An Australian athlete Daniel Scali recently made news when he performed 3,182 push-ups in an hour and officially broke a Guinness World Record by achieving the world record for most push-ups in an hour (male). However, his story is of resilience too, because he was fighting incurable pain during those push-ups, courtesy of CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome), a chronic condition he’s been battling since the age of 12. While we all admire his efforts, it is also important to perform the exercise in a proper manner because it is not as simple as it seems.
Step 1: Get on the mat and be on your all fours by gaining grip of the mat.
Step 2: Put your palms on the mat and make sure your hands are not very wide. They must be slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Step 3: Ensure that your legs are straight and you are in a plank position eventually.
Step 4: Make sure to keep your core tight and with an inhale, lower down your body.
Step 5: With an exhale, press your palms on the mat and lift your body up.
Step 6: Don’t forget to lock your elbows when you lift yourself up. Then go as low as you can for a better range of motion.
Lastly, if you can hold your push-up when you are up, it will be great. So, go do a quick push-up and strengthen your core.
Watch how to do a push-up!
First things first, a push-up is simple and it is possible to do it almost anywhere. It involves the entire body from head to toe. Push-ups not only your chest, shoulders and arms, but they are really a full body movement, which works on the core muscles. While holding the body in a plan activates and strengthens the core, the exercise in itself requires work from your legs too, which helps in shaping them.
As we mentioned earlier, there are several benefits of doing a push-up. However, the number of push-ups one must do really depends on your current ability and your end goals. For instance, if you are just looking to get fitter and stronger, perform push-ups until you reach a momentary failure, which means you can’t complete another rep with good form.
Also, read: Tone your arms, belly, and legs in one go with superwoman push-ups
For beginners, doing 10 to 15 reps and 4 sets is enough. Make sure to increase it eventually. Start with lesser counts and try easier versions before going too rigorous and trying new forms.
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