A few days ago a reader asked how to do a Hindu Pushup. I decided to write a post on it as the Hindu Pushup is one of the best exercises for building full body strength and power. It is perfect for athletes, bodybuilders and martial artists.

Where did the Hindu Pushup originate?

The Hindu Pushup, as the name might indicate, came from India. It is a variation on the Yoga Asana called “Salute to the Sun”. This is my absolute favorite yoga movement which is intended for the early mornings when you wake up. It gets the blood flowing and strentches the spine, hamstrings, abs and chest.

The Hindu Pushup is done a little faster and the motivation is strength training. The idea is to vary the regular pushup so that you can target more muscles and make the exercise a little harder.

What muscles does the Hindu Pushup work?

The next thing we need to look at is what muscles the Hindu Pushup targets.

As you are well aware, the main muscles any pushup targets are the pectorals and the triceps. The Hindu Pushup is no different. However, it also targets so additional muscles such as the glutes, deltoids, rhomboids, forearms, abs and calfs. It is basically a full body exercise that works in a very large range of motion. This makes it a perfect exercise for martial artists, athletes and sportspeople.

How do you do a Hindu Pushup?

It is quite important to do the Hindu Pushup with perfect technique. It can be quite bad for the spine and neck if it is done incorrectly. For this reason I advise you to go to a qualified yoga instructor and ask them to teach you according to the traditional methods.

This is the best video on Youtube to learn how to do the Hindu Pushup. He has excellent technique and goes through the motion slowly.

Here are some essential pointers:

• In the starting pose your head should be in line with your shoulders and your shoulders should be turned out. Your butt should be high in the air as if a crane was lifting it up. Your heels should be shoulder width apart and feet flat on the ground with straight legs. This is hard.
• Breathe into your stomach
• In the moving stage you should run your chin along the ground and breathe out
• At the final position stretch your abs and neck up. Keep your shoulders down away from your head. Tense your glutes to protect your lower back

Here is the video. Take this exercise very slow and learn how to do it before going too hard.