There are a lot of reasons why performing traditional pushups is great for your body.
According to Healthline, doing pushups targets the muscles in your triceps, pectorals, and shoulders.
By performing pushups every day, you increase your upper body strength and tone your body.
That said, you may wonder how many pushups you need to do each day to achieve your fitness goals.
Here’s what you need to know about how many pushups you should do in a day.
How Many Pushups Should I Do A Day?
A group of researchers from Harvard concluded that if an individual can do 40 pushups or more without stopping, their chances of developing cardiovascular disease drop by 96%.
So, it’s great if you can do 40 pushups in a day, at the very least.
The study also noted that those who were only able to do 10 pushups without stopping were more likely to develop cardiovascular disease.
Doing at least 40 pushups in a row can reduce the chances of cardiac arrest.
That said, if you want to build muscle through pushups, then you’re going to need to do more than 40 pushups in a day.
Fitness is relative, and because of that, you need to know your limits.
By understanding your limit, you can then determine how many pushups you should do in a day.
First, you can establish your limit by counting the number of pushups you can perform in a row.
Then you can add more pushups each week as you hone your muscles and strength.
For example, if you’re only able to do 25 in a row, then aim for 50 or 75 pushups a day.
If you’re able to do 25-50 pushups in a row, then aim for 75-150 pushups a day.
Finally, if you’re able to do more than 50 pushups in a row, then you should aim for 150-250 pushups a day.
What Are The Benefits Of Doing Pushups?
There are tons of different ways to build muscle in your arms and chest area.
You may wonder why you should spend time doing something as simple as pushups.
Here are some benefits you can experience by doing pushups.
1. Don’t Require Equipment
Perhaps one of the best benefits of doing pushups is that it doesn’t require any equipment.
A common reason why many people don’t end up building the muscle that they want is that they feel as though they need gym equipment.
While gym equipment can help you work certain muscles, it isn’t necessary for muscle growth.
You can build muscle by doing pushups.
Pushups require zero equipment.
You can simply drop to the ground and start using gravity and your own body weight to build muscle.
If you really want to get a challenge, then you can always have a friend or partner sit on your back while you do pushups.
Pushups are far more accessible than other types of workouts.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money on gym equipment.
You also don’t have to have to worry about expensive gym memberships.
Instead, you can do them free and build muscle in the process.
2. You Can Do Them Anywhere
Another great benefit of doing pushups is that you can do them anywhere.
When you use equipment, you often need a dedicated space for working out.
For example, if you’re lifting weights, you sometimes need a bench.
Benches are large and need a lot of space.
Not everyone has room in their homes or apartments for a workout bench.
The same goes for other pieces of equipment.
Even things like dumbbells take up space.
If you don’t have the space for equipment, you may feel as though you’re out of luck to build muscle.
That isn’t the case with pushups.
All you need is a little stretch of floor long enough for your body.
You don’t even necessarily need a workout mat or rug.
You can do pushups on the carpet, on hardwood floors, and practically any kind of surface.
Since you’re using your own body, all you need is enough space to stretch out on the floor.
3. Fast To Do
A problem with using equipment is that it can sometimes take a while to put everything together.
This is especially true at the gym.
When someone gets done using a machine, you then have to set it up for yourself.
If you’re already on a limited amount of time at the gym then setting up your workout space eats away at more of that time.
Pushups don’t have that problem.
You don’t have to worry about switching out weights or changing settings.
You can get started immediately and get through them relatively quickly.
You can even control your speed.
As long as you’re holding your form correctly, you can race through pushups to give yourself an even tougher workup.
4. Establishes Habit
One of the hardest parts of working out is establishing a workout and making it a habit.
One of the reasons that establishing a habit can be difficult with working out is because there are a lot of barriers to entry.
Not everyone has the money to buy gym equipment or a gym membership.
Those who work out at a gym have to get there.
Getting the motivation to head out of the house or go there after work can be difficult.
It’s easier to work out when you have everything you need in your own home.
Pushups allow you to do that.
All you need to do is get on the floor to start doing pushups.
Pushups are easy to fit into a busy schedule, which decreases the number of excuses that you can make to avoid them.
You also don’t need to go to a gym to start doing pushups, so you don’t have to find the motivation to leave the house or head to the gym after work.
Since pushups are easier to do, it’s easy to form a habit and start making workouts a usual part of your schedule.
5. Easy To Scale
Another reason pushups are beneficial is because they’re easy to scale.
While pushups are a relatively easy thing to do, there are ways that you can make pushups a bit easier.
That makes pushups beginner-friendly.
As you start to gain some upper strength, you’re able to add more pushups to your workout.
You can then make pushups even more complex by adding weight to your back.
There are several ways that you can challenge yourself with your pushups as well.
You might set yourself a challenge of doing a certain number of pushups in a set amount of time.
Or you may try to do as many pushups as you can in that time period to set a record.
Then you can try and beat that record the next time.
Because of how flexible and scalable pushups are, they’re a great workout for almost anyone to do.
6. Works Different Muscle Groups
A problem you have with some workouts is that they only work on one particular muscle group.
While this might be ideal if you only want to focus on that single muscle group, it’s less ideal for people who want to work with multiple groups in a short amount of time.
Since some workouts only focus on one muscle, you end up needing to add more time to your workout just to get everything done.
Not everyone has the time to do that.
For those who need their workouts to be as efficient as possible, doing pushups is a great workout to add to your regime.
That’s because pushups focus on your pectoral, triceps, and shoulders.
Not only do pushups work multiple muscle groups, but the groups it covers are quite large.
If you want a defined chest and shoulder area, then pushups have you covered.
What Are The Negatives Of Pushups?
While pushups have a ton of benefits, they do have a few negatives as well.
Here are some of the negative things to consider before adding pushups to your daily workout routine.
1. Not Ideal For Wrist Injuries
If you’re doing a proper pushup, rather than a modified version, you put a lot of stress on your wrists.
While pushups can strengthen your wrists, they’re not ideal for those with a wrist injury.
That’s because your wrists and arms are holding up the majority of your body weight.
If you have a wrist injury or suffered one recently, doing pushups can make your recovery worse.
It may even cause you to have another injury.
Because of that, pushups aren’t great for those who suffered from wrist injuries recently or are currently suffering from one.
2. Incorrect Form Leads To Injury
Doing pushups may seem easy, but it’s also easy to get the form wrong.
If you do pushups with an incorrect form for too long, it can lead to shoulder pain.
Continuing to do the form incorrectly can even lead to a shoulder injury.
Before you start doing pushups, it’s important that you get a trainer to show you the right form.
You can also find several resources online indicating the correct form to use.
Once you know the form, doing pushups is safer.
3. Risk Of Plateauing
A problem that many people come up against when working out is plateauing.
Plateauing refers to when your body becomes used to the workout.
You essentially don’t get as much benefit, if any, from the workout.
Your muscles may not grow any larger.
You may not lose any fat.
It can be difficult to get over a plateau.
Pushups can only do so much if you’re doing them standardly.
For example, if all you do is 20 pushups a day, then it won’t take long for your body to get used to it.
However, if you do 20 pushups, then push yourself to do more reps, your body can get over the plateau.
Of course, at some point, adding more reps to your pushups is going to be more effort than is worth it.
While there are ways to make pushups more challenging, you’re always at risk of hitting that plateau.
Pushups aren’t always the best type of workout because you can plateau quickly with them.
What’s The Proper Form For A Pushup?
To avoid getting an injury or developing your muscles incorrectly, you need to know how to perform a pushup the proper way.
There are three things you should keep in mind to ensure you have the right form for a pushup.
The first is to keep your back straight and your core engaged.
It’s common to lower your front or back half more than the other half when doing a pushup.
The problem with that is that it adds pressure to other parts of the body.
As a result, you can injure your back or shoulders by lifting the wrong part of your body and not keeping your back straight.
Keeping your core engaged is another important part of having a correct form.
By keeping your core engaged, you ensure that your stomach gets a bit of workout, too.
The second thing to keep in mind is keeping your hips lowered.
When doing pushups, it’s common to raise your hips a bit too high.
This can lead to shoulder injuries because you’re putting a lot more weight and pressure on them with the incorrect form.
Finally, don’t let your body sag down when performing your pushup.
This is especially easy to do as you grow tired.
Sagging can injure your back and make it difficult to build muscle where you need it.
By keeping an eye on these three things, you can ensure that you maintain good form and do a pushup properly.
How To Do A Pushup For The First Time
If you want to make pushups a part of your daily workout but you’ve never done pushups before, you may wonder how to get started.
If you’ve never done a pushup before, you may have some concerns about your upper body strength.
To start, it’s a good idea to try a pushup on your knees first.
Doing pushups on your knees is an ideal way to get started since it establishes some baseline of upper body strength.
Once you’re ready to do a traditional pushup, you should follow these steps.
1. Kneel On The Floor Or Mat
To get into the right position, you need to kneel on the floor first.
Once you’re kneeling, you’ll want to bring your feet together behind you.
2. Get Into The Plank Position
The next step is to get into the top phase of the pushup position.
To do so, you’ll want to lean forward on your hands.
You’re essentially getting into a plank position.
Except instead of resting on your arms, you’re resting on your hands.
Your hands should be shoulder-width apart.
You’ll also want to position your shoulders so that they’re over your hands.
3. Lower Down
Now it’s time to lower down to the floor.
You’ll want to keep your back straight while you descend.
You should also keep your hips from dipping or your body from sagging.
Lower down until either your chin or chest touches the ground.
4. Lift Up
The final step is to push yourself back up into the plank position.
As before, you’ll want to ensure your core is tight and engaged.
Keep your spine and hips straight and moving at the same time.
You need to push up until your arms are fully extended.
Conclusion
If you want to ensure your body is at its peak, you should be able to do at least 40 pushups in a row.
However, the number of pushups you should do in a day depends on your level of fitness.
If you want to improve your upper body strength, add to the number of pushups that you do daily each week.
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