The classic push-up is an extremely effective workout that’s good for your entire body – but many people cheat and simply don’t do them right. Watch the video below and read our expert tips to master the perfect push-up.
1. Body position
Too many people arch their back and allow their hips to sag down towards the ground when doing push-ups. If you are guilty of this, try rotating your hips forward to help maintain body-tension. Your body should make a straight line from your feet all the way to your shoulders and should stay straight & rigid the entire time – doing so will benefit your mid-body and leg muscles along with your upper-body.
2. Arm position
For a standard push-up, your hands should sit directly below your shoulders, creating a vertical line when your arms are fully extended. You can of course vary your hand placement in order to target different muscle groups. For example, moving your hands further back (towards your stomach) will put focus on your shoulders, whereas putting your hands further forward (towards you head) will give your triceps more of a workout. You can also vary the width of your grip in order to work your chest muscles (wide grip) or triceps (narrow grip).
Another big mistake many people make is ‘flaring’ their elbows out to the side. Your arms should stay tucked-in as close to your your body as possible and your elbows should point backwards rather than outwards.
3. Range of motion
Simply put- don’t cheat! Quality is much more important than quantity, so make sure you go all the way up and all the way down, and don’t cheat by sagging your body or arching your neck.
4. Shoulder blade movement
This is a highly-neglected point when it comes to doing push-ups. Concentrate on squeezing your shoulder blades together when you lower yourself down and moving them apart when you lift yourself up. This really helps you maintain good form and works out your entire body.
So there you have it! Do you have any push-up tips of your own? Let us know about it in the comments.