Get Fast Results with Push Up Variations
Bodyweight exercises are highly effective but are typically underused. Using gravity as an aid, our bodyweight acts as an outstanding source of resistance we can use to put together effective workouts.
For centuries now, warriors and athletes have used push up exercises to develop powerful bodies. This happens because push ups effectively develop muscular strength and endurance in the upper body. They are incredible for building powerful shoulders, triceps and chest muscles.
Problems arise, however, when you spend a long time doing the same regular push ups over and over again. You end up hitting a plateau and your muscles stop developing.To avoid a plateau, you have to throw some variation into the mix – you have to shock your muscles back into growth. That’s why I’ve come up with this list of push up workout variations you can incorporate into your routine immediately. Two of them are listed here:
T Push Up Variation: This is one of the most effective push up exercises I constantly use. It works well because it adds balance and stabilization into the mix. Start in a regular push up position. Now push off hard (be explosive) so your body is turned to one side. Effectively, you should be balancing yourself with one arm extended and your feet turned to the side. The other arm should be straight up above you and your body will resemble a T. Come back down and do the exact same thing on the other side.
Medicine Ball Push Up: Medicine balls are an excellent tool to add a need for balance into your exercise routine. More importantly, medicine balls allow for a greater range of flexion for the exercise. A greater range of motion results in muscles being exposed to more stress and thus more growth. With the addition of a medicine ball, get into your regular push up position. Put one hand on top of the medicine ball and do one push up repetition. After the first rep, roll the medicine ball slowly to your opposite hand where you are to perform another repetition. Roll the med ball back and forth throughout your entire set.
Remember that your body needs change to move past plateaus-keep challenging it with new variations.
If you’re interested, I’ve developed a great list of push up variations you can take advantage of right away. Good luck!