Press Ups, simple to perform and only require a small amount of floor space. No benches, no dumbbells, no real need for a gym membership.
Not only this but Press Ups are also a great exercise for developing upper body pressing strength and endurance. The exercise will significantly tax the muscles of your chest (Pectorals), arms (Triceps) and shoulders (Anterior Deltoid) as well as giving the muscles surrounding your spine a good test too.
Many people will say that they have outgrown the Press Up and that it is only useful for beginners. ‘I am too strong for them now’ or ‘I need the Bench Press to work on my strength’ are quite often heard when the subject of Press Ups are raised amongst fitness trainers.
Whilst these are valid it is still possible to gain strength benefits from Press Ups even when you are an advanced trainer or athlete. For instance you can perform explosive ‘Clap Press Ups’ (Seen in the rocky films) where your arms leave the floor as you explode upwards at the end of the movement, with the aim being to push yourself high enough to give you enough time to clap your hands together before gravity brings you back down. This is great for increasing speed of movement, which in actual fact will help you to push bigger weights.
For details on how to perform the Press Up check out the video link http://youtu.be/C9BnOv8qlKk
So don’t be too hasty in ditching the humble Press Up!