Ever wonder why, even after months or years of attending various fitness courses, you still find it difficult to perform regular push-ups from the floor? It is even more irritating to work so hard and attend HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) courses only to find that you can perform dozens of knee push-ups but still struggle with a standard push-up. It feels as though your arms simply lack the force necessary to lift your weight.
This essay will explain why push-ups are important, how to do them correctly, and what you can do to build up the strength needed to perform the regular push-ups.
3 MAJOR BENEFITS OF PUSH-UPS
- Push up is a compound bodyweight exercise that, with proper form, activates the full body and strengthens the arms, shoulders, core, and leg muscles.
- With push-ups and many other Calisthenics exercises, you will develop better body awareness; thus, it will mitigate the risk of injuries.
- Versatility! Believe it or not, there is always a version of push up whether you’re in your mid-60s and just getting started or an Olympic level gymnast. With the right programming, it can work well as a cardiovascular workout, conditioning, or weight loss.
WHAT IS THE CORRECT PUSH-UP EXERCISE?
2 THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN A CORRECT PUSH UP:
The 2 key points below will provide you enough insight to optimize the benefits you will get from the push-up exercise, so I suggest that you pay attention:
1. STRONG PLANK LINE
– the line that forms from your head to heel should be straight and rigid, so you are engaging all the muscles on your shoulders, core, and legs. Maintain this line as you lower up and down, not sagging the lower back and hips.
2. ELBOWS POINTING BACKWARD
– bend your elbows pointing back as you go up and down. This form engages your shoulder muscles and arms best and will give you more room for progress and prevents shoulder injury in beginners.
Correctly performing the push-up exercise will make your training more effective and reduces the risk of injury. Mindful movement during the exercise will lead to safe, long-term, and sustainable progress.
HOW TO GET STRONGER WITH THE PUSH-UP?
So here’s the big chunk of the battle. We know that the push-up has always been there, but somehow most of us really struggle to follow the correct movement. I will give you 2 parts, which consist of a few drills to tackle this issue. If you follow my advice closely, you will eventually be able to do push-ups and enjoy its benefits.
Here’s how you do it.
- First, improve your shoulder and core awareness.
- Second, know the mechanics and progression of the push-up exercise.
PART 1 CORE AND SHOULDER AWARENESS
Almost everyone skips this part and goes straight to doing hundreds of knee or full push-ups and expects to progress. Sometimes it does work, but if you are still here with me, it either didn’t work for you or would like to know a better process.
I will teach you 2 drills to help you understand the movement’s starting position (the high plank) and improve your shoulders’ awareness.Exercise 1: The High Plank pelvic tilting
The push-up starting position is a high plank (plank position on your hands with elbows straight). It makes sense to practice and strengthen it like a sprinter working on hand and foot placement on the track before exploding onto a dash.
In this drill, you’ll learn how to control your tailbone/hips in a high plank position, which will engage your core and prevent your back from arching or sagging during push-ups.
Step 1: Go into a high plank position with your elbows straight, legs zipped strongly together, and your hips somewhat at the same level or a little lower than your shoulders. Keep this position rigid by engaging all muscles.
Step 2: You will then tilt your tailbone down (flatten or round your lower back) and tilt your tailbone up (arch your lower back) alternately with control while keeping the rest of the body still. You will feel a strong engagement in your core muscles when you tilt your tailbone down (tuck).Exercise 2 The Straight arm push-ups AKA Scapular push-ups
This exercise isolates your shoulder blades and its muscles. You will get stronger and develop better awareness on your shoulders.
Step 1: Start in a high plank position with a slight tuck of your tailbone (from exercise no. 1) to fully engage your core and hip muscles. Maintain this engagement of the muscles all throughout the movement.
Step 2: Slowly bring your shoulder blades together towards the center of your spine (Sink chest downwards to the floor) without bending the elbows.
Step 3: Push yourself back up by separating your shoulder blades away from the center.
Make sure that you push your hands hard to the floor to initiate the upward movement.
Take note that your elbows are completely straight throughout this drill.
RECOMMENDATION:
These 2 exercises can serve as your warm-up and as a finisher set at the end of the session.
Warm-up: 1 – 2 sets of 6-10 repetitions on both exercises – the goal is to learn and polish the exercises to develop more awareness on your shoulders, core, and hips. Don’t fatigue yourself doing the warm-up.
Finisher set: 3 – 5 sets of 8-15 repetitions before finishing your session (optional depending on your level of fatigue). For an advanced practitioner, a finisher set means finishing off all remaining strength after doing all your main exercises.
Warm-up:
A1 High plank pelvic tilting 1-2 sets of 6-10 reps.
A2 High plank straight arm push-ups 1-2 sets of 6-10 reps
Main work:
B Elevated hand push-ups 3-5 sets of 5-10 reps.
Ensure that you progress only to a lower height if you can do 10 reps with good form on all sets.
C1 High plank pelvic tilts 2- 5 sets of 8-15 reps.
C2 High plank straight arm push-ups 2-5 sets of 8-15 reps
C exercises are optional, depending on your energy level after all of the previous exercises.
The key thing is you progress your repetitions from here, even with just a few reps in the next session. E.g., 1st session, you did 2 sets of 6; 2nd session is 1 set of 7 and 1 set of 6.