Build Explosive Power With Pushups

Pushups are a great way to build explosive power in your chest and triceps. Because pushups are performed in large sets, and are performed very quickly, they are very similar to sprints. Think of a set of pushups as a sprint for your chest.

When strength training, larger sets (more reps), with a smaller amount of weight, will result in the development of more-toned muscle. For this reason, doing a pushup workout will result in a more sculpted and toned look than traditional weight-lifting. You will not build large, flabby, marshmallow muscles with pushups. But that is not to say that you will not build a substantial amount of muscle, but rather that the muscle you do gain will be tighter and will feel thicker.

Pushups are a great way to build muscle endurance as well. This, combined with the explosive power developed from the short bursts of pushups, is the reason why most professional fighters choose pushups over weight training. You can always tell when you watch semi-pro or amateur boxers, which ones work out with weights, and which one use pushups. The guys that lift weights are a lot bigger, but they are also flabby and slower than their competitors.

There are many ways to approach a pushup routine. If you have time and flexibility, then I suggest spreading your workout throughout an entire day in the beginning, and then slowly compress it into a shorter workout. If you only have time to do a few sets, then do 3-4 sets of as many reps as you can.
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