Deadlift | Cardio | Triceps | Chest | Rhomboid | Glutes
Push Ups are great exercises that not only work your chest, but also work the whole body from head to toes (because while performing push ups you keep your body in a straight line – face pointing forward, core tighten and holding weight on your toes). Those performing push ups don’t think of calories burn, they perform it with the aim of building strength and muscles. But push ups still burn calories. “How many calories does 100 push ups burn ?” To answer that, in next sections we’ll look at different ways to calculate calories burn based on your weight, rest and how fast you do push ups.
How many calories does 100 push ups burn ?
With a 155 pound (70kg) individual, you’re gonna burn 35 to 50 Calories in around 100 push ups. This seems to be very less, but you can double this calorie burn by reducing the speed and performing each rep with proper breathing (Inhale while going downward and exhale while going upward). Including these two methods in your push ups will increase your heart rate and you will be able to burn around 40-60 calories. If you feel difficulty performing 100 reps in 1 set, you can split the reps in 4 sets of 25 push ups each.
For a 155 pound (70kg) person, performing 100 push-ups burns approximately 35 to 50 calories. While that may seem low, there are simple techniques to double that calorie burn to 70-100 calories. The key is to slow down and focus on proper breathing. Inhale as you lower down the ground, exhale as you push back up towards the roof. This slower pace with breathing builds more muscle and burns more calories by raising your heart rate. If 100 push-ups is too hard, break it into smaller sets like 4 sets of 25 reps with short breaks between. Whether you do them all at once or in sets, going slow with good breathing gives you a better calorie burn.
Benefits of Performing Push Ups
While you might think that push ups are not so beneficial in terms of burning calories, you are wrong. It’s not fair if you look at one advantage, try to understand that excluding this question “how many calories do push ups burn”. There are a lot of other benefits push ups provide to you. Let’s discuss these benefits.
While performing push ups, you only know two main muscles: the first is chest and second are tricep muscles. Push ups also include shoulders and back muscles called lats. Take time and think about the posture in push ups, yes you are right push ups are often performed in plan position. This includes your abs and buttocks muscles. Providing you extra benefit in achieving a flat stomach with packs.
Few other benefits of push ups are :
Improved Posture – Performing push-ups properly strengthens muscles in the shoulders, chest and back which helps improve alignment of the upper body and reinforces good posture. This reduces strain that poor posture can cause over time.
Increased Bone Density – Supporting your bodyweight during push-ups creates load-bearing stress on bones which stimulates increased production of mineral deposits. This progressive overload makes bones stronger and denser.
Improve Mental Focus – Maintaining proper form by keeping the core engaged and moving through a full range of motion requires concentration and coordinated breathing patterns which improve mental stamina.
Low Fitness Barrier for Entry – Requiring no equipment, simply using bodyweight, push-ups can be performed by most people nearly anywhere. This makes maintaining a regular push-up practice extremely accessible.
Different types of push ups
Some people may know only normal push ups, but do you know there are push up variations that can target different chest muscles. Below i’m sharing some best push up variation for chest that you can include in your chest workout :
1.) Knee Push Ups :
Knee push-ups are done with your knees on the floor instead of your toes. Putting your knees down makes them easier than regular push-ups. Your body weight is less, about 40% lighter. This helps people who lack upper body strength start building that strength. Knee push-ups mainly work the chest, shoulders and arms. Your core and legs work less hard. As you get stronger with knee push-ups, you’ll be able to progress to full push-ups. Their adjustable nature makes them great for beginners working towards harder push-ups.
2.) Wide Hand Grip :
Wide hand grip push-ups are when your hands are placed wider than your shoulders. This wider grip works your chest muscles differently than regular push-ups. Your range of motion increases since your body lowers farther, stretching the pecs more. This targets the outer chest specifically, building more all-around chest strength. The wider position allows you to push more weight but makes balancing a little harder. Overall, mixing wide grip push-ups with other varieties works the chest from different angles for better muscle development. It directly works the often-neglected outer pecs.
3.) Clap Push Ups :
Clap push-ups are when you push yourself high enough off the floor to quickly clap your hands before landing back in the starting push-up position. This makes standard push-ups much harder by making you lift your body faster and higher. The fast “burst” works on explosive power along with the muscles push-ups normally target like chest, shoulders and arms. Clapping while briefly airborne challenges balance and engages abs to control the body. It takes push-ups to an advanced level by adding the plyometric element of rapidly pushing and landing back into place.
4.) Cobra Push Ups
Cobra push-ups are done lying face down, using your hands to lift just your upper body off the floor while keeping hips, legs and feet grounded. This type of push-up works the lower back and core more than other push-ups. By pushing your torso up and holding the raised position, you strengthen lower back muscles important for good posture and a stable spine. It also engages your abs to brace your body. Cobra push-ups provide a gentle stretch through the front of your shoulders and chest – muscle areas often overworked from regular push-ups.
5.) Decline Push Ups
Decline push-ups are done with your feet elevated higher than your head. This angles your body downward, shifting more weight onto your top half for a tougher push-up. Lowering into a decline position challenges the chest, shoulders and triceps through a longer range of motion. It works the lower chest and front delts harder than flat push-ups. Balance is harder too on the downward slope. But mastering decline push-up form builds immense upper body strength since you push against intensified resistance. Decline and incline push-ups complement each other nicely for well-rounded muscle development.
Final Thoughts
Hope you have understood “How many calories does a push up burn?”. Understanding all benefits explained earlier will help you to focus more on your workout and also try all the push up variations and pick up one that better fits your body.
