Today, we are going to focus on the proper push up. Most of us do pushups and I am so sorry to admit, most of us do them wrong. 

A push up isn’t merely bending your elbows and getting your arms straight; there is a lot more to it.

If you ask me my opinion, I would say that push ups in general, are perhaps the best exercise that has been invented, and do you know why?

This is because it requires no extra equipment and at the same time, you will be able to , all over your body as well. If this doesn’t seem enough, you can also bring in ample variations, or try 100 push ups so you are less likely to get bored when you are carrying out a push up.

You can also count the number of push-ups you have done easily. So, measuring the number isn’t hugely difficult either. Need more reasons, probably not?

So, now we will go into the details of how to do a proper pushup and more.

I have a hectic schedule and I tend to travel a lot. It is needless to add that I miss my gym terribly at times.

However, not being able to access a gym everywhere doesn’t mean that I would say goodbye to my exercises on the road and this is why I decided to rely on pushups because they can be carried out right inside a hotel room and even on a forlorn beach as well.

So, now I am going to share my expertise with you and make you aware of why this is the best exercise, which you need to be well versed in.

Let’s get going.

Push up Basics

When you are carrying out a push-up, the form and, your posture hold a lot of importance. You need to be sure that you are doing the pushup perfectly because it will give your body the right kind of strength, balance and gains. If you are not doing your push up perfectly, your body will not reap the kind of maximum benefits which it otherwise would.

So, here is what you need to do to set yourself up for the sake of attaining the perfect push up form.

• When you are going down on the ground, make sure to set your hands at a distance that a little wider than  shoulder width apart. Obviously, you need to measure the amount of comfort you are feeling and do not want to end up straining your body a great deal. If you want to cut down on the stress, you can turn your hands inwards as well. If you want to get hardcore you can do push-ups on your knuckles if that makes you happier. The choices are numerous and varied.
• Next comes the feet. They need to be so set that they should feel perfectly aligned and comfortable. It could either be spaced shoulder width apart or you could even let both of them touch as well. Mostly, it is seen that the wider the feet, the more comfortable you would be in carrying out the push ups.
• Imagine your body to be one big straight line ranging from the top of the head to the bottom of your heels. Also, take care of your behind as it should neither fly high in the air, nor sag at the bottom.
• If despite reading and implementing the above tips, you find it hard to align your body in the apt push up form, you should try and clench your behind and then make an attempt to tighten the abs. This should allow your body to set in a straight line, and keep your spine in a neutral position.
• Further, you need to make sure that your head looks a little ahead of you. It is said that when you get down while doing a push up, it is your chin which should be the first one to touch the floor.
• You need to make sure that your arms are laid straight and they should support your whole body weight.

If you can follow these steps, you will be able to get the proper push-up form and excel in the same.

Perfecting the Pushup

So, now you have the proper form and so I will take you through the process of the perfect pushup. While the things I am going to tell now are hugely important, it’s important to remember not to lose focus on the form lessons I have taught before. It is important, every repetition, to carry out a proper push up.

These are the steps you need to follow when you carry out one complete repetition of the perfect push up.

• Keep your arms straight and clench your behind and flex your abs. Now, you should slowly lower down yourself and make sure that your elbows are either at an angle of 90 degrees or may be even slightly lower. Depending on the amount of flexibility and practice you have, you may not be able to go beyond 90 degrees.
• You should try and be sure that your elbows don’t go flying away with every successive repetition. You should keep them close to your body even when you have got dead tired.
• When your chest goes down to touch the floor, you need to pause slightly and then try and inflate your chest all over again.

That’s it. It only takes these tips to do the perfect pushup. You should try and do as much as you can until you find that your body is not going to take it any longer. You should not carry out pushups after you have lost the posture or form because they are not going to help you out as this could lead to postural dysfunctions. Take down how many you did and then try to beat your own performance over a period of time.

I Still Can’t Do The Proper Push Up

No worries. Don’t panic. I totally get you. All you need to do is start with an easier style and acclimate your body. Once you manage that, you need to slowly progress successively.

Wall Push-Ups Are A Good Start

Just like when you are carrying out a regular push up, you will have to follow the same things, but this time you can place your hands on the wall and you can stretch the width to something even larger than shoulder width—focusing in the stress on your pectoral muscles. You should try and walk backward and do so until you find that the arms are completely extended and can support your weight.

You can carry out 4 such sets and it is most advised to have a 2-minute rest in between each set. You should ideally note down all the statistics in a notebook and then you should focus on improving the numbers each week.

Elevated Push Ups

These come next and they are carried out when you rest your hands upon some kind of an elevated surface. You could choose anything that you wish and then based upon your strength and even experience levels, to carry out this exercise.

When you are just making a transition from wall push ups, it is advised to pick a height which you can handle. The backside of a park bench or even a picnic table seems to be an apt place to start.

You can try to carry out 4 sets of elevated push-ups and you can choose to take a 2-minute rest between each of them. You can then work upon increasing the height of the elevated push ups.

How to improve your pushups

When you are looking to learn how to do a proper push up, here are the tips that will help you improve the art of the push up.

• You should try reducing your body fat as much as possible because this will make it easier for you to manage your push-ups.
• Never give up on your body form, even after you get tired. You have to maintain the proper push up form until the very end.
• Your muscles need ample time to build, replenish with energy again and grow. So, do not carry out push up workouts successively for two days in a row. Your muscles need cushion time to recover and build.
• After you finish your workout, you should try and guzzle some protein into your body as it will help in repairing your muscles and it will give your body the much-needed recovery.
• When you can carry out 4 set that comprise of 20 to 25 push-ups; each with perfect form, you can then try even more complex forms of push up as well.

You can carry out planks in order to build your core muscles and make them strong that will also help your push up form.

Keep Push Ups Fresh with Variations

No doubt, push-ups can get boring, but thankfully, you have tons of pushup variations to fall back on.

The world of push-ups are exciting and there are so many different options that you are never going to fall short of choices if you just get a little creative.

Here are some of the endless variations which you can try…

• One footed push ups: One of the easiest variation which you can find. You must make sure that you do not end up losing out on your balance, however.
• Walking push ups: this further increases difficulty as you need to move your arms in between the reps.
• Decline push ups: when you carry out these push ups, you need to move your shoulder and triceps even more.
• Triceps push-ups: make sure to keep the arms tight and then rotate your hands outwards. The elbows should be kept tight. This will work upon your triceps really effectively.
• Dive bomber push-ups: these are difficult.You should ideally watch a video to get the hang of how this push up is done.
• Plyometric push-ups: these can be difficult as well and merely after a few repetitions, it can wear you out. Make sure not to hurt yourself when you are carrying this out.

These are a couple of examples and trust me there are tons out there, there is really no limit as you can get super creative.

Push Up Strength Building Plan

Push-ups have the capability of building a great amount of balance and strength. Ideally, you should try and eat a good amount of proteins so that you can recover properly and train in a way that you stay fit and healthy.

Even when I was traveling, I made it a point to stay in the best shape possible and I worked hard to maintain it. I am indebted to push ups because they made it a lot easier for me to stay in tune regardless of where the gym was located. Now that you know how to do a proper push up, all you have to do is get going.  Do not take things for granted and a push up might not be as easy as it seems. You will have to constantly try and evolve yourself and keep practicing so it will be most ideal for your body.

Over time, your body will develop the right balance and . You have to be sure not to give up, regardless of your weight or fitness level. There are a lot of other body weight exercises you can perform as well; this is a great progression workout that will lead you into more advanced resistance training. So, feel free to implement every single point, which I have explained here and pump away.

Conclusion

I like to think my body is well balanced, this is because while resistance training is my focus,I also take weeks off to perform tons of push-ups and other body weight exercises  to balance my body.

So, what are you waiting for?

Now you have the proper push up, get to it!

-Terry Asher