Push ups are exercises that involve pushing your body off the ground using your arms while in a lying position with the chest facing down. These exercises can get creative depending on the muscles you want to target.
The muscles on the torso are important since they are involved in the flexing and extension of the muscles as well as in pushing and pulling activities. When these muscles are strong and well developed, it will be easier to do the day-to-day activities and this will indirectly lead to the burning of excess calories in the body. Let's look at what muscles do push ups work.

Push Ups Muscles

1. Pectoralis major

These muscles help in internal rotation and extension of your shoulders. These are the breast or chest muscles. They do most of the work in raising and lowering the body. These muscles generally control the humerus part of the arm in its execution of various activities.
According to a study sponsored by the American Council on Exercises, push ups are among the top exercises that help to build the pectoralis major and minor muscles. When these muscles are strong, the following benefits will be enjoyed:

• The rib cage can be controlled effectively
  
  
• Improved posture
  
  
• Improved strength on the back muscles
  
  
• Improved ability to push and pull things
  
  
• Improved muscle resistance and thus able to lift heavy weights

2. Deltoid

Another push ups muscles worked is the Deltoid. This is the muscle that is found at the uppermost part of the arm and at the top of the shoulder. The muscle gives the humerus or the upper arm movements required to execute a variety of activities. During the press ups, it holds the body up by pressing the humerus to the collarbone.
They are triangular shaped and help the pectoralis major to push the body during a push up. The muscles also give the shoulder its rounded shape. Strong deltoid muscles are essential because of they:

• Help to hold the arm to the body and enables flexion and extension
  
  
• Lead to improved sports performance since it gives the arm extra power to hold or resist stress
  
  
• Lead to wider shoulders
  
  
• Prevent arm and joint injury

3. Triceps

These are the muscles situated at the back of the upper arm and help in extending the arm outwards. They make up about two-thirds of the muscles in the upper arm. They are the most exerted muscles during a push up. These muscles allow you to push with your hands and extend the elbow.
They are called triceps because they are composed of three muscles. Strong triceps also translate to strong biceps and thus a very balanced upper arm. This balance reduces the incidences of injury in executing daily activities or doing the pushing and pulling activities. The muscles bring the hand towards the body and stabilize the shoulders.

4. Abdominal muscles

These are the muscles around the abdomen or the midsection of the body. These muscles are responsible for a variety of activities in our body like:

• Give an upright posture
  
  
• Provide a protective wall on the interior linings
  
  
• Give the upper body the flexibility required to do various activities
  
  
• Enable the body to withstand push and pull pressure
  
  
• Help in the execution of activities that require contraction and expansion of the muscles like the movement of the diaphragm, excretion, and childbirth
  
  
• Help the body to remain up and move down in the correct form
  
  
• Help develop core strength
  From the above benefits, it is evident that properly working the abdominal muscles through push ups will yield more benefits for a healthy living.

5. Serratus anterior

These muscles are also called the boxer's or big swing muscles since they are responsible for punching or holding the arm under force. They hold the scapula, or the shoulder blade, in place and enable it to move forward and backward. This muscle is engaged by all activities that involve moving of the hand.
As a person engages in a push ups exercise, these are the muscles that give the arms and the shoulder blade the compression required to swing the muscles underweight. The muscles also extend to the area under the armpit and thus they enable a person to take the right form and position in preparation to do a push up exercise. They generally:

• Make muscle movement smoother
  
  
• Enable punching, raising and lowering of the hand
  
  
• Keep the shoulder blades next to the rib cage
  
  
• Give the arm a multi-dimensional movement
  
  
• Give flexibility and speed to perform activities

6. Coracobrachialis

These are the muscles that connect the deltoids to the bicep and tricep muscles. It is the smallest of the three muscles that attach to the coracoid. The muscle adducts the arm to the glenohumeral joint as well as allowing for flexion and extension process. It draws the humerus forward and towards the torso.
A strong coracobrachialis translates to an easier movement of the arm in an upward or downward movement. Basically, these are the movements involved in a push up and thus these exercises help build strength in these muscles.

Best Tips for Push Ups

After learning what muscles do push ups work, you might be wondering what are the best tips for push ups.

• The chest should be the first and the only part of the body to touch the ground before rising up again
• The elbows should be coming in towards the body and not out. Try to maintain the minimum space between your armpits
• Brace and engage your core. Don't do pushups with loose muscles
• Squeeze your glutes or the buttock muscles to ensure that your lower back is protected and good posture is maintained
• Grip the floor by ensuring that your thumbs are facing each other during press ups
• Rather than pushing the body off the ground, push the ground away from you. This will end up involving more muscles
• After you reach your limit, make sure to add one additional push up. This helps to build the push ups muscles and make them stronger.
  If you want to learn the perfect push up, please click here.

Why Are Push Ups Effective?

Among the many exercises that we can do to work on our body muscles, push ups are the most effective. The major advantage of a push up is that it uses the body's weight as resistance and thus these exercises can be done anywhere. After getting to know push ups muscles and the best tips, you can do push ups for a healthy body.