Fitness made simple. Push ups

What's the oldest trick in the big book of fitness exercises? You guessed it,
it's the push ups. This exercise is so well known and has been around for so
long that I think it must have been performed by Roman soldiers, too. It looks
ancient and it feels ancient. But it's also extremely simple and extremely
effective. So, if you want those bulging pectorals, get down and give me 20.
Push ups are a great exercise that can be performed anywhere. The basic push up
is performed lying face down on the floor and then raising and lowering the body
using just the arms. Push ups are meant to strengthen the pectorals, triceps
and, to some extent, the deltoids, but are also good as core body strength
exercises.
If you really want to put pressure on your shoulder and chest muscles you can
try the press ups, which are the military or athletic version of the push ups.
Press ups are performed with the back and legs straight and off the floor. If
you are at home, you can put your feet on a low chair or armchair. If you're in
the park, you can use a bench to prop up your feet. Try not to raise your legs
too high above the shoulder line.
Other variations include push ups performed using just four fingers at each
hand, using only one hand, clapping the hands (requires strong pushes that raise
the body higher than usual), or pressing against a wall instead of using the
floor (the farther your feet are from the wall, the harder the exercise). Take
care not to injure yourself while performing some of the more exotic variations.
If you're an overweight person looking to get back into shape, you should not
avoid push ups. This exercise can teach you something about carrying your own
weight.