it is important not only to know, but also to apply the acquired knowledge in practice. There are many effective and proven exercises to pump up your triceps at home, the main thing is to do them correctly, following the advice
How to pump up triceps at home
To pump up your triceps at home, you need to set yourself a specific goal, which triceps you want to pump up and in what time. Find a photo or imagine the triceps you want to pump up.
Set a clear date by which you want to get the triceps you want and what you are willing to do every day to achieve your goal.
Note!
Create and write for yourself a plan for realizing your goal, include in it a training schedule, the necessary exercises, the number of approaches, repetitions and time of training and exercises.
After this, pumping up your triceps at home will be much simpler and easier, but it is also important to motivate yourself with something before training, it could be your goal or music, anything that inspires you to exercise even harder and more persistently. Find out: how to pump up your triceps with dumbbells at home
How to pump up triceps at home - exercises
To pump up your triceps at home, you need to perform the exercises given here 3-4 times a week, but better every day, it all depends on your body and muscle pain.
Bench push-ups
Place your hands on a bench or bed, place your feet on the floor, or put them on a chair and do push-ups with your hands as you do on parallel bars. This will allow you to pump up your triceps at home if you increase the number of repetitions each time and gradually add additional weight. It is advisable to do 2-3 approaches, rest for 2 minutes.
Narrow and wide grip push-ups
You can also pump up your triceps at home using a sheet of push-ups with or without additional weight, a narrow, simple and wide grip. In the future, you can do push-ups on your fists, fingers and hands, which will improve the load and effect.
Dips
Exercises with dumbbells, kettlebells and barbells
In any case, to pump up your triceps at home, you need weights, barbells and dumbbells, since without them there will be little effect from the exercises. Therefore, instead of dumbbells and weights, you can use your imagination by coming up with, for example, a backpack with books or other additional weight.
Pull-ups on the horizontal bar
There are some of the best horizontal bar exercises that you can do to tone your triceps at home. Do 10 proper, regular pull-ups first. After this, try doing pull-ups not up to your chin, but higher, to reach your arms. By doing 5-10 exercises like this, you will pump up your triceps faster. Find out: how to pump up your triceps on the horizontal bar and parallel bars.
How to pump up triceps at home - recommendations
To pump up your triceps at home without dumbbells, you not only need to know and perform the right exercises, but also take care of proper nutrition and healthy sleep.
If you don’t get enough sleep, then you will want to eat more, so overeating will occur and there will be no effect from sports. Go to bed as early as possible, preferably at 22.00, get up earlier in the morning and wash with cold water after simple exercises. This will allow you to reduce sleep by 2 hours and at the same time get better sleep than before.
Eat 2-3 hours before bed, 1-2 hours before training. Do exercises in the evening, and in the morning do simple exercises for vigor. Doing exercise in the morning will leave you tired and unable to do anything all day.
Eat healthy foods filled with vitamins and proteins. Don't overeat, eat fresh fruits, vegetables and drink 2-3 liters of water a day.
SportSovety.ruSports tips in pictures and videos
Push-ups are also lifting weights
Many people believe that without some external load - iron plates or someone sitting on our back - we do not lift weights.
Pull-ups are often preferred because they lift more body weight, as opposed to about 60% for push-ups (percentage may vary depending on exercise style and body position - the higher the legs and lower the head, the greater the load on the arms and upper torso ).
gifer.com
Both of these complexes - push-ups and pull-ups - are good. Moreover, considering that we are talking about training at home. Another plus is the ability to diversify the style and add external weight.
Professional athletes and proud bodybuilders always include these exercises in their textbooks on natural and high-quality muscle building - both individually and in combination with exercise equipment.
You don't have to spend days in the gym to build muscle mass. Even home exercises for 20-30 minutes 2-3 times a week are enough to see results. And you don't have to overload your muscles with heavy loads: you can simply increase the number of repetitions.
freepik.com
Many old-school boxers trained exclusively with bodyweight exercises, believing that lifting weights could slow down their punching speed—Mike Tyson and Herschel Walker built their bodies that way.
Every day they did hundreds of push-ups, squats, jumping ropes and pull-ups. As you can see, they are quite muscular. True, this takes time and patience, so don’t expect radical changes in just a month.
see also
How to do pull-ups without a horizontal bar
How to properly perform different types of push-ups?
Classic exercise
To perform this movement, you need to place your hands at the level of your shoulder joints. As a result, you will be able to use your chest muscles to the maximum. Unfortunately, many people forget about the technical features of the exercise, focusing solely on the number of repetitions. If a person decides, say, to do 20 push-ups, then he will do them without paying any attention to technique.
However, this approach to the matter can hardly be called competent, because the effectiveness of any strength exercise primarily depends on the quality of working out the target muscles, and not on the number of repetitions. It is important to remember that the muscle you are working must be under load throughout the entire exercise. This suggests that you should avoid pauses at the end points of the trajectory.
Let's look at the exercise technique in more detail. Press your hands and toes into the ground. The arms should be at the level of the shoulder joints and should be fully straightened. To keep your body in a straight line, tighten your buttocks and do not relax them until the end of the set. This is a very important point and it should be remembered that when performing push-ups, the body should be extended in one line. We also recommend tightening your abdominal muscles to stabilize your position.
Lower yourself down until your chest almost touches the ground. After pausing at the bottom of the trajectory, quickly return to the starting position. If you notice that your hips are starting to sag, then this is the first sign of fatigue. In such a situation, it is worth completing the exercise. In addition, remember that your gaze should not be directed vertically downward, but slightly in front of you. During the downward movement, the elbow joints must be spread at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the body.
Bench and knee push-ups
If you cannot perform three or four repetitions technically correctly, we recommend using an easier version of the exercise - push-ups from a bench or from your knees. The higher the surface of the hand support, the easier it will be for you to perform the exercise. The technique of these exercises is similar to classic push-ups. If you want to make the exercise more difficult, you should place your hands on a bench or other elevated surface and press your hands into the ground.
One-arm push-ups
You can start performing this type of push-ups only after achieving a certain athletic form. Take a position similar to the classic exercise. In this case, the working hand must be placed under the body, and the second one must be placed behind the back. To make it easier to maintain balance, place your feet shoulder-width apart or even wider.
You may not be able to go as low as possible right away. Don’t be upset; at first, doing 20 centimeters of push-ups is quite enough. Watch your body, not allowing it to fall to the side. Also, during the downward movement, the elbow joint should bend back. Try to gradually go lower and lower, so that as a result you work with full amplitude.
Push-ups, narrow hand position
Here we can distinguish two types of exercises. The first of them is aimed at working the triceps. While performing the exercise, the elbow joints should be pressed tightly to the body. At the top point of the trajectory, the arms should be fully straightened. However, the exercise is not without its drawbacks:
- Quite a small range of motion.
- You may feel discomfort in the wrist area.
The second type of push-ups with a narrow position of the hands allows you to use not only the triceps, but also the middle part of the chest. When performing the movement, the elbow joints must be moved apart.
Yes, push-ups stimulate the body and help build muscle.
bodybuilding.com
Your upper torso will become muscular even if you just do push-ups and pull-ups, but building a truly decent body requires a comprehensive approach.
It is also not necessary to visit the gym for this - at home, saving money and time, you can perform a lot of diverse strength exercises and even some complex gymnastic elements. There are bodybuilders who prefer this style of training. A great example is Austin Dunham.
A beautiful physique “from scratch” with proper training, nutrition and rest can be achieved in 5-12 months. But don't expect to look like Austin in such a short time - he spent years building his body to look like it does now.
Warning 1: You must eat properly and rest
Proper nutrition is important - if there is a lack of protein, our muscles, which we work so hard on, will begin to break down, and without fats and carbohydrates there will be no energy. Among other things, carbohydrates are essential because they are burned first, protecting protein stores.
You also need to sleep 7-8 hours a day and rest from training about 3 days a week, and during training take breaks between approaches.
Without giving yourself enough time to recover, you can get injured, which will harm your health and slow down your progress. The idea is to exercise regularly, but not continuously.
Warning 2: You will only grow the muscles you work on.
To maintain balance, you should additionally work your back, abs and legs. You don't want to look like the Hulk with skinny legs, do you? Then don't ignore the rest of the body.
Burpee helps with this - a multi-component exercise that involves knees, shoulders, elbows, wrists, feet, etc. This complex, developed on the basis of push-ups/squats, trains almost the entire body - from the arms and neck to the stomach and legs.
Warning 3: Adjust the load
It’s unlikely that anyone should be reminded that at the beginning they need to warm up for 5-10 minutes (this will help avoid injuries from exercises with cold muscles). But there are things that few beginners think about.
For example, that you can get injured if you concentrate on one muscle group every day. At a minimum, your muscles will begin to ache a lot (and we are not talking about pleasant fatigue).
The solution to this problem is to alternate exercises throughout the day and/or within the same workout - say, bicep curls to reduce pressure on the triceps. On the other hand, if muscles don't hurt or feel tight, they won't grow.
Verywell/Ben Goldstein
The body only builds muscle if it is subjected to overload. When a beginner does push-ups, his body senses the injury and responds by increasing muscle size, but soon gets used to it and stops changing.
The muscles do not receive adequate stimulation to continue to grow, and instead of gaining muscle mass, strength endurance begins to develop. The body becomes slimmer and physically stronger, but not more prominent.
If you do the same push-ups from scratch - say, 4-5 times a week for two months, you can see that muscle growth in the first half of the period was much greater than in the second. This is why progressive overload is so important - constantly challenging and stimulating the body to build strength and muscle size. There are many different programs, but whatever you choose, do not let your body become complacent.
Push-ups are great because they can be easily “progressed” with the help of a vest with inserted weights, kids on your back, or a backpack with water bottles. You can wrap yourself in chains and lean on one leg, change the position of your arms, the angle of inclination, shorten the rest time, perform more repetitions, speed up and slow down the pace - the variations are endless.
A good guideline is to choose a weight and routine that fatigues your muscles after 12-15 reps.
When you find that a workout is too easy, try gradually making it harder to the next level. Even one set of 12 repetitions with a fairly high tension develops muscles better than 3 sets with a low load.
Warning 4: Watch your posture
By doing frequent push-ups, you can get great chest, shoulders and triceps, but you should be wary of damaging your posture. Be sure to exercise your back muscles to keep it healthy and upright.
pixabay.com
Most people don't have the best posture to begin with, so push-ups as the only form of exercise aren't a good idea. You can counteract shoulder roundness by doing adequate back work, such as doing pull-ups.
see also
No dumbbells or barbells: build muscles and get stronger with bodyweight exercises
Step-by-step pumping
So, if you decide to pump up your muscles with push-ups, then you need to correctly distribute the load on different parts of the body. You should start the complex with a wide-grip exercise, especially if the training is done from scratch. First you need to practice and learn how to do this at simpler levels. So, one of the first levels is push-ups from a bench.
When performing them, it is necessary to monitor not only the position of the back, but also the rest of the body - a straight line should be formed from the tips of the legs to the head. At first glance, this seems like a fairly simple exercise, but in reality, if you do everything according to the rules, it can sometimes be difficult to build muscles, so don’t try to immediately do a large number of push-ups from the bench and spend all your strength. 5-10 times are enough, and after that you can increase the number of exercises.
After push-ups from a bench have passed the stage for you, you should complicate the set of exercises. At the next stage, you can perform so-called preponderances. To do this, alternate loads are applied to different hands. To train muscles with push-ups of this kind, you need to take a lying position, with your arms spread wider than your shoulders, and do not push-ups, but a kind of swaying with the body moving first to one hand, then to the other. Experts advise carefully monitoring the position of your back when performing this exercise. This will give a positive result at the end of charging.
But special attention should be paid to the position of the hands. In this case, it is not fixed, since when transferring the body, for example, to the right hand, the fingertips point to the right. If the weight is transferred to the left hand, then the right one takes its normal position, and now the left hand begins to move to the side.
After practicing this exercise, you can move on to regular push-ups. This takes into account what muscles you plan to develop. For example, if you plan to develop your chest, then you will need to perform exercises with a wide grip, but if you want to achieve such a goal as pumping up your arms, for example, triceps, then you need push-ups with a narrow grip with your arms spread to a maximum of shoulder width.
Do women gain muscle at the same rate as men?
1upnutrition.com
Men and women “build” muscles differently. Testosterone plays a big role in their development, and although men have more of it, it is present in the body of both sexes - so both men and women respond almost equally to strength training.
Muscle growth is also affected by:
- body size;
- constitution;
- age;
- health status;
- hormone levels.
In general, changes in muscle mass tend to occur in people of all genders, but are more noticeable in those who have more to begin with. Set realistic expectations. If the Incredible Hulk doesn't look at you in the mirror after a month of training, don't get upset and don't quit. Increasing natural muscle mass requires patience and persistence.
see also
Arnold Schwarzenegger posted a home workout plan online
