So you want to build muscle up quickly, but you don't have access to a gym and you have limited equipment available? You're in luck -- bodyweight exercises, also know as functional exercises, can be used to build mass without requiring any fancy equipment.
Frankly, it's easy to underestimate just how effective pushups can be at building your chest and arms. Pushups might appear plain and boring at a glance: up down, up down, up down -- that's it. And that's true to an extent. But most people outside of fitness enthusiasts are only familiar with the standard pushups that they were taught in their high school gym classes.
Build your workout using a variety of pushup variations that each focus on a specific muscle group. You'll get the overall chest, arms, and back benefit, but each variation will also isolate one muscle group more than the others. This also makes pushups a great part of any superset. We're going to review five variations in this article, but there are countless available, and these five should open your eyes to the possibilities available.
Military pushups: military pushups are similar to standard pushups, except that you move your hands underneath your shoulders and tuck your elbows tightly to your side. This variation works the triceps more than the chest.
Diamond pushups: Diamond pushups, also referred to as "heart to heart" pushups, require you to place your index fingers and thumbs together in the shape of a diamond during your push up workout. While diamond push ups tend to work your triceps more than your chest muscles, the benefits of modifying your hand placement during pushups, even if only a tiny bit, are undeniable.
Divebombers: also referred to as "yogi pushups," you start the pushup in the yoga down dog position, and then in one motion, graze your nose, chin, chest, abdomen to the ground, lifting your chest in the air as you straighten your arms. The motion is similar to trying to squeeze underneath a fence while keeping your feet rooted. These pushups isolate your shoulders and will also increase the range of motion in your shoulders.
Decline pushups: Instead of placing your feet on the floor, or using your knees, place your feet on a platform so that your head is lower than your feet. You can use a chair, a stepstool, or a bench -- pretty much anything that will allow you to raise your feet up so that they are higher than your head. These types of pushups work your upper chest muscles.
Deep pushups: If you are working out at home, you can perform raised pushups with the help of three sturdy chairs. By placing each of your hands on an opposite chair, and your feet on the third chair, you can increase the depth of your pushup and thereby increase the effectiveness of your workout routine. A similar, but less intense, movement can be performed with pushup stands. The "Perfect Pushup" bars work wonders.
Here is a more detailed listing of styles you can consider to achieve muscle weight gain: fly, wide, military, diamond, fist, yogi, incline, decline, deep, stacked, inchworm, and prison cell pushups.
To get the most out of your pushup workouts, remember to add some weight once the pushups begin to get easy. You don't want to push out 50 easy repetitions. Rather, struggle with 20 or 30. Also be sure to add variety by varying your hand position for each of the above types of pushups.
Push ups are a great way to strengthen your upper body and exercise, build muscle at the same time. If you keep it interesting by mixing up your hand positions and trying a few different styles of pushups you can increase the effectiveness of your at-home exercising and relieve the boredom! - 15683
Frankly, it's easy to underestimate just how effective pushups can be at building your chest and arms. Pushups might appear plain and boring at a glance: up down, up down, up down -- that's it. And that's true to an extent. But most people outside of fitness enthusiasts are only familiar with the standard pushups that they were taught in their high school gym classes.
Build your workout using a variety of pushup variations that each focus on a specific muscle group. You'll get the overall chest, arms, and back benefit, but each variation will also isolate one muscle group more than the others. This also makes pushups a great part of any superset. We're going to review five variations in this article, but there are countless available, and these five should open your eyes to the possibilities available.
Military pushups: military pushups are similar to standard pushups, except that you move your hands underneath your shoulders and tuck your elbows tightly to your side. This variation works the triceps more than the chest.
Diamond pushups: Diamond pushups, also referred to as "heart to heart" pushups, require you to place your index fingers and thumbs together in the shape of a diamond during your push up workout. While diamond push ups tend to work your triceps more than your chest muscles, the benefits of modifying your hand placement during pushups, even if only a tiny bit, are undeniable.
Divebombers: also referred to as "yogi pushups," you start the pushup in the yoga down dog position, and then in one motion, graze your nose, chin, chest, abdomen to the ground, lifting your chest in the air as you straighten your arms. The motion is similar to trying to squeeze underneath a fence while keeping your feet rooted. These pushups isolate your shoulders and will also increase the range of motion in your shoulders.
Decline pushups: Instead of placing your feet on the floor, or using your knees, place your feet on a platform so that your head is lower than your feet. You can use a chair, a stepstool, or a bench -- pretty much anything that will allow you to raise your feet up so that they are higher than your head. These types of pushups work your upper chest muscles.
Deep pushups: If you are working out at home, you can perform raised pushups with the help of three sturdy chairs. By placing each of your hands on an opposite chair, and your feet on the third chair, you can increase the depth of your pushup and thereby increase the effectiveness of your workout routine. A similar, but less intense, movement can be performed with pushup stands. The "Perfect Pushup" bars work wonders.
Here is a more detailed listing of styles you can consider to achieve muscle weight gain: fly, wide, military, diamond, fist, yogi, incline, decline, deep, stacked, inchworm, and prison cell pushups.
To get the most out of your pushup workouts, remember to add some weight once the pushups begin to get easy. You don't want to push out 50 easy repetitions. Rather, struggle with 20 or 30. Also be sure to add variety by varying your hand position for each of the above types of pushups.
Push ups are a great way to strengthen your upper body and exercise, build muscle at the same time. If you keep it interesting by mixing up your hand positions and trying a few different styles of pushups you can increase the effectiveness of your at-home exercising and relieve the boredom! - 15683
About the Author:
Jared is a time-strapped professional who is always on the lookout for techniques to get better results in less time. Over the years, he has used most of the popular build muscle up products available on the market. His objective product reviews and informative content are freely available to anyone looking to achieve muscle weight gain and strengthen their bodies.
