Here's Exactly What Happens to Your Body if You Do 10 Pushups Every Day
Pushups are a classic exercise move, but they are also one of the hardest to perfect. It’s all too easy to drop your hips when your body should be in a straight line or place your hands too far forward, which can put excess stress on the shoulders and wrists.
Still, there are reasons why this workout move has withstood the test of time. First, it doesn’t require any fancy equipment. Second, pushups are easy to modify to fit different physical and fitness needs. The third major reason is that this one move strengthens several different muscle groups, including the chest, triceps, shoulders, abs and upper back. Talk about multitasking.
Curious as to how you can expect your body to change if you start doing 10 pushups a day? Keep reading to find out and to get expert tips on how to do a pushup correctly, including modifications to make it easier or harder.
Related: Here's Exactly What Happens to Your Body if You Run a Mile Every Day
How To Do a Pushup
If you want to actually experience the benefits of doing pushups every day, it’s important to make sure you’re doing them correctly. “Pushups might come off as simple, but achieving the correct form can present a challenge for many,” says Stephen Marcotte, CSCS, a workout design and experience manager at Orangetheory Fitness. "They’re deceivingly hard."
Before you decide to start doing pushups every day, certified personal trainer Michael Ungar, CPT, says to consult a doctor first. “Those with shoulder issues must take extra care doing pushups as it can exacerbate joint, tendon and ligament issues," he says. "For older adults, do not get on the floor to do pushups unless you know that you can get up off the floor on your own."
Get into a plank position, placing your hands slightly wider than your shoulders.
Lower your body toward the floor while your elbows are at 45 degrees.
Push yourself back up to a starting position.
Related: 'I'm a Trainer, and These Are the 3 Exercises I Swear By for Getting Rid of Belly Fat'
How To Modify A Pushup
Make a pushup easier
Marcotte says there are two ways to make a pushup easier. “First, try the incline pushups,” he says. "Position your hands on a solid raised surface, such as a bench or a table. By doing this, you effectively shift some weight to your feet, offering a milder introduction to the exercise while gradually building your strength.”
Marcotte says the second modification is a knee pushup. To do this:
Lower your knees onto the floor while in the plank position and keep your hands slightly wider than your shoulders.
Move through the pushup the same way as without the modification, lowering your body to the floor while your elbows are at 45 degrees.
Push yourself back up.
“For the knee pushup enthusiasts, here's an insider trick,” Marcotte says. “Once you've found your rhythm, challenge yourself further. Initiate your pushup from your knees, and as you stretch out those arms, transition to your toes and descend. This taps into our innate strength in the lowering phase, offering an incremental challenge even if you're not ready to push off from your toes yet. It's about mastering the form and continually setting new benchmarks in your pushup journey.”
Make a pushup more challenging
Want to modify the pushup to make it harder? Ungar says one way to do this is to switch up the tempo; going faster or slower both make pushups more difficult. “For a real challenge, try explosive pushups by lowering into the pushup position and rather than just pushing up, do so explosively so that your hands come off the floor," he says. Maybe you can even clap your hands."
What Happens if You Do 10 Pushups Every Day?
However you choose to do your pushup, Marcotte says that committing to doing 10 a day is a great fitness goal to have. “Starting with 10 pushups daily is like dipping your toe into the fitness world without diving headfirst," he says. "It's a practical and attainable goal that can lead to some real benefits, like improved upper body strength and muscle tone after a few weeks or months."
Over time, Ungar says you can expect to notice having more upper body strength. Everyday tasks like carrying laundry up and down the stairs, gardening and mowing the lawn all may become easier. You may also visually see the difference too, noticing more definition in your arms and shoulders.
If you have a health goal of weight loss, Ungar says that doing 10 pushups a day isn’t likely going to lead to a noticeable difference. However, it may inspire you to add on other types of physical activity that will lead to weight loss. Marcotte agrees, saying, “Once you get the hang of it and start feeling stronger, you might naturally want to explore more exercises and challenges.”
And if you do lose weight? Resistance training is a key part of ensuring you maintain lean muscle mass, according to a 2023 study on people taking antiobesity drugs like Wegovy published in Obesity.
As doing 10 pushups a day becomes easier for you, Ungar says that adding more reps can have a particularly important benefit: lowering the risk of heart disease. According to scientific research, men who can do 40 pushups have a whopping 96 percent less risk of heart problems than men who can do less than 10 pushups.
“Taking the first step is often the most significant hurdle in your fitness journey, and it's crucial to recognize that it doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing commitment,” Marcotte says. “If it's been a while since you've consistently engaged in physical activity, that's perfectly OK. Begin with something as manageable as 10 pushups daily and gradually build on it. Starting, no matter how small, is the key.”
Next up, see the 30 best YouTube workouts
Sources
Stephen Marcotte, CSCS, workout design and experience manager at Orangetheory Fitness
Michael Ungar, CPT, certified personal trainer and certified aging specialist
Association Between Push-up Exercise Capacity and Future Cardiovascular Events Among Active Adult Men. JAMA Network Open.
Physical activity in the new era of antiobesity medications. Obesity.
