Push Ups the Right Way

 Are you one of those people that struggle with push ups? During a session with one of my clients, I say we are going to do Push ups and I get a lot of grunting and unhappiness at the notion. Now on the other hand I also see a lot of people who do push ups but then do them in a way that is actually causing more damage then helping.  Today I want to share a few common mistakes I see and some tips to make doing push ups first not your most hated exercise and second doing them and getting results. What not to do when performing a push up:

• Don’t put your hands out to far and make them too wide
• Don’t let your Lower back sag
• Make sure your Elbows don’t flare out to far
• Don’t let your Neck and shoulders take over
• Make your abs work don’t shut them off

Proper Push up etiquette:  

• Your head should be looking slightly ahead of you, not straight down
• At the top of your push up, your arms should be straight and supporting your weight.
• When down on the ground, set your hands at a distance that is slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Try not to let your elbows go flying way out with each repetition

What to do if You can’t do a push up

Start out small you need to start with an easier push movement, and work up to progressively more difficult types of moves that will eventually result in you doing true push ups. Start out with a wall push up, which is just like a regular push up except your standing. Walk backwards with your feet until your arms are extended and supporting your weight. Keeping the rest of your body in straight line slowly lower your body toward the wall until your nose almost touches then push back to starting position. Other option is to do push up with your knees on ground, same movement as a regular push up but with a little less weight on your arms. Exercise is a progression it comes with consistency and working hard and you will soon find you have the strength to do a full push up, then soon it will be reps of 5, 10, 15, etc.