Wall Push-ups: Are They Effective or Not?

Ever been called-out at a party for being a wall flower? I have. But I eventually flipped the script and got even; with myself that is, and by accident. Well, sorta by accident. Four years ago I had cataract surgery and was advised by my doctor to not workout for at least a week because it would cause pressure to build up in my eye. I followed his instructions, but I wasn't happy about it.

You see, I can't afford  to skip workouts, I have to stay in constant pursuit of my fitness goals. Even after I got the okay to resume my workouts, I decided to ease back into them, just to be on the safe side. As I looked around at the four walls, I asked myself. Is there an exercise that I can do, take it easy doing it, and still get results?

Wall push-ups, maybe? I had heard of wall push-ups prior to that, and had even played around with them. But could I really get a decent workout doing them? I at least had to give them a try. I did, they worked, and they will work for you too. All you have to do is put in the effort and stay consistent, and wall push-ups will tone your chest, shoulders and triceps.

Photo courtesy of healthy.kaiserpermanente.org

No matter what your fitness level is, you can benefit from doing wall push-ups, because you have total control over how difficult they will be. You can increase and decrease their level of resistance by simply placing your feet further (more resistance) or closer (less resistance) to the wall. How do you perform wall push-ups?

1. Stand about two feet away from a sturdy wall with your feet a few inches apart.
2. Place your palms flat against the wall, slightly wider than shoulder width, and chest high.
3. Lift up onto your toes. Keep your body straight, and lean forward slowly until you can't go any further.
4. Slowly Push yourself back to your starting position. Congratulations, you have just completed one wall push-up. 

Do as many as you can, until failure. Take about 10 seconds of rest, then do one less wall push-up than you did to failure. Continue doing wall push-ups in descending order. The length of your workout is determined by time, not sets. A wall push-up workout for beginners must be at least ten minutes for it to be effective.

Do your wall push-ups at least twice a week, with one rest day in between workouts. That's 20 minutes each week to get the toned chest, shoulders and triceps that you know you deserve. And you can have them too.Remember, you can adjust the amount of resistance that your wall push-ups provide by trying different foot and hand positions (higher, lower, wider, closer).

For those who are advanced and want a more challenging wall push-up workout, do your wall push-ups on a door frame. Simply stand in any doorway with a wall or frame that can support your weight, do your push-ups and feel the burn. Wanna get those inner pecs? No problem.

Place one hand on either side of a wall between any two rooms, and try to push holes through it until your hands meet. Focus on your pecs, and hold until failure. Give yourself five seconds of rest and see if you can push through that wall again and again, until your chest thanks you.