The key to pushups, no matter which version you do, is to keep the shoulders stable, the abs contracted and the back neutral. Too often I see the shoulders come up, the head drop and the belly sag which can lead to injuries. Think of your body like it's a table, in a straight line from the top of your head, down to your knees or toes (depending on the version you're doing). If you can't keep everything straight throughout the pushup, back up to an easier version and practice it until you've got it down perfect.
Wall Pushups
Wall pushups (or rail pushups, as shown) are a great way to start out with pushups if it's been awhile since you've tried them. Having your body at an incline gives you a break from gravity and allows you to work on the important things - keeping the abs contracted, the back flat and the head and neck in alignment.
Modified Pushups
If the wall pushup is too easy, taking it down to the floor with the knees down is the next progression. You still get some support this way, but gravity becomes more of a factor, allowing you to build upper body strength for the next progression.
Toe pushups are one of toughest of the pushup exercises. You need tremendous core strength to keep from sagging in the middle and you also need upper body strength to get full range of motion with good form.
Decline Pushups
By elevating your feet on an unstable surface, you're making this a very advanced exercise. Good for you!
These are just a few examples, but I know many of you have other great ways to torture our bodies. Leave a comment to tell us about your favorite pushup.
I like doing pushups on the ball because I can vary the intensity by supporting more of my leg on the ball (easier) or less of my leg on the ball (harder).
Push up are also the perfect travel exercise since they require no equipment. If all else fails, you can always hit the deck and do a few sets of pushups!
My favorite weight-bearing exercise is push-ups. I normally do push-ups on the toes.
I switched to decline push-ups for a while to keep the weight off my right ankle when it was sore; I also found decline push-ups easier because I was pivoting off my shins rather than my toes. I also did push-ups on the toes for a while by placing my right foot on top of the left to keep the weight off the sore ankle, letting the left foot bear the body weight – this worked out well for me.
Just yesterday, I did push-ups on the knees as a warm-up because my left shoulder was slightly sore; this allowed me to decide if I could continue to do normal push-ups off the toes. This is a trick I picked up from Paige.
I am currently using the Perfect Pushup handles, which I like because they raise my hands up off the floor and thus allow my body to dip lower, intensifying the push-up.
The push-ups come after the upper body weight training and stomach crunches. Then the 40 min HR hill or THR program on the elliptical, followed by feeling great when I’m all done.
Push-ups are an awesome exercise. Try them with a small medicine ball under one hand and trade back & forth between hands on an interval – feel the challenge? Also, If you want to supercharge your chest routine (having trouble getting sore/pumped?), do 5ea to 10ea regular push-ups between your bench sets. You may have to lighten your bar a bit as a result, but I guarantee your chest will be incredibly challenged if you do it right. Have that big protein drink ready after your workout because there’s going to be some serious muscle repair work after.
I like to do push-ups with one hand on my bosu and the other on the floor, switching between reps by pushing off as I raise up. You really feel it the next day.
Do you think this is for real?
http://hundredpushups.com/
It seems to imply that anyone can get to 100 pushups. I’m a reasonably strong guy, but I don’t see more than 80 in my future.
ANOTHER VERSION in the PUSH SERIES that many should employ is THE PUSH-AWAY! You put your hands on the end of the table and push away from it at mealtime. Watching your intake constitutes a good 50% of everything.
Love the Push-ups, it’s part of my training in the gym and always in Krav Maga.
There are several ways of doing the push-ups, it is just a great way to challenge yourself. The position of your hands: triangle push-ups, wide, close, clap push-ups, one-arm pushups. Do push-ups on a stable ball with your hands closer to the outside of the ball. Elevating your feet and using the various hand positions adds some burn to your workout.
Another variation is to lift one leg off the ground when doing the “push-ups on toes”. Yes, push-ups are one of the best strength exercises ever!
I had a C-section and my tumm tumm is mostly numb. It has been a chalenge to get something to work my abs. I do a “rail” pushup and it makes my ribs sore. It also perked up my baby modified chest.
Anyone know a good way to do pushups that will not put a lot of strain on the wrists? I have injuries in my wrists and have found pushups difficult. If the pushups don’t work, any ideas for good exercises for the pecs using ball and bands? thanks.
Staggered push-ups are another good advanced version. Put one hand about 12 inches in front of the other one. Then do a set. This puts much more of the stress on one arm, shoulder and pectoral muscle, sort of like a progression to an actual one-arm push-up. After doing the scheduled reps and sets, switch hand positions and do the sets for the other side. Eventually you’re supposed to be able to do one-arm push-ups, which is a great way to keep challenging yourself with push-ups after you’ve built up a decent amount of strength.
I teach boot camp style classes and encourage my partcipants to use dumbbells to keep their wrist in neutral alignment when doing push ups. It really helps!
Another option is a push up to a bench. This is in between the modified (or knee’s on the ground) version and the full push up on the toes. It will take a little weight off the arms and lower the pressure on the abdominal and lower back, but will still emphasise the target muscles you are after.