They go by many names, including dands, divebombers, and tiger pushups, but no matter how you put 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 along with over 1,000 Hindu squats every day. If that seems like a lot, well, it is. But you can get incredible results with just 50 a day.
A bodyweight shoulder workout and more
The best bodyweight workouts target complex muscle groups and give you a workout for more than one isolated region. The Hindu push-up is no different. This exercise not only works your shoulders, but also your chest, legs, back, and arms.
Hindu push-ups are fantastic for building explosive strength, rope-like arms, and long-lasting endurance, but they’re also beneficial for posture and flexibility. Zuzana Light, who most people know as YouTube’s Bodyrock Girl, does an exercise similar to Hindu push-ups that she calls Divebombers. The only difference between the two is that in Hindu push-ups, you reverse the movement on the way back.
It’s easier to understand if you know how to do Hindu push-ups. Let’s take a look.
How to do a Hindu push-up
1- Begin by getting into the normal push-up position, arms straight and legs straight. Extend your stance so your feet are about twice your shoulder width apart and, keeping your legs straight, step back with your hands and push your butt up in the air. They should look like an upside down “V”.
2- Now bend your elbows and bring your body down and forward at the same time. You should feel it working in your shoulders and biceps.
3- At the end of the “dive”, begin to straighten your arms again and keep your hips close to (but not on) the ground.
4- Arch your spine and keep pushing up until your elbows are straight again and your spine curves away from the floor. Your head should be tilted up and looking at the ceiling.
5- Now reverse the movement and throw yourself back to the starting position.
Tips for Hindu push-ups
Try to keep your movement smooth and graceful on each repetition. You should breathe deeply, inhaling and exhaling fully on each repetition. In the beginning it will be difficult to get more than 10 Hindu push-ups in a row simply because your body is probably not used to that specific range of motion. However, over time you will be able to increase your reps to 15 and 20 at the same time.
Aim for 50 reps per day and do this bodyweight shoulder exercise for at least two weeks. You will see results in no time.
Thanks to Thomas Harden
