The push-up (or press-up, or push-up, take your pick) is the do-everything, no-kit exercise for the upper body \u2013 and maybe one of the best overall exercises you can do, period. <\/p>\n
After all, it requires no equipment, so it can be performed anywhere. The push-up builds your chest<\/a>, shoulders<\/a>, triceps<\/a>, and (if you do it right) the core<\/a> and glutes<\/a>, too, making it a powerful, total-body exercise. And it\u2019s an excellent indicator of muscular endurance and absolute strength (how strong you are for your body size), which is why it\u2019s a key element in almost all fitness tests. <\/p>\n How many push-up do you actually need to perform to start seeing noticeable results and why is that important to running?<\/p>\n The Ideal Number of Push-ups for Building Muscle<\/p>\n Every body is different, but for most people, being able to complete 25 to 30 consecutive push-up with good form is the sweet spot for packing on lean mass, says Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S.<\/a> ‘But they definitely need to be done at tempo, going all the way down [chest to within an inch or two of the floor], holding for a second, going all the way up, and locking out for a second [during each rep],’ he adds.<\/p>\n Once you can bang out three sets of 25 to 30 reps with good form (more on that shortly), you can think about loading weight by wearing a vest or having a partner put a plate on your back instead of ratcheting up the number of reps you do. ‘When I see somebody piling up 40, 50, 60 reps of push-up, it’s not because they’re proficient or building a ton of muscle,’ says Samuel. ‘It’s because they’re cheapening a portion of the rep and not getting the max muscle-building stimulus.’<\/p>\n That stimulus, over time, will be how you build muscle. Samuel isn’t saying just one set will immediately result in muscle growth; sustained effort to continuously challenge your muscles will be what you want to achieve. <\/p>\n How to do push-ups the right way<\/p>\n The number of push-up reps you do won’t be effective for building muscle if your form is sloppy. Here, Samuel walks through the right way to do push-up reps for maximal return. <\/p>\n Start in a high plank position, with your palms flat on the floor, stacked directly below your shoulders.Squeeze your shoulders, glutes, and core to create full-body tension. Your spine should form a straight line, keeping your eyes on the floor to maintain a neutral spine.Bend your elbows to descend to the floor, stopping with your chest just above the ground. Your elbows should be at a 45 degree angle relative to the torso.Press back up off the floor, raising up to the top position with your elbows fully extended.How to grow your push-up rep count<\/p>\n Cranking out multiple sets of 25-plus push-ups is a reasonable target for most seasoned exercisers, but what if you\u2019re still relatively new to the weight room or have not trained pushups specifically, that might be a tall task.<\/p>\n If that\u2019s you, don\u2019t worry. Muscle growth comes from challenging your muscles with progressively more stimulus, so even if you can\u2019t bang out 25-plus push-ups, you can still achieve noticeable gains by performing multiple sets of as many as you can do with good form. <\/p>\n That last part is key. If your hips start to sag or you can\u2019t get press back up from within a couple of inches of the floor without significant body English, your set is over. Poor quality reps are useless reps. They will also increase your risk of injury. Once you’re more experienced there will be techniques you can use to ratchet up the muscle-building stimulus without perfect form throughout the movement (including eccentric-focused reps and pause reps), but until you can rep through 25 straight standard reps, focus on that goal first. <\/p>\n Rest assured that if you keep your form on point and weave the push-up into your training plan multiple times per week, you\u2019ll find yourself crushing 25-plus rep sets sooner than you think \u2013 and needing to find ways to increase the challenge without tacking on more reps. As mentioned above, throwing a weight plate on your back or wearing a weighted vest is one option. <\/p>\n Why press-ups are great for runners<\/p>\n A strong upper body and core are fundamentals if you want to run well. Weakness in either\/both has a significant impact on posture and thus running form. Poor running form makes us inefficient, which in turn can lead to under performing as well as increased injury risk. <\/p>\n ‘Although the press-up may seem an odd choice for runners because it involves use of the upper body and arms (pectorals, shoulders and triceps) in a manner not replicated in the running action, its benefits accrue from the core stabilisation achieved,’ explains Graeme Woodward, a UK Athletics Level 3 performance coach, UKSCA accredited S&C coach and We Run<\/a> coach for West Yorkshire. ‘The core in running is important to stabilise the pelvis and transfer power from the legs to whole-body action, and the press-up does this. Think of it as a front plank<\/a> with moving arms.’ <\/p>\n