There is hardly an exercise that trains the upper body in such a versatile way as the push-up: arms, shoulders, torso and chest are strengthened, and the buttocks and back also benefit from it. Personal trainer Erik Jäger shows exclusively at FITBOOK what is important with the push-up, how beginners approach it – and the professional version: the fly support.
Hailed as the ultimate bodyweight exercise by many fitness fans, the push-up is hated by even more. The fact is that the push-up trains numerous muscles. It is also well suited as a challenge exercise because you can compare yourself based on the number of repetitions you have done – with yourself and others. FITBOOK has already reported on several push-up challenges and records. In order to train effectively and avoid injuries, it is important to do the push-up correctly. Capital coach Erik Jäger shows how this works in the tutorial.
Which muscle groups do push-ups work?
Push-ups are an absolute classic among strength exercises and for good reason: there is almost no part of the body that does not benefit from them. Push-ups strengthen arms, shoulders, core and chest; and with a clean execution, the gluteal muscles are also challenged. But as is the case with things that you think you have mastered because you’ve done them a thousand times: mistakes creep in.
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How to do push-ups correctly?
The English term push-up (push up) describes the movement perfectly: the body is pushed upwards from a very specific starting position.
In the starting position, your shoulders, hips and feet should be in one line. Exactly this line is maintained when pushing up. It is essential to ensure that the buttocks do not sag and that the trunk tension is maintained. The ascent should be quicker than the descent, which is important to do slowly and with control. The arms stay close to the body; Don’t spread your elbows. By the way: when you go down, your chest hits the ground first. The video with personal trainer Erik Jäger explains what to look out for in detail when doing a push-up.
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Which push-up variant is suitable for beginners?
If you are not that strong yet, you will also find a variant for beginners in the video instructions. To do this, put your knees on the floor, your back stays straight. In this way, strength can be built up in a targeted manner in order to then create the right push-up.
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Push-up variant for professionals
For advanced users, Erik Jäger shows the impressive Flying Push-up, also known as the Superman Push-up. If you want to learn it, watch this video tutorial and start training! Envious guaranteed.
Personal details: Erik Jäger is a functional fitness trainer and has been successfully working as a personal, athletics trainer and group fitness trainer for many years. On his Instagram channel, the «Capital Coach» motivates people to exercise every day.