The Centuries-Old Hindu Pushup That Undoes the Damage of Sitting All Day
While standard pushups still deserve their place in your exercise routine to build chest and shoulderstrength, Hindu pushups offer a compelling alternative, especially for people who spend most of the day sitting at a computer. Long hours spent sitting tighten the hips, stiffen the spine, and pull the shoulders forward, which can impact mobility and long-term joint health, even for people who exercise regularly.
The movement pattern of a Hindu pushup is slightly different, taking you in a flowing, wave-like motion. Each rep moves the body from a downward dog position into cobra, taking the upper and lower-body muscles through a deep range of motion. This directly counters the hunched posture of modern life by opening the shoulders and restoring movement through the hips and backside.
"That stiff spine that we develop from too much sitting is taken into extension in the Hindu pushup," says fitness trainer Joshua Hash of Strength Side. "The simple act of inverting the body as we raise the hips and then doing the opposite as we raise the head can have some extreme anti-aging effects on our body."
Who needs to pay for a yoga class when you can do Hindu pushups? Hash challenges men to perform them daily and see how much their bodies loosen up. Notice how dramatically your mobility, posture, and overall athletic performance improve over time.
How to Do Hindu Pushups
- Begin in a downward dog position with your hands and feet on the floor, hips pushed high, and head hanging between your arms.
- Bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the floor, then swoop it forward in a smooth arc as your hips drop and your chest lifts.
- Push back through your hands and reverse the motion, lifting your hips and returning to the starting downward dog position.