Push-ups are an incredibly effective and empowering bodyweight exercise, but are one that many people of all fitness levels and abilities struggle to excel at. It’s not uncommon for someone to be able to bench-press hundreds of pounds, yet struggle to be able to perform a properly executed push-up. I’m not joking.
Push-ups are a technically demanding exercise, and require a significant amount of upper body strength, shoulder and scapular controlled mobility, and lumbo-pelvic stability.
Like pull-ups, the beauty of push-ups is that once you master the basics, the sky is the limit and there are so many different variations you will be able to learn. I will be including some of these exercises in future articles.
This week I am sharing 5 exercises that will help you excel at performing push-ups.
#1) Wrist Mobility: Rock-Backs
This very basic exercise helps improve wrist mobility. Lack of mobility in the wrists is an issue that plagues many. I included two variations of this exercise.
Coaching Tips:
- Kneel on the floor. Place both hands so your palms are on the floor, and so your fingers are facing you.
- To start off, keep your elbows so they are close to fully extended (but not hyperextended).
- Gently shift your bodyweight forward, and so you feel a slight stretch in your wrists. Now gently sit back and shift your weight more towards your fingers. For both movements, make sure your palms and fingers stay flat on the floor.
- ONLY use a range of motion that feels comfortable. The movements should not hurt. This is extremely important.
- Do not mindlessly hang out on your joints. Press away from the floor and protract your shoulder blades. In other words, your shoulder blades should spread apart and move away from your spine, and around your ribcage.
- Perform 10-15 reps per direction. Then turn your hands so they are facing the other way, and perform the same movements (video 2).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
How to modify: If performing this exercise from the floor is uncomfortable due to a lack of mobility, you can modify by placing weight plates under your hands.
#2) Hands Elevated Push-Ups
Do you have the goal of being able to perform regular push-ups but aren’t quite ready? If your goal is to be able to perform regular push-ups, I will come right out and say that I prefer hands elevated over kneeling push-ups. While this is subjective, in my 17+ years of coaching, I’ve found that the carryover from hands elevated push-ups to regular push-ups is significantly greater. With hands elevated push-ups, the same body positioning is utilized. This is key.
You may perform this exercise using an elevated surface like a box, bench, barbell (in a rack), Smith Machine, etc.
Coaching Tips:
- Place your hands so they are on an elevated surface.
- Get into a plank position from your hands and feet. Set your body so it is in a straight line from the top/back of your head to heels, tuck your chin, and keep your neck in a neutral position.
- While maintaining the same body positioning, gaze directly down to a spot on the floor/surface. For the duration of the exercise, your eyes should remain fixed on this spot.
- Adopt your preferred foot width. You may place your feet so they are together, shoulder width apart, or somewhere in between.
- Position your hands so they are shoulder width apart or slightly wider. Figure out what hand width and positioning works and feels best for you.
- At the top of the push-up, your shoulders, elbows and wrists should be in a relatively stacked position.
- Your weight should be evenly distributed throughout your full hands and fingers, not just at the base of your hands/wrists. Pretend you are trying to spread your full hands and fingers to the bench/surface.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection), and squeeze your glutes.
- Lightly press your tongue against the roof of your mouth (behind your upper front teeth). This subtle trick can make keeping your head and neck from collapsing much easier.
- Descend into the push-up and retract your shoulder blades. Think about lightly drawing your shoulder blades together and towards your spine as you are performing the eccentric component, but do not overdo this movement. Imagine you are pulling or “rowing” your body down to the surface. Do not just drop down.
- In the bottom position, your elbows should be positioned over your wrists, and forearms in a vertical position. Do not allow your elbows to flare out. In the bottom position, your body and arms should resemble an “arrow,” not a “T”.
- Once your upper arms are approximately parallel (or slightly closer) to the elevated surface, press up and return to the starting position.
- When you are pressing your body away from the surface and are returning to the top position, protract your shoulder blades. Think about spreading your shoulder blades apart and moving them away from your spine, and around your ribcage. Do not keep them pinned.
- Exhale after you have pressed away from the surface and as your body is returning to the top position of the push-up.
- For the duration of the exercise, your body should remain in a straight line from the top/back of your head to heels. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, hips to collapse or pike, or neck to collapse. Your torso and hips should remain square to the elevated surface/floor.
#3) Eccentric Only Push-Ups
This exercise helps you learn how to master the eccentric portion of the push-up.
Coaching Tips:
- Get into a plank position from your hands and feet. Set your body so it is in a straight line from the top/back of your head to heels, tuck your chin, and keep your neck in a neutral position.
- While maintaining the same body positioning, gaze directly down to a spot on the floor. For the duration of the exercise, your eyes should remain fixed on this spot.
- Adopt your preferred foot width. You may place your feet so they are together, shoulder width apart, or somewhere in between.
- Position your hands so they are shoulder width apart or slightly wider. Figure out what hand width and positioning works and feels best for you.
- At the top of the push-up, your shoulders, elbows and wrists should be in a relatively stacked position.
- Your weight should be evenly distributed throughout your full hands and fingers, not just at the base of your hands/wrists. Pretend you are trying to spread your full hands and fingers to the floor.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection), and squeeze your glutes.
- Lightly press your tongue against the roof of your mouth (behind your upper front teeth). This subtle trick can make keeping your head and neck from collapsing much easier.
- Descend into the push-up and retract your shoulder blades. Think about lightly drawing your shoulder blades together and towards your spine as you are performing the eccentric component, but do not overdo this movement. Imagine you are pulling or “rowing” your body down to the floor. Do not just drop down. Aim to lower yourself down in 3-5 (or more) seconds.
- In the bottom position, your elbows should be positioned over your wrists, and forearms in a vertical position. Do not allow your elbows to flare out. In the bottom position, your body and arms should resemble an “arrow,” not a “T”.
- Once your upper arms are approximately parallel (or slightly closer) to the floor, touch your knees down to the floor, and press back up to the starting position. Please note, this is the only time your knees should come into contact with the floor as the objective is for you to use the same body positioning as you would during regular push-ups.
- For the duration of the exercise, your body should remain in a straight line from the top/back of your head to heels. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, hips to collapse or pike, or neck to collapse. Your torso and hips should remain square to the floor.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
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#4) Concentric Only Push-Ups
This exercise helps you learn how to master the concentric portion of the push-up.
Coaching Tips:
- Get into the bottom position of a push-up, but so your forehead, torso and lower body are in full contact with the floor.
- While maintaining the same body positioning, gaze directly down to a spot on the floor/surface. For the duration of the exercise, your eyes should remain fixed on this spot.
- Adopt your preferred foot width. You may place your feet so they are together, shoulder width apart, or somewhere in between.
- Position your hands so they are shoulder width apart or slightly wider.
- Your elbows should be positioned over your wrists, and forearms in a vertical position. Do not allow your elbows to flare out. In the bottom position, your body and arms should resemble an “arrow,” not a “T”.
- Your weight should be evenly distributed throughout your full hands and fingers, not just at the base of your hands/wrists.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), tuck your ribs towards your hips, and squeeze your glutes.
- Now press your body away from the floor, and to the top position of the push-up.
- When you are pressing your body away from the floor and are traveling towards the top position, protract your shoulder blades. Think about spreading your shoulder blades apart and moving them away from your spine, and around your ribcage. Do not keep them pinned.
- Exhale after you have pressed away from the floor and as your body is approaching the top position of the push-up.
- In the top position, your shoulders, elbows and wrists should be in a relatively stacked position.
- From the top position, touch your knees down to the floor, and return to the starting position. Please note, this is the only time your knees should come into contact with the floor as the objective is for you to use the same body positioning as you would during regular push-ups.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, hips to collapse or pike, or neck to collapse.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#5) Plate Slides From Plank
This exercise improves shoulder and scapular controlled mobility (and stability on the planted side), lumbo-pelvic stability, and wrist stability.
Coaching Tips:
- Get into a plank position from your hands and feet. Set your body so it is in a straight line from the top/back of your head to heels, tuck your chin, and keep your neck in neutral alignment.
- Adopt your preferred foot width. You may place your feet so they are together, shoulder width apart, or somewhere in between. Position your hands so they are shoulder width apart.
- Your shoulders, elbows and wrists should be in a stacked position.
- Place a dumbbell/kettlebell, weight plate, etc on one side of your body and so it just outside of your shoulder.
- Your weight should be evenly distributed throughout your full hand and fingers, not just at the base of your hand/wrist. Pretend you are trying to spread your full hand and fingers to the floor.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection), and squeeze your glutes.
- Lightly press your tongue against the roof of your mouth (behind your upper front teeth). This subtle trick can make keeping your head and neck from collapsing much easier.
- Now pass (or slide) the weight to the opposite side of your body. Reset, and repeat using the opposite arm.
- Aside from your upper body on the side that is transferring the weight, the rest of your body should remain in a fixed position for the duration of the exercise.
- Pay attention to your non-working/supporting side. Push away from the bench and protract your shoulder blade (move it away from your spine and around your ribcage). Do not mindlessly hang out.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, weight to shift from foot to foot, or hips to pike or collapse. Your torso and hips should remain square to the floor.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
- You may modify this exercise by elevating your hands on a box, bench, or other surface.
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