Push-up

The push-up (press-up in British English) is a common calisthenics exercise beginning from the prone position.

They are also a common form of punishment used in the military, school sport, and some martial arts disciplines to humiliate and its absence of use for equipment.

In modified push-ups, where knees are used as the pivot point, subjects supported 53.56% and 61.80% of their body mass in up and down positions, respectively.

Both muscles compress the abdomen, and the rectus abdominis also flexes the spine forward, although it does not execute this function when performing push-ups.

The anterior portion of the deltoid muscle is one of the major shoulder-joint horizontal adductors, moving the upper arms toward the chest during the upward phase of a push-up.

Along with horizontal adduction, the anterior deltoid assists with flexion and internal rotation of the humerus within the shoulder socket.

While the anterior deltoids and pectoralis major muscles work to horizontally adduct the upper arms during the upward phase of a push-up, the triceps brachii muscles, or triceps for short, are also hard at work extending the elbow joints so the arms can be fully extended.

[8] Stabilizers include wrist and forearm muscles, the knee extensors, and the hip/spine flexors, which all work isometrically to maintain a proper plank position in the standard prone push-up.

These include bringing the thumbs and index fingers of both hands together (a "diamond push-up") as well as having the elbows pointed towards the knees.

Raising the feet or hands onto elevated surfaces during the exercise emphasizes the upper (minor) or lower (major) pectorals, respectively.

Raising the hands with the aid of push-up bars or a dumbbell allows for a greater range of motion, providing further stress for the muscles.

Progressively overloading classic push-ups using barbell plates, resistance bands or any form of weight.

[11] An extremely difficult variation is to perform a push-up using only hands, without resting the feet on the floor, i.e., starting from and returning to the planche position.

To do this variation, the body's center of gravity must be kept over the hands while performing the push-up by leaning forward while the legs are elevated in the air, which requires great strength and a high level of balance.

It is considered a very challenging variation of the regular push-up because it requires two people to co-ordinate with perfect balance placing their feet to each others shoulders and pressing up.

This modification adds an element of instability and core engagement to the exercise, making it more challenging and effective for building upper body strength and stability.

The intent, in addition to building strength and conditioning, is to toughen the knuckles, wrist, and forearm in the punching position.

[21][22] The famous martial artist Bruce Lee also used it in his training regime and referred to it as a cat stretch,[23] influenced by The Great Gama.

[24] It is an effective core strength exercise because it dynamically involves both the anterior and posterior chains in a harmonious fashion.

The fast jolting force of clap push-ups will help develop explosive power while also bulking up the pectoral muscles.

The declined push-up, with the downward angle, adds additional work to the front shoulder and upper pectoral muscles.

This technique is commonly used after a large block of regular push-ups, as it poses less stress and requires less effort.

"Diamond" or "Triceps" push-ups are done by placing both palms on the ground and touching together both thumbs and pointer fingers.

The lips must come within 1 inch of the floor while keeping the neck in line with the straight spine to qualify as a valid push-up.

In the plank version of the hollow body, the shoulders are protracted into a pronounced curve in the upper back while the abdominal muscles are tightened and the legs are locked and squeezed together.

This variation requires full-body tension to execute and results in greater integration of the hips, shoulders, and core.

Some examples are: One hand can be set on a higher platform than the other or be further away from the other to give more weight to the opposite arm/side of the body and also exercise many diverse muscles.

Push-ups between chairs form an integral part of the "Dynamic Tension" Course devised by Charles Atlas, and similar systems.

Most notably various taxa of the fence lizard exhibit this display,[31] primarily involving the male engaging in postures to attract females.