The Press Up has long been the cornerstone of nearly every resistance exercise regime used. Whether it is the military, school PE, a gymnastics club, a martial arts class, a circuit in a local gym or a young man doing exercise in his bedroom, the press-up is utilised.
Part of the reason for it’s popularity is it’s ease of use for everyone and therefore it’s versatility. Nearly everyone can get down on all fours, take the knees away and then lower the chest to the floor and raise it back up again. Even if someone can’t complete the full press-up, a simple regression of leaving the knees on the floor and pivoting from these instead of the feet is available.
Numerous progressions exist for the press up: from incline press ups, to clap press ups, to wide arm press ups (a more extensive list can be found in my book: RM Fitness Guide - ) However something which I wholeheartedly recommend for males and females, whether looking to increase muscle tone, lose weight, increase strength or just improve general fitness are Press-Up bars.
Press-Up Bars allow the regular press up exercise to be performed in the same way as usual but with the hands gripping some bars approximately 5cm off the floor. This means that when the chest is lowered to the floor, it is lowered considerably further than when the hands are flat on the floor. This in turn means the muscles (pectorals, deltoids, triceps among others) are exercised over a more extensive range, therefore increasing the toning and strength gains from the exercise which in turn increases the weight loss potential.
In short Press-Up bars are a simple, readily available on the high street, very portable, piece of kit that allows excellent training to take place anywhere in the world, that will strengthen and tone the muscles of the upper body, lower back and abdominasl very effectively.
What’s your favorite exercise? Leave a comment below.
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