Modified Push-Ups

Doing push-ups is an exercise that helps us to remain healthy. It is an exercise that helps strengthen the arms, shoulder, and core muscles. Thus, push-ups are efficient exercises that help tone the body’s muscles. However, if they are not performed correctly, they do not produce the desired results but may land you with some serious injuries. Thus, it becomes almost necessary to learn the right techniques of performing push-ups with a personal coach.

There are two types of push-ups:

• Traditional Push Ups: In traditional pushups, one has to bend forward to position yourself in a pushup position, with your palms flat on the mat, hands at shoulder-width apart. The fingers have to be positioned correctly. The shoulders should be placed on top of the hands.
• Modified Push Ups: The modified push ups are mostly used by people who struggle with regular push ups due to certain injuries. According to a study completed by a reputed institution, regular push ups have a ground reaction force (GFR) of almost 65 per cent, which means one is pushing 65 per cent of the body weight. Modified push ups are found to have a GFR of about 50 per cent. This type of push ups can be done by girls, beginners, someone who has sustained injuries and is not able to do regular push ups, etc.

How to do Modified Push Ups?

1. Kneel on a mat with hands shoulders width apart. Your back should be angled and straight.
2. Toes should be tucked under; abdominal muscles should be tightened.
3. Bend your elbows to lower the chest towards the floor. The chest should be taken back to the original position. Repeat this exercise a few times. 

While performing the modified push up test, make sure to maintain a straight spine by fixing the gaze properly. Also, when you lower down, make sure that your elbows are at 90 degrees so you can achieve maximum results.

Benefits of Modified Push-Ups

1. Push-ups help tone up your entire body and reveal steady and tight arms.
2. Strong, tight arms can be as simple as practising modified push-ups many times. Chest and back exercises are not easy for someone. Modified push-ups tackle both of these problems when done correctly. It should be made sure one doesn’t shrug her shoulders or stick her elbows out to the side of your body.
3. Modified push-ups help train a person to do full push-ups. Many people find it difficult to do push-ups correctly. Those people will find modified push-ups a better way to exercise the muscles, since the modified push-ups and full push-ups use identical muscles during the workout.

Types of Modified Push-Ups

1. Military Push-up: This modified push-up test strengthens the upper part of the body and its principal muscles. 

Process: This push-up has to be started in a standard push up position, with your feet close to each other. Hands should be kept flat. Arms should be kept straight. The elbows should be bent as one takes a full deep breath and then breathe out as you push back up to the starting position for one repetition.

2. Wide Hands Push-up: This modified push up test helps to strengthen the upper body and core muscles, with more focus on the pectoral muscles.

Process: Start with a basic push up position by keeping your hands farther out to each side while laying on the mat. Your hands should be kept wider than the basic push up, roughly 2.5-3 feet apart. During this push-up, the elbows should be properly bent and resumed to their original position.  

3. Pike Push-up: This modified push up test strengthens the upper body and core, focusing more on the shoulders.

Process: Begin in a downward dog yoga position, with your feet and hands just wider than shoulder-width. The elbow and head should be bent properly, keeping the hips high and the heels low. The movement should be repeated once in a reverse manner.

4. Staggered Hands Push up: This kind of modified push-up test trains the push-up muscles asymmetrically across the body and requires more core activation for stability.

Process: From a standard push up position, one hand is moved forward and the other backward, so they are offset by about six to 12 inches. Elbows should be bent to lower your chest until it is slightly below the level of your bent elbow, and then extend your elbows to push back up to the starting position. The elbows should be kept tight to the body throughout the movement. After one or more repetitions, the positions of the hands should be switched evenly.

5. Spider-Man Sidekick push-up: This modified push up test strengthens the core in addition to the typical push-up muscles.

Process: A standard push up position should be assumed. One knee should be brought to the side to touch the elbow, keeping oneself lowered towards the ground. The knee should be touching the elbow at the lowest point of the push-up. 

Conclusion

Modified-push ups are considered to be more effective than normal push-ups. It is believed to help in increasing muscular strength and muscular endurance. Therefore, athletes, physical trainers, or interested individuals are encouraged to increase the difficulty of exercise during training or doing push-ups.