Push-Up Progression Challenge: Working Your Way Up to Big Girl Pushups

Ladies, if you are not doing push-ups then you really should learn! Push-ups are an amazing way to build upper body strength while targeting large muscle groups. Various muscles in the upper body work together during a push-up. The main muscles targeted are:

• Pectoralis major
• Deltoids
• Triceps brachii
• Serratus anterior
• Abdominal muscles
• Coracobrachialis

  "But push ups are hard." Yes, they are, but with proper practice and repetition, you can build the upper body strength you need to excel in push-ups. "But why are push-ups harder for women?" Men in general are more inclined to develop upper body strength then women. This formation starts when in childhood and continues until you stop growing. The muscles just grow thicker in the chest, shoulders and arms on men. Skeletal structure also plays a role as men tend to have outward facing elbows. Female elbows face backward and they must rotate their arms in order to do push ups at all. This means that men feel normal and comfortable in a push-up position and can use all of their strength, while women must bend their arms awkwardly and cannot utilize all of their arm strength. The 5 Week Push-Up Progression Plan Week One: Wall Push-Ups (3 sets 20 reps) Week Two: Countertop or tabletop Push-Ups (3 sets of 20 reps) 3: Chair or Stool Push-Ups (3 sets of 15 reps) Week 4: Knee Push-Ups (3 sets of 15 reps) Week 5: BIG GIRL PUSH-UPS!!! Once you have mastered real push-ups properly, you can move onto doing a lot of fun variations of push-ups such as:

• Triangle push-ups
• Decline push-ups
• Push-ups on a medicine or BOSU ball
• Drop push-ups