Forget weights — this is one of the best ways to build your arm muscles

Forget weights — this is i of the all-time ways to build your arm muscles

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Whether you're avoiding the gym correct now, or just looking for ways to boost your arm forcefulness from home, learning how to do a button-up correctly can make all the difference to your home workout routine.

Although strong arms are oftentimes built by lifting heavy weights, if you're short on equipment or space, button-ups are one of the all-time bodyweight exercises yous tin exercise to build your arm strength. In fact, a study published in the Periodical of Force and Workout Inquiry found that when compared in resistance, push-ups and weighted bench presses have similar musculus gains. (That said, if you are looking for weights to forcefulness train at home, we've establish the best adaptable dumbbells here).

Push-ups are an constructive way to build upper body strength using just your body weight. When done correctly, a push button-up will piece of work the triceps, pectoral muscles, and shoulders. They can also work on your abdominal muscles, as well as strengthen the lower back.

Here's everything yous need to know about mastering the push button-up, and the modifications to try to brand the do more than challenging. Looking for more conditioning inspiration? We've found the best ab workouts you can practise for free, an exercise that's ameliorate than squats at building your glutes, and 1 of the best ab exercises when information technology comes to sculpting a slimmer waistline.

How to do a push-upwards

To practise a push-upward, start past getting into a plank position, with your weight underneath your shoulders and your palms flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart. Straighten your arms and engage your abs, thinking about sucking your belly push into your spine.

Y'all should have a straight line from your heels to the crown of your caput. Slowly, with control, curve your artillery and lower your chest to the floor, pause, then enhance dorsum to your starting position.

What are the benefits of push-ups?

When done correctly, push-ups work the pectoral (chest) muscles, the deltoids (shoulders), and the tricep muscles (back of your arms). They also target your abdominal muscles. To see the effects of push-ups, you'll need to do more than a couple of repetitions, but if you're new to the exercise, start past trying to do 20 push-ups, and build up from there.

a photo of a woman doing push ups in the gym — (Paradigm credit: Shutterstock)

How tin can you make push button-ups easier, or harder?

If you struggle with a push-up, offset by trying these 3 modifications:

Wall button-ups: Put your palms flat on the wall, arms outstretched, and slowly lower your torso to the wall, pause, then push yourself back upwardly to the starting position.

Incline push button-ups: For this practice, you lot'll need a cake, demote, table, or chair. Put your palms on the surface and extend your legs out straight behind you. Keep your body in a straight line, and your elbows into your trunk, and perform the push-up at an incline.

Knee push button-ups: Alternatively, you can make push button-ups easier by lowering your knees to the floor during the practise. From the loftier-plank position, drop to your knees, but ensure you lot curl onto the top of your knees for the entire exercise. Engage your cadre, curve your elbows, and lower your chest to the floor, earlier raising back to your starting position.

If you're actually looking for arm gains and find the traditional button-up likewise easy, here's how to brand the move harder:

Diamond button-ups: Diamond push-ups work your triceps harder than traditional push-ups. To do a diamond push-up, simply make a diamond shape with your two hands, rather than keeping them shoulder-width apart during the practise.

Raised push-ups: By irresolute your center of gravity, y'all automatically increase the intensity of the practise. Raise your legs onto a chair, step, or the couch, and push up from there. The college your legs are, the harder the push-up volition be.

I-armed button-ups: This one is actually challenging, and definitely not for beginners. From your plank position, put 1 hand backside your back and complete the push-up using only 1 arm. Alternatively, raise ane leg off the flooring as you button up to make things harder.

Weighted push-ups: Last, but certainly not least, add some weight. You can practise this by using a weighted belong (here'south what happened when a TG staffer worked out with a weight belong for a week), or if you're in the gym, a weighted bar plate that yous can get a friend to put on your dorsum.

Jane McGuire is Tom's Guide'southward Fitness editor, which means she looks after everything fitness related - from running gear to yoga mats. An avid runner, Jane has tested and reviewed fitness products for the past iv years, so knows what to await for when finding a expert running lookout or a pair of shorts with pockets big enough for your smartphone. When she'southward non pounding the pavements, you'll observe Jane striding round the Surrey Hills, taking far too many photos of her puppy.