THE KING BODYWEIGHT MOVEMENTS
The Push Up is arguably the best exercise for upper body pressing strength and development…WHEN DONE CORRECTLY! I see a lot of people doing these improperly and then wonder why they never develop excellent upper body strength.
When the Push Up is done correctly, the athlete is required to engage the entire body. This means the hips, glutes, abs, shoulders, triceps, and chest are all worked to their maximum capacity. This requires a ton of effort, and when done right, develops some serious strength and athletic ability.
*Note: If you cannot perform a single Push Up with your knees off the floor, check out this article for the best modification HERE!
HERE’S HOW IT’S DONE…
- Start in a plank position
- Hands are shoulder width, or slightly outside shoulder width.
- Shoulders should be stacked directly over the wrists, or slightly forward.
- Core is engaged, meaning…you are squeezing your legs, glutes, and abs.
- Hips are in line with your shoulders, meaning…your body is in a straight line. Think of your body like a long 2×4 piece of wood, not a floppy sandbag.
- Lower your chest all the way to the ground, then press back to a full lock out.
- The whole time, your body should be stiff as a board.
Avoid piking your butt up towards the ceiling or sagging your hips towards the floor.
When starting out, perform these 3 times per week. I recommend performing 3 Sets of 10 Repetitions, with 2 minutes rest between sets. Once that feels easy, increase to 5 Sets of 10 Repetitions, 3 times per week. When that becomes easy, you can start performing Deficit Push Ups. Stay tuned for that tutorial!
Here is a video demonstration from my YouTube Channel…
WANT CUSTOMIZED TRAINING?
If you want a customized program based on YOUR individual needs, I’d love to work with you! To learn more, click HERE!
GET NOTIFIED OF NEW BLOG ARTICLES BY ENTERING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS BELOW!
Let me know what you thought of this article by leaving a comment below!
