Weight loss: How many calories do push-ups burn?

You want a simple, effective upper-body exercise that burns calories: go for push-ups.

Need a quick and effective workout that targets all upper body muscles, works your core, and burns calories? Then look no further: Pumps can do all this and more.

Push-ups are a muscle-strengthening exercise. They mainly work the muscles of the chest, shoulders, triceps and core. They only require the weight of your body, which makes them a very practical movement to add to your routine. The number of calories burned by push-ups varies from person to person. In general, push-ups can burn at least 7 calories per minute.

What affects the number of calories burned?

Although push-ups are primarily considered a muscle-building exercise, it's important to know how many calories you can burn doing them, especially if you're trying to lose weight.

In general, four variables determine the number of calories you will burn:

The size and weight

When it comes to metabolism, the taller the person, the more calories they burn. This is true even at rest.

sex

In general, men burn more calories than women performing the same exercise at the same intensity because they generally have less body fat and more muscle.

age

The aging process changes many aspects of your health, including the number of calories you burn. This slowing results from an increase in body fat and a decrease in muscle mass.

Intensity

The number of push-ups you can do in a given time determines your total calorie burn. The better and faster you can perform them, the more calories you will burn.

What advantages do pumps offer?

Push-ups are easy and challenging because they target multiple muscle groups at once. In addition to strengthening the shoulders, chest, and triceps, push-ups also target core muscles. A strong core allows you to perform fitness movements correctly. A strong core also helps you with most of your daily activities that involve bending, twisting, bending, and extending. It also protects you from lower back pain.

How to do push-ups correctly?

Form is key for push-ups. If you are unable to maintain proper form for the duration of the movement, start with one of the modifications shown later.

Get into a high plank position, with your hands a little more than shoulder-width apart and your palms directly under your shoulders. Your body should form a straight line from your heels to your neck.

In this position, engage your core muscles and pull your shoulder blades down and back.

Begin to lower yourself toward the floor by bending your elbows and pushing your shoulders forward.

In this position, work your abdominal muscles and pull your shoulder blades down and back.

Begin to lower yourself toward the floor by bending your elbows and pushing your shoulders forward.

Lower until your chest is about a centimeter off the ground. Pause, exhale, and return your body to the starting position.

Are there variations?

The basic push-up is a powerful movement. You can make it easier or harder by making a few simple changes.

A higher intensity

To increase the intensity, add a plyometric aspect to this movement. When you get off the ground, lift off the ground and gently come back down, close to the ground.

You can also elevate your feet and do incline push-ups, or add weight to make push-ups more difficult.

Another good way to make push-ups more difficult is to add a deficit, such as doing your push-ups with hands holding dumbbells on the floor. This helps deepen the range of motion, making it harder to push all the way.

Decrease the intensity

To reduce the intensity, try kneeling on a mat and performing the upper part of the exercise. Master this form before moving on to the leg extension.

Considerations

With modifications, you can make push-ups a safe exercise suitable for most fitness levels. Make sure your rib cage is tucked down to avoid arching your lower back. Exercise is good for the body and the mind. But overdoing it can have adverse consequences and lead to overuse injuries.

* Presse Santé strives to transmit health knowledge in a language accessible to all. In NO CASE, the information given can not replace the advice of a health professional.