I’ve recently started working out at home, and I’m trying to figure out the best exercises to include in my routine. I’ve heard a lot about push-ups being a simple yet effective workout, but I’m curious—how beneficial are they really?
Do they work multiple muscle groups effectively, or should I mix them with other exercises? Also, how often should I do them to see results?
For context, I’m aiming to build upper body strength and tone, but I don’t have any fancy equipment—just a yoga mat and some determination.
Any tips or personal experiences would be awesome. Thanks in advance…
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My brother, you should get into the gym. I understand it’s intimidating; we’ve all been there before. Push-ups alone will not get you in better shape. Do some research and find a routine that works best for you (there will be trial and error). Everybody in that gym wants to see you succeed; it’s only up to you to get it done.
@Cade
This is not necessarily true. I do not think you necessarily have to hit the gym. Something you can do at home and still have an amazing body is calisthenics. It is far better than gym workouts as this uses body weight to work out, and the body gets more toned as there is stretching and heavy lifting.
Again, the comment is true for most parts; using weights is the only way for maximum gains. With calisthenics, sooner or later, you will need to add weights into pull-ups, dips, or push-ups for more maximum gains.
OP, do start with push-ups. You can modify push-ups too - how far are your hands? Can you hold yourself in certain positions? Can you do push-ups with your legs in higher positions?
@Nico
Honestly, I’ve just been doing basic push-ups lmao. I’m gonna look into variations soon and start working on those. I can do about 35 to 45 push-ups in one go, so I should be ready to try new stuff.
Nico said: @Jordan
You should start doing holds. And push-ups don’t work on any leg muscles much, so you might want to add running and cycling.
Definitely. I was thinking of just adding squats to get my legs working, then moving to running here soon, just been trying to find time in my schedule to get that going.
@Cade
I’ll consider it bro. I’ve been doing 2 to 300 push-ups every day for the past 2 weeks. Regarding the gym, I’m definitely considering getting into it. I just have no friends or anything who workout, so I’m just nervous about having to learn all alone. Idk what to train on what days, what workout plan I should make, etc. It’s just scary to me for some reason.
@Jordan
I completely understand why it’s scary; I was there not too long ago. I get it. I used an app called Fitbod, and it’s done me great so far; it will definitely help you get a routine. Now for what to train on each day, I’d recommend biceps and shoulders on Mondays, chest and triceps on Tuesday, back on Wednesday, legs on Thursday, and HIIT on Friday. Don’t forget your cardio every day!
Jordan said: @Cade
Thank you bro. I’ll keep all of this in mind. I appreciate it.
To further simplify what was said above, lookup the PPL split (push, pull, legs). I only recently started working out at the gym by myself, and this breakout was a great foundation to start learning. Spend the first few sessions just getting familiar with the machines and see what you like. Then start figuring out what to do on ‘Push’ day, then ‘Pull’… etc.
I have two degrees in exercise science and am a certified trainer. Push-ups and bodyweight exercises in general are fantastic. You can build an exceptional physique with a small variety of basic calisthenic movements and never have to touch a weight if you don’t want to. Though I’d at least get a set of DBs and a bench. There’s probably ten million YouTube vids for body fat exercises you could check out.
Blakeley said:
Invest in some dumbbells and a bench. Not as great as the gym but will get you more versatility.
Very much agree! In fact, I think you’d be shocked at what you can accomplish with just this. Dumbbells and a bench have been how I’ve done 100% of my lifting for the last 2.5 years, and it has been more effective and transformative than anything else I’ve ever done (in or out of a gym). Obviously, that is mostly down to persistence and consistency - but that’s the point. With that ethic, I was able to produce complete results with just that, at home. Including things like push-ups, pull-ups, HIIT, etc., for good measure have just taken it to the next level for me.
Looking at info from some of your posts, if you’re able to do 200-300 push-ups in a session, you should move on to weighted exercises. You are training muscle endurance at this point. Push-ups are great for beginners, but at a certain point, they will cease to provide enough stimulus to grow muscle effectively. You can do variations like deficit push-ups and weighted push-ups, but these are kind of awkward, and there are better ways you can get a stretch and ROM for chest workouts.
You don’t need a gym, but at a minimum, invest in a bench and dumbbells. Dumbbell chest presses at different angles and dumbbell flyes are your go-to for chest. You can also do chest dips, but I don’t find those as effective personally.
You also mentioned you want bigger arms. Push-ups aren’t a great way to do that. They will grow your triceps but not a ton. I would focus on hammer curls, other curls, and tricep exercises with dumbbells. Also wrist curls and such for forearms. You should also throw some pull-ups in for back work.
