Exercise Technique- The Push-UP

Exercise Technique- The Push Up

 Push-ups are one of my favorite exercises because you can accomplish so many things with this one simple exercise.  It is a wonderful core exercise; it also strengthens the pushing muscles of the upper body. 

As basic as this exercise may seem, I often see mistakes like,

• Head dropped; you want to keep your head pulled up up so that your neck stays inline with your spine. 
• Hips dropped.  It is super important to maintain a strong plank position.
• Elbows are bowed out.  You don’t want your elbows positioned past your wrist. This causes lots of stress to the elbows and it  internally rotates the shoulder joint setting you up for an impingement.

Correct positioning

Along with maintaining good plank mechanics, check out Albert’s elbow position in this photo.  You should see the shape of an A.  His head is the top of the A and his elbows are the sides of the A. 

If you can’t do a push-up from the floor, try them from the edge of a table or a bench and begin to work your way lower as you get stronger.

Try doing 2 sets of 10-12repetitions  3 times per week on non consecutive days and progress from there.