I was walking by my window the other day, and I saw a lizard doing push-ups, powering through rep after rep before taking little breaks in between. I laughed to myself while I observed the little guy for a moment, and I wondered: why do lizards do push-ups? We aren’t the only ones working out.
Why do lizards do push-ups?
While we humans might do push-ups to develop upper body strength or perhaps to show off or challenge friends and fellow gym junkies, researchers have been exploring why lizards also do this movement. It turns out these “challenge displays” are to help ward off territorial intruders and potential threats.
Interestingly, researchers found that “both male and female lizards produce structurally different types of push-up displays in different contexts.” The researchers stated that “certain body postures that expose the blue belly and gular patches are used only in push-up displays produced during agonistic, territorial interactions.”
A territorial act
Lizards can have larger territories; for example, a male lava lizard’s territory can grow up to 400 meters square, and the more territorial species display various behaviors to ward off potential threats or rivals, including push-ups. It’s an intimidation tactic where one male can assess the size and strength of another. Will the male scurry away or prepare for a push-up battle? If the push-up battle doesn’t settle the matter, it could possibly lead to a fight with biting and tail slapping. This somewhat comedically resembles humans shouting, squaring up, and puffing up their chests before a possible bar fight.
Strength training after cardio?
The researchers also noted that lizards tend to do these push-up displays following “bouts of locomotion,” or in other words, after moving around a lot from place to place. I laughed when I thought to myself that the lizards are simply doing their strength training after their cardio while the rest of us humans are debating which should come first.
Attracting a mate?
Other biologists and researchers who study lizards state that push-ups are a way of attracting a mate, much like other animals, such as birds, that display dances, songs, and shows of color. This also made me chuckle as I thought of humans pumping up their muscles and showing off in the gym.
The benefits of push-ups
Whether you’re trying to attract a mate, work your muscles, or achieve a specific fitness goal, there are plenty of proven benefits of doing the classic push-up. From lowering your risk of heart disease to improving your upper body strength and working those biceps and triceps, it’s worth adding this versatile, convenient exercise to your workout routine.
