The Perfect PUSH UP - part 2

Just for the record there is NO such thing as a GIRLS push up!! Girls/women/ladies/females CAN achieve push ups on your toes - (Having said that... Men are naturally stronger in the upper body and this is the reason why they can more easily perform push ups) So it might take us a little longer working at it. 

So, following on from the perfect PUSH UP part 1, in what seems to be a complicated chat about the performance of a perfect push up, I now give you a list of progressions.... so anyone can do a push up and work towards your push up goal.

PROGRESSIONS

• Planks - thinking about the posture I previously mentioned, setting up in an arrow position, pushing up into plank, rib cage and pelvis tucked under, almost like a crunch, ensuring the abs are working and the back is flat, shoulders directly above the wrists or elbows. I like to set people up on the ground face down as ask them to get themselves up naturally and wherever their hands are placed is very close to where we want our hands for a push up.

• Incline push up - Find a bench or table at a height in which you are able to complete 1 full push up. Set up in the arrow position, body stays in a straight line from toes to shoulders, arms track at 45 degrees to the body and the chest goes ALL THE WAY to the bench, do NOT stop short, if you cannot do this yet, you will need to find a higher bench.

You will need to practice this push up a couple of times a day, just 2 at a time until you can successfully complete 10 PERFECT push ups. Then you can move onto the next progression - either a lower bench or the knee push up and once again practice small numbers often.

• Knees push up - again setting up in arrow position so that the chest will land directly between your hands, tilt the pelvis, tuck the chest, body stays straight from knees to shoulders and again chest goes all the way to the floor before pushing back up. Don't rest at the bottom, push straight back out.

• Negative push ups or hands off - This is where you start from the floor, prepare your body position and then lift your body as one, pushing up to plank position. Cue here, quads, abs, pelvis and chest already to lift at once. Here you will need to practice being able to get your hips slightly off the floors first and then push from the chest, keeping the body strong and in a straight line (no caterpillaring)

• Single full push ups - Set up in arrow position and starting from the top drop down to where the chest may just touch or be millimetres away, however the hips and quads must not touch the ground here. The push straight back up in a nice straight line. DONE 1 PERFECT PUSH UP.

Practice Practice Practice - as we've heard a million times before... makes PERFECT :)

Tonya xx