October 24, 2021: Push-ups
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Push-ups have been hailed as the ultimate upper-body exercise by many top personal trainers, and I’d have to say, I agree...on one condition - they must be done right. This week, we’re going to talk about how to do push-ups well.
Benefits of Push-ups
Push-ups truly are the ultimate upper-body exercise. Besides the fact that they can be done anywhere, they involve so many muscles in your body. Depending on the variation and application you choose, push-ups can be used to develop power, strength, and/or endurance. Of course, you can also use push-ups to tone up your chest, shoulders and arms, as well as tighten your tummy and develop incredible strength and stability in your core. Heck, when you squeeze your thighs and glutes hard (great tip to maintain perfect push-up form) you even get your lower body involved!
Not Just an Arm Exercise
Most people see push-ups as an arm exercise, when in reality the chest is the primary muscle group involved with the shoulders and arms (triceps) being assisting muscles. Push-ups are also an awesome exercise to build a stable and strong midsection - they're basically moving planks. Your core is not just your abs or even just your midsection. It's pretty much your entire trunk; think about if you were to remove the arms and legs. You're left with the core.
So, the incorrect "solution" to being too weak to do push-ups is generally to do modified push-ups on your knees. Unfortunately, that just masks the main issue of core strength and stability.
Breaking Down Perfect Push-up Form
Start flat on the floor (instead of from the top position with your arms extended). Line up your thumbs with your nipples, and simultaneously tuck your elbows to your sides and pull your shoulders blades down and back. It’s critical to keep your elbows close to your ribcage while performing push-ups. Letting your elbows “sprawl” away from your torso puts your rotator cuff at a much greater risk for injury. Visualize trying to hug your elbows to your ribcage while cracking a nut between your shoulder blades during all push-ups.
Simultaneously suck in your gut and brace your abs. By pulling your navel to your spine and bracing your abs as if you were about to be kicked in the gut, you will best activate key core muscles while performing push-ups.
Simultaneously tense your thighs and squeeze your glutes. The straighter your legs are during the push-up, the more stable you will be.
Spread your fingers to take pressure off of your wrists during push-ups. This expands the surface area and thus dissipates some of the excess strain on the wrists.
Be flat as a board. Throughout the entire movement, the key is to maintain a straight line from the heels through the shoulders. Don’t let your hips sag, as this will put undue strain on your lower back in the form of hyperextension.
Push-ups (done right) are such a beneficial exercise. You now know how to do a proper push-up, so the only thing left to do is get started!
Next Sunday, we’ll talk about a healthy candy option for you to eat while answering the door.
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I hope you have a wonderful week,
Kelly
Kelly Morgan, Ph.D.
Tsirona - www.tsirona.com
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