One secret about pushups is they are a great abdominal exercise! Matthew McConaughey has said in interviews the only ab exercise he does is push ups — we figure if it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for us! 🙂 The muscles used during a push-up are the chest, shoulders, triceps, abs, low back muscles, hips and legs. That pretty much covers your entire body just from one easy exercise. For moms still working on their postpartum abdominal area, push ups can be really effective — and babies love them too!
To do this exercise, perform a simple push up (either toes or knees) with your baby lying on their back underneath you. At the bottom of the push up kiss your baby’s belly, then exhale and push yourself back up. Be sure to keep your abs and glutes tight through the whole exercise — imagine a string pulling your belly button up (but keep your butt lowered). Hands should be slightly wider than shoulder width. Go slowly and with control. Two seconds down and two seconds up. Remember to exhale on the upward motion. Try for a set of 25 a day and you’ll see a difference in both your arms AND your abs.
