What Muscles Do You Have to Strengthen to Get Better at Pushups?

If it's been a very long time since you've hit the gym, you might find you are having difficulty doing pushups. Maybe you can only do 10, five, a few, or not even one pushup. Regardless of whether you can only do one or none, you can help yourself get better at doing pushups by strengthening the main muscles you use to do a pushup using other exercises, such as lifting weights.

Pectorals (Chest)

Your pecs are the main muscles you use when you do a pushup. In other words, they are the muscles that are doing the most work. Making your pecs stronger is a surefire way to get better at doing pushups. Good exercises for strengthening your pecs are: bench press, modified pushups, and chest flys. If you can't do a single pushup, start strengthening your pecs by doing these exercises with light weights.

Triceps (Arms)

The next muscle group that does a lot of work when you're doing pushups is your triceps. Your triceps are actually the largest muscle group in your arms, located opposite of your biceps. Good exercises to strengthen your triceps are: tricep extensions, tricep dips, close-grip bench press, and rowing motions.

Deltoids (Shoulders)

Your deltoids are the muscles that make up your shoulders. You have three deltoids: posterior (rear), anterior (front), and lateral/medial (side). Your deltoids are actually a pretty weak muscle group compared to others, such as your pecs and triceps, but they provide a great deal of assistance and stabilization while you are doing a pushup. Dumbbell shoulder flys and shoulder presses are good exercises to make your deltoids stronger.

Core Muscles

Believe it or not, your core muscles do a good deal of work to stabilize your torso while you are doing a pushup. The stronger your core is, the easier it will be to maintain a pushup position. Good exercises for strengthen your core are: front planks, side planks, crunches, and leg lifts.

If you practice all of these exercises for each of the muscle groups above, you will be well on your way to getting better at pushups. But remember, the best way to get better at pushups is by doing pushups. So, once you are able to about 10 pushups with good form, don't continue to rely on these exercises to make you better at pushups; just do pushups!

Sources:

http://www.bodyresults.com/E2Pushups-pullups.asp

http://www.acefitness.org/exerciselibrary/41/push-up