The Push-Up, also referred to as Press-Up, is one of the fundamentals of fitness training. The classic exercise uses the bodyweight. It can be carried out without tools and pretty much everywhere. Push-ups strengthen the muscles of the upper body and improve strength endurance. That's why they are perfect for martial artists practicing Escrima, Arnis or Kali. Unfortunately, even though Push-Ups are so well-known, many people do them wrong.
Push-Up: How it's done!
Lie flat on your stomach. The hands must be placed in shoulder-width on the floor, left and right of your chest. The feet touch the ground only with their tips. Now, push yourself up from the ground. The body has to form a straight line from the shoulders to the feet. The hip must not hang low or be held too high. The muscles of belly and bottom are tensed. This body tension stabilizes the back.
Lower the body. Breathe in. Stop short before the ground. Now bounce back and breathe out. The workout especially strengthens the chest muscles, as well as triceps and deltoid. Martial artists should train to improve their strength endurance. The method is simple: make a lot of push-ups! Start with a few repetitions and increase with time.
Variant: Push-Up on the fists
Many athletes place their hands flat on the ground - as in our picture. The problem is that the wrists can be over-stretched. If you work out regularly, this can lead to pain. Since the wrists are stressed a lot in Filipino Martial Arts anyway, one might want to avoid unnecessary strain. You can do the push-ups on your fists. The palms of the hands should be directed inwards towards the body.
The weight of the body rests on the fists. This can be used to harden your knuckles. It can be seen in many older martial arts movies. Important: The main weight must rest on the knuckles of the index and middle finger. These are the areas which hit the target, when a punch is thrown correctly. If you prefer to do without this somewhat archaic hardening, you can place a soft sports mat underneath or use special pull-up handles.
Do Push-Ups Every Day!
If you have difficulties getting started, you can use a simplified exercise first. Place the knees on the floor, not the feet. If you make ten or twenty reps like that, switch to the standard exercise. Increase the number of reps slowly. If it is carried out correctly, there is no risk other than a muscle sore. Anyone who executes around 100 push-ups every day can, with a clear conscience, call themselves fit. The Japanese Minoru Yoshida holds the world record since 1980 with 10,507 lying supports.
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