6 Reasons the Humble Push-Up Should Be Part of Your Regular Workout Routine

This article is sponsored by the Push-Up Challenge.

Push-ups get a bad rap for no good reason. They’re often looked at as a basic exercise — something for beginners and nothing more. That is a foolish way to view one of the most OP exercises available. My friend, when you are doing a push-up, you are literally pushing against the very earth itself. You are like a god pressing the weight of a planet. Why would you neglect a daily chance for glory? Here’s why you should include push-ups in your regular workout routine.

They can be done anywhere

Seriously. The best workout is the one you will stick to. It’s easy to say things like “I don’t feel like driving to the gym today,” or “It’s too wet to work out outside.” The push-up presents no such issue. Do it anywhere. Your living room, the airport, in the back of a police van… All you need is your own body weight and a little bit of floor space. Push-ups are your friend, and they’re always there for you — no matter where you are.

Build upper body strength

Push-ups primarily target the chest, shoulders, and triceps. You’d be surprised how much you can jack up these core muscle groups by consistently smashing out push-ups. Building upper body strength is particularly important if you’re slouched at a desk all day, but even more importantly, they’ll get you yolked.

Improve core stability

Although primarily an upper-body exercise, push-ups also engage the core and lower-body muscles. A consistent push-up routine will improve your core stability and reduce your risk of developing back pain and other injuries related to weakness in your core. A strong core also helps with balance and overall body control — which is beneficial for literally every area of your life. Plus, a strong core will make you look great when summer comes around.

The sheer versatility

Push-ups are incredibly versatile and can be easily modified to suit your fitness level and goals. Whether you’re a beginner using your knees as support or a seasoned fitness freak going for the 100th clap push-up, push-ups are the goat.

Boost endurance and metabolism

Push-ups are a compound exercise — this means that you are recruiting a large portion of the muscles in your body when performing it, which means they’ve got a lot of bang for their buck when it comes to boosting metabolism and overall calorie burn. Try do 20 push-ups right now and tell me it’s just a strength exercise without panting. I dare you.

Reduce risk of injury

Machines at the gym are great for targeting specific muscles, but when it comes to developing strength in the body in a balanced way, nothing beats bodyweight exercises like push-ups. By strengthening the stabilising muscles surrounding the joints, push-ups can help improve joint stability and reduce the risk of injury during your workouts and everyday life. So, if you’re prone to getting wild on the dance floor, make sure to add push-ups to your routine — no one wants to pull a muscle doing the worm.

All this push-up talk got you motivated? Why not join Australia’s “largest mental health and fitness” event — The Push-Up Challenge? Supporting Lifeline, Movember and Push for Better Foundation, the challenge is to complete 3,144 push-ups in 23 days: one push-up for every Australian lost to suicide in 2021.

The Push-Up Challenge is free to join. To register, visit the Push-Up Challenge website.