Airplane Push Up

The Airplane Push-Up Exercise: Strengthen Your Upper Body and Core

The airplane push-up is a challenging and effective exercise that targets your upper body muscles, including your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core. This exercise is a variation of the traditional push-up, adding an element of instability to engage more muscles and increase the difficulty level. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of the airplane push-up, proper form and technique, variations to try, and how to incorporate it into your workout routine.

Benefits of the Airplane Push-Up Exercise

• Full Body Engagement: The airplane push-up engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously, making it a highly efficient exercise. It primarily targets your upper body muscles, including your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Additionally, it activates your core muscles, including your abdominal muscles, obliques, and lower back, to maintain stability during the exercise.

• Increased Strength and Muscle Definition: By regularly incorporating airplane push-ups into your workout routine, you can develop increased strength in your upper body. This exercise stimulates muscle growth and helps to sculpt your chest, shoulders, and arms, resulting in improved muscle definition.

• Improved Core Stability and Balance: The unstable nature of the airplane push-up activates your core muscles to maintain stability and balance throughout the movement. By strengthening your core, you can improve your overall posture, stability, and reduce the risk of injuries.

• Enhanced Shoulder Stability: The airplane push-up puts an emphasis on your shoulders, helping to strengthen the muscles around your shoulder joints. By improving shoulder stability, you can reduce the risk of shoulder injuries and enhance your performance in other upper body exercises.

Proper Form and Technique

1. Start by assuming the push-up position, with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your body in a straight line from head to heels.

2. Extend your arms fully and engage your core.

3. Slowly lower your body towards the ground by bending your elbows, while simultaneously lifting one arm off the ground and extending it outwards, parallel to the ground. Imagine you are spreading your arms like an airplane.

4. Hold the position for a brief pause, then return your extended arm to the starting position as you push yourself back up to the initial starting position.

5. Repeat the movement on the opposite side, extending the other arm outwards while maintaining proper form and alignment.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Arching or Sagging Back: Ensure that your body remains in a straight line from head to heels throughout the entire movement. Avoid arching or sagging your back as this can lead to incorrect form and potential injuries.

• Flaring Elbows: Keep your elbows tucked in close to your body to engage your triceps and prevent unnecessary strain on your shoulders.

• Lack of Core Engagement: Remember to engage your core muscles throughout the exercise to maintain stability and balance. This will also help protect your lower back from unnecessary stress.

Variations of Airplane Push-Ups

1. Elevated Airplane Push-Ups: Perform the airplane push-up with your feet elevated on a stable surface, such as a bench or step. This increases the intensity by placing more weight on your upper body and engaging your core even further.

2. Single-Leg Airplane Push-Ups: Lift one leg off the ground while performing the airplane push-up to challenge your balance and stability. This variation also activates your glute muscles.

3. Spiderman Airplane Push-Ups: During the downward phase of the push-up, bring one knee towards your elbow on the same side. Alternate sides with each repetition to engage your obliques and increase the difficulty level.

Incorporating Airplane Push-Ups into Your Workout Routine

Here is an example of how you can incorporate airplane push-ups into your weekly workout routine:

1. Push/Pull Day: Perform 3 sets of 8-10 airplane push-ups as part of your chest and triceps workout. Combine them with other compound exercises like bench press and tricep dips.

2. Core Day: Include 3 sets of 8-10 airplane push-ups in your core workout routine. Combine them with exercises such as planks, Russian twists, and bicycle crunches for a comprehensive core workout.

3. Total Body Workout: Include airplane push-ups in a total body workout routine. Perform 3 sets of 8-10 repetitions, combining them with exercises like squats, lunges, bent-over rows, and shoulder presses for a complete workout.

Conclusion

The airplane push-up is a challenging and effective exercise that targets your upper body muscles and engages your core. By incorporating this exercise into your regular workout routine, you can improve your strength, muscle definition, core stability, and shoulder strength. Remember to always maintain proper form and technique, and gradually increase the intensity as you progress. Start adding airplane push-ups to your workouts today and experience the benefits for yourself!