Get in shape with Hindu push-ups: the best bodyweight shoulder exercise
They are known by many names, including Dands, Divebombers, and Tiger Pushups, but no matter how you say it, Hindu pushups are some of the best bodyweight exercises for your shoulders. The history of this exercise states that Indian wrestlers, like the Great Gama, would do hundreds of Hindu push-ups every day, along with over 1000 Hindu squats. If that sounds like a lot, well, it is. But you can get incredible results with just 50 per day.
A bodyweight shoulder workout and more
The best bodyweight workouts target complex muscle groups, giving you a workout for more than one isolated region. The Hindu flex is no different. In addition to exercising the shoulders, this exercise also affects the chest, legs, back, and arms.
Hindu pushups are great for building explosive strength, steel wire arms, and lasting endurance, but they’re also good for posture and flexibility. Zuzana Light, who most people know as Bodyrock Girl from YouTube, does an exercise similar to Hindu push-ups that she calls Divebombers. The only difference between the two is that with the Hindu push-ups, you reverse the movement on the way back.
It is easier to understand once you know how to do Hindu push-ups. We’ll see.
How to perform a Hindu push-up
1- Begin by getting into the normal push-up position, with your arms straight and your legs straight. Lengthen your stance so that your feet are about twice shoulder-width apart and, keeping your legs straight, walk your hands back and push your butt up. It should look like an inverted “V”.
two- Now bend your elbows and bring your body down and forward at the same time. You should feel it working on your shoulders and biceps.
3- At the bottom of the swoop, begin straightening your arms again, keeping your hips close to (but not on) the floor.
4- Arch your spine and keep pushing up until your elbows lock again and your spine is off the ground. Your head should be tilted up facing the ceiling.
5- Now reverse the movement, returning to the starting position.
Tips for doing Hindu push-ups
Try to keep your movement smooth and graceful with each rep. You should breathe deeply, inhaling and exhaling fully with each repetition you do. At first, it will be difficult to do more than 10 Hindu pushups in a row, simply because your body is probably not used to this specific range of motion. However, over time, you will be able to increase your reps to 15 and 20 at a time.
Aim for 50 reps a day and keep doing this bodyweight shoulder exercise for at least two weeks. You’ll see results in no time.