Sit- ups and push-ups are two intense exercises that you can incorporate into your workout at home or in the gym, focusing primarily on your upper body muscles. They are very effective when it comes to gaining strength and toning essential core muscles, but if you are determined, take good note of the following tips to start doing sit-ups and push-ups and not give up the first time.
Strong arms and smooth abdomen… It is a more than desirable goal, but it requires work and effort. The starter routines with sit-ups and push-ups are “scary” but if you practice them properly and have a little patience, you will notice the results sooner than you expect.
Remember that we are talking about two “hard” exercises that seek, above all, to tone certain muscle groups. If you are considering doing sit-ups from scratch or doing push-ups for the first time, it is important that you combine them with other sports or aerobic activities because this will achieve a double objective:
- Better overall fitness.
- Burn excess fat that may have “covered” those abdominal muscles that you intend to work intensely.
How to start doing sit-ups and push-ups
Both sit-ups and push-ups involve significant effort. To avoid excessive stiffness or injury, it is essential to increase the level of demand little by little. The most advisable thing is to do, at the beginning, tables that combine abdominal exercises and push-ups and always do it in moderation.
In this sense, do a routine of sit-ups and push-ups focused on the upper body 2 or 3 times a week at most, because the muscles in the area also need rest. Start with 8-10-12 reps per exercise depending on your fitness level and limit yourself to 2-3 sets each session, with recovery breaks of at least one minute in between. Don’t forget to warm up before doing sit- ups or push-ups.
In addition, among the tips for beginners in sit-ups and push-ups include:
- It is important to learn to perform these exercises correctly, maintaining the correct posture at all times. To do sit-ups correctly, you have to avoid tension in the neck. It is a common mistake to lean the head excessively towards the chest or to bring the elbows forward while keeping the palms of the hands behind the neck. As for the push-ups, it is important to support the palms of the hands at shoulder height and achieve the total horizontality of the spine while performing the lifting movement by stretching the forearms.
- Start with the abs that are easiest for you and combine different exercises to work not only the core muscles of the abdomen but also the oblique. At first, do your sit-ups with your knees bent and your arms stretched out above your head. By raising them at the same time as your trunk, you will have more momentum and it will be easier for you to perform the exercise.
- If when you start doing sit-ups and push-ups you notice that you lack strength in your arms when doing the latter, try doing them using your knees (instead of your toes). Thus, you will start with the so-called light push-ups. Get on your knees and keep your back straight in an oblique line while you unload your weight on the forearms stretched out at shoulder height. Descend without the chest touching the ground and stretch again. In a few weeks, your arms will be much stronger and you can move on to the usual series of push-ups.
With these simple tips you will be able to follow a routine that allows you to start with the abs and push-ups , two intense exercises that can be the perfect complement to any aerobic sport that involves burning calories and fat. With a training of this type, showing off your chest and abdomen as “rocks” is a matter of some effort and very little time.
