Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Justin Prado
Trishia Briones
English 1302-227
9 February 2022
Push-Up Test
Introduction
There are many exercises in the world of fitness today that have always been a
fundamental way of becoming stronger, and more flexible. Some exercises may increase
flexibility while others specialized in enhancing and strengthening one’s body. This exercise,
which will be focused on for this experiment, is the push-up. This experiment shall seek whether
it is best to stick to one variation of push-ups, mainly the basic well known strict push-up, or to
Experiment
On day one, the subject focused on the most basic push-up stance called Regular Push-
up. On day two, the subject focused on the push-up variation called Wide-Hand Push-up. On day
three, the subject focused on the push-up variation called Diamond Push-up. On day four, the
subject focused on the push-up variation called Pike Push-up. On day five, the subject focused
on the push-up variation called Power Push-up. On day six the subject focused on the push-up
variation called Spiderman Push-up. On day seven the subject focused on the push-up variation
called Finger Push-up. On day eight the subject focused on the push-up variation called Elevated
Push-up. On day nine the subject focused on the push-up variation called Super Push-up (or
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Hindu or Dive Bomber). Lastly, on day ten the subject focused on the push-up variation called
Flying Push-up. For a ten-day period, the subject will subject oneself to a singular exercise with
different variations on a different day for ten days. The exercise would be done by the subject till
failure (till the subject can no longer do another push-up due to loss in strength) or when the
subject’s mental or physical capacity would run out. The exercise for each day would be done at
the subject home during the afternoon hours of the day. For ten days the subject will do as many
Day 1
On the first day of the experiment the subject did Regular Push-ups till failure. The
number of push-ups done in a row till failure added up to a total of fifty-seven push-ups. Note
that the subject is a five-foot five male university student that attends the recreational center
avidly and is using wrist wraps to support wrists. The subject was able to call the exercise “a
good workout for the day” (Prado 1). Though the regular push-up is not considered a difficult
type of push-up, the subject “felt good” after completing the exercise for the day (Prado 1). It is
best to know that the regular push-up targets many muscles groups to a basic extent including the
pectoral (chest muscles), shoulder, biceps (front of arm), triceps (back of arm), and abdominal
muscles (stomach muscles). There are many other muscles groups that are affected in some way
by push-ups, but there are much better exercises to do to target those muscle groups.
Day 2
On the second day of the experiment the subject noted “my arms feel a little tender”
(Prado 2). The subject was able to complete the exercise, Wide Push-up, till failure like the
previous day. The Wide Push-up is like the regular push-up, the only difference is the distance
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between where the hands are placed is a little bigger. If the regular push-up requires the hands to
be shoulder with apart, then the wide push up would require for the hand distance from each
other to be at least half or twice as much space in between. Unlike the previous day, the subject
was only able to do forty-four push-ups. The subject noted that “today was as difficult as
yesterday” (Prado 2). Signifying that the subject’s current symptoms on day two were similar to
the symptoms of day 1. It is best to know that the wide push-up is a variation of the regular push-
Day 3
On the third day of the experiment the subject did Diamond Push-ups for the day. The
Diamond Push-up is a push-up that is done with the hands of a person to be touching and shaping
an upside-down diamond. The push up would then be done with the subject’s chest touching the
hands. The subject was able to complete the exercise till failure because “diamond push-ups are
for triceps which isn’t targeted by regular and wide push-ups” (Prado 3). Hence on this day the
subject was able to do sixty-two push-ups. The subject was impressed with his feat of doing
more push-ups than the previous two days claiming that “usually diamond push-ups tend to be
known for being more difficult compared to the regular and wide push-ups, so that is pretty cool”
(Prado 3). It is best to know that the diamond push-ups target the muscle group called triceps.
Day 4
On the fourth day of the experiment the subject did Pike Push-ups. Pike push-ups are
done by reducing the amount of space between the placement of the hands and the feet. The
closer the hands are to the feet, the more difficult the pike push-up will be. The subject was able
to complete the exercise till failure reaching a total of thirty-six push-ups. The subject noted that
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he felt uncomfortable soreness and struggled to complete basic arm movements without mild
pain in both arms. Particularly the outer chest, biceps, and triceps. “It took me a minute to get out
of bed because of how this soreness felt compared to past experiences” (Prado 4). Though the
subject was able to complete the exercise, he mentioned that he felt “pretty sore throughout the
day” (Prado 4). It is best to know that the pike push-ups are a variation of push-up that focus on
Day 5
On the fifth day of the experiment the subject did Power Push-ups. The subject was able
to complete the exercise till failure with the continued soreness from the day before finishing
with a total of thirty-four push-ups. “The soreness from yesterday is only going to grow into
tomorrow” stated the subject after completed the exercise (Prado 5). Seemingly regretting
agreeing to do the experiment. It is best to know that the power push-ups take the same stance as
the regular push-ups, but it requires more explosive movements to be able to “lift off” the upper
body from the ground. It is best to know that power push-ups targets the same muscles as the
regular push-ups, but it focuses on the explosiveness of the movements while doing the push-up.
Day 6
On the sixth day of the experiment the subject did Spiderman push-ups. Spiderman push-
ups require for the subject to bend and lift up one singular leg every time a push-up is done.
Specifically the leg should be brought up and be close to touching the elbow of an arm. The leg
being brought up should be alternated every push up. The subject was able to complete the
exercise until failure but took take a while to complete the exercise. He finished the push-ups
with a total of thirty-eight. The subject stated his frustration by saying “I could do the push up,
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but the soreness just makes it so annoying to do. I am not truly tired; I am just sore and maybe a
little tired.” (Prado 6). It is best to know that the spiderman push-ups are a variation of the
Day 7
On the seventh day of the experiment the subject did Finger Push-ups. The subject did the
exercise till failure after a set amount of time. “I have been doing Finger Push-ups for a while
now and have been incorporating them into my daily workouts. So, I thought I could do them till
failure fairly easy despite the soreness” (Prado 7). The subject was incorrect in his assumption
that the exercise would be easier. In fact, the subject struggled to get up after every moving down
motion of each push-up finishing the push-ups with a total of twenty-six. It is best to know that
the finger push-ups are just regular push-ups, but with the fingers supporting the body instead of
the whole hand, putting more tension on the forearms (the muscles parallel to your palm or the
Day 8
On the eighth day of the experiment the subject did Elevated Push-ups. Elevated push-
ups, or otherwise known as incline push-ups, are a variation of push-up that tends to be easier
than the regular push-up. Like the names states elevated push-ups are done with the hands on an
elevated platform that is higher than where the feet are located. The subject was able to complete
the exercise after a set amount of time. “This is taking too long” (Prado 8). The subject continued
to complain about how long the exercise was taking before he could feel he did enough to
consider failure. The subject completed the push-ups with a total of thirty-three. The subject is
exhausted of completing push-ups and the soreness slowly going away, but the subject notes that
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“my muscles feel very taut” (Justin 8). It is best to know that the elevated push-ups is just a more
difficult regular push-up that focuses more on shoulder muscles compared to the regular push-up.
scoping review” a study done by Katie L Kowalski, Denise M Connelly, Jennifer M Jakobi, and
Jackie Sadi; It was determined that different variations of elevated push-ups produced different
amounts of electromyography (is the measurement of electrical activity in muscles during use of
said muscle). They showed how elevated push-ups done on unstable surfaces produced a higher
amplitude of electromyography, signifying that a more difficult variation of push-up forced the
use of more muscles in terms of both quantity and quality. In this case, the subject resorted to
using a stable surface to do the exercise, mostly due to the fact the subject did not have a
Day 9
On the ninth day of the experiment the subject did Super Push-ups. Super push-ups are a
variation of push-up that has multiple motions that are combined to create one fluid motion.
Being familiar with the yoga poses Downward Dog and Rising Cobra allows for an easier visual.
The subject starts off in a pike push-up stance, the subject then begins the push-up by lowering
the chest and passing past the arms. As the subject’s chest passes the arms, the subject then rising
the chest to finish the stance in a Rising Cobra stance. The push-up is then done in reverse to
complete one singular Super push-up. The subject failed to complete the exercise till failure and
managed to do five after a ten-minute interval. “Why did I save the harder ones for later” (Prado
9). The subject failed to complete the exercise till failure and the soreness continued. The subject
also encountered a lot of discomfort and pain in regard to anything that involved moving.
Breathing, walking with arms swinging, lifting anything, opening anything, and being awake was
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a hassle. It is best to know that the super push-ups are also known as dive-bomber push-ups and
incorporate the yoga poses downward dog and rising cobra into the push-ups focusing on the
shoulder muscles.
Day 10
On the tenth day of the experiment the subject did Flying Push-ups. Simply put, the
subject did two flying push-ups. “I’m done. I don’t want too anymore.” (Prado 10). The subject
was able to “complete” the experiment with mild soreness that will most likely persist until next
week and very taut muscles. “I feel stronger, just not now. Probably later though.” (Prado 10). It
is best to know that flying push-ups incorporate power push-ups to be able to lift the entire body
Results
The experiment was completed after a ten-day period where the subject completed a
different variation of push-up for every day until failure or physical and mental exhaustion. The
subject had slowly decreasing soreness and pain induced by said soreness. The subject ultimately
regrets doing the experiment as any activity done that includes the movement of the arms causes
pain in the following muscle groups: forearms, biceps, triceps, both pectorals, shoulders, and abs.
The following week the subject was back to normal with increased strength and stamina from the
experiment. The subject also had increased flexibility as he stretched before completing the
exercise.
Conclusion
In conclusion the experiment was successful in proving that many different variations of
push-ups allow for different muscle groups to be exercised. Though it is probably most feasible
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that the days in which push-ups are done, other exercises that target the same muscle groups are
completed with them. This allows for a different range of motion for the same muscles to grow
and strengthen. Though push-ups are a good fundamental exercise that is used to strengthen and
allow for more flexibility, it is an exercise best used with different variations, different types, and
different ranges of motion to allow for optimal growth in health, strength, and flexibility. Too
many push-ups can cause damage to wrists, elbows, and shoulder joints. In “Shoulder Muscle
Load During Pushing and Pulling” by Bjarne Lauxsen and Bente Schibye. They explain the
relatively low use of the lower back during pushing and pulling (while standing), but they also
explain how loads on the shoulder during pushing and pulling may become extremely high and
may cause a lot of stress on the shoulder that may lead to the cause of shoulder disorders.
Though it will take an unsettling number of push-ups to reach this state, it is best to do push-ups
in order of difficulty so that no injuries may occur either now or in the long run. So, it is best to
use some type of support when doing a lot of push-ups or a lot of difficult push-ups like wrist
wraps.
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Works Cited:
Kowalski, Katie L., et al. “Shoulder Electromyography Activity during Push-up Variations: A
Laursen, Bjarne, and Bente Schibuye. “Shoulder Muscle Load during Pushing ... -
journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/154193120004402653.
Prado, Justin. “English 1302 Experiment Journal.” Self-Workout Journal, 7 Feb. 2022, pp. 1–10.