Mastering the Perfect Pushup

No longer just an exercise for football and the military! The Push-Up is a great upper body workout to do anywhere. The push-up involves full range of motion in the shoulder and is great at strengthening arms, shoulders, core and back if done with correct form. It tones the arms and helps with lifting heavy things (like toddlers pitching tantrums). While it was the bane of my existence in gym class, I have learned to love the push-up as a versatile part of my workout.

A full push-up with good form can be a daunting thought for someone who hasn’t done one in a while (like me when I started them!). Form is important, as with any exercise, to minimize risk of injury and maximize effectiveness. Proper push-up form includes:

• Hands positioned just outside the shoulders and directly below the shoulder line.
• Feet should be together
• Body should be in perfect line from heels to head, such that a broomstick along the body would touch your head, upper back, buttocks and heels
• Core and glutes should be engaged and tightened

To do a push-up:

1. Once in position above, lower body to ground, lowering yourself enough to at least get elbows to 90 degrees, and touch chest to ground if possible.
2. Raise your body back up by straightening your arms but do not straighten fully and lock elbows.
3. Repeat, a lot!
4. No matter what, keep the plank position with your body in line and core tightened.

For those of you (like me!) who can’t do the regular push up at first, there are variations that can be done to help you work up to full push ups. You will probably be surprised how fast you progress in these different variations until you can do handstand push-ups (yeah, really!).

1. Wall Push-Ups

If you haven’t done push-ups in a while (or ever) start with the wall push-up. This is the least difficult variation. Start by standing with feet together about 1-2 feet from a wall. Place your hands flat on the wall at the level of your shoulder and a little more than shoulder width apart.

Bend your arms at the elbows to lower your body toward the wall until your head touches the wall. Raise your body back up by straightening arms. Remember to keep abs and glutes tight throughout.

2. Incline Push-Up or “Girly” Push-up

Once you have mastered the wall-push up, move on to the incline or “girly” push-up. there are two options in this stage. You can put your hands on a bench, couch or chair that is a couple feet off the ground with feet together and body straight and lower yourself to the bench and back.

The other option is the “girl” push-ups of gym class of old: put your knees on the ground, bending them at a 90 degree angle and complete a push up like you would a regular one with body straight and abs/glutes tight.

As soon as you master those, and it won’t take long… it is on to the regular push-up!

3. “Regular” Push-up

This is the push-up you see in movies and probably had to do at some point in school. Use the proper form above: feet together, hands under shoulder line and slightly more than body width apart, and straight line throughout body. Lower your body until chest touches ground, straighten arms until almost completely straight but not locked and repeat.

Thought push-ups ended there? I did too, but no, there are tougher variations!

4. Reverse Incline Push-Up

Now that you’ve mastered the regular push-up it is onward and upward to reverse incline push-ups. As the name suggests, instead of having your hands on the bench, chair or couch, your feet go on it. Place your feel on a study object a foot or two off the ground. The higher the object, the more difficult the push up. Keeping feet together, hands shoulder width apart and body straight, lower your body until your head touches the ground and raise  yourself back up. Repeat, because it’s fun!

If you’ve mastered that, there’s no stopping you… it’s on to the toughest push-up of all.

5. Hand Stand Push-Up

Hand stand push-ups give you the most effect for your time (which is a big criteria for me!). As the name suggests, you do them on your hands… I do them in the kitchen while cooking sometimes. Find a strong wall or door (without glass!) and stand about two feet away. Bend forward, placing your hands on the ground, slightly more than shoulder width apart, with finger tips touching the baseboard or bottom of the door. Raise yourself up by slightly kicking your lower body up so that you are in a handstand position. Lower yourself down until head almost touches the ground, and raise yourself back up. Repeat.

(Photos courtesy of the amazing trainers at Spears Fitness)

Which push-up are you starting on? I started on “girly” ones, but the feeling of accomplishment from doing full push-ups or pull-ups is great! Willing to try push-ups? Tell me below!