How To Get Good At Push Ups

We all have strength training moves, we'd like to master – or that we wish we could perform a bit better. In her column, personal trainer, sports therapist and Nike Global Master Trainer Joslyn Thompson Rule targets the push-up.

I often get asked, 'Why are push-ups so hard?'

The answer is there is so much more to a push-up than meets the eye.

It's easy to think of these as solely an arms or chest exercise, but the secret to being able to perform a one (along with the arm strength that will naturally build over time through consistent training) is midline strength.

Take a look at gymnasts; much of their time is spent building a strong foundation, as it is this that will support their bodies in some of the incredible feats of body control they undertake.

But "time" is the operative word in that last sentence – unlike fitness levels, which, with enough commitment you can improve in around six weeks, increases in strength require more time and patience.

What muscles do push-ups work?

In the standard push up, the following muscles are targeted:

Chest muscles, or pectorals
Shoulders, or deltoids
Back of your arms, or triceps
Abdominals
The 'bingo wing' muscles directly under your armpit, called the serratus anterior

What are the benefits of push-ups?

They are a great functional exercise that can be done just about anywhere; they're easy to scale to suit almost any fitness level, and you don't need any special equipment at all.

Push-ups are a fast and effective exercise for building upper body strength, and when done with proper form, they will also work your back and core.

So, how often do I need to do push-ups?

Do your push-ups (and other strength-training exercises) at least twice a week. Three times a week is fine too.

However, don't fall into the trap of thinking that more is always better: Your muscles get bigger and stronger in the time between workouts, not during the workouts themselves, so you should give each muscle group at least one full rest day before you work it again.

If you can already do a lot of push-ups with good form, consider wearing a weight vest to add extra intensity, or using an elastic resistance band looped around your shoulders, then pinned tightly under your hands, to create extra resistance.

Are there any downsides?

John Fenlin, an orthopedic surgeon at the Rothman Institute of Thomas Jefferson University, says he performs torn rotator cuff surgery and even worse, shoulder replacements for people who have taken their push up challenge a little too far.

So, what does he recommend? The experts claims you should never perform
a bodyweight exercise such as a push-up to the point of failure. This can weaken your muscles to the point of instability.

Instead, stop before you reach your limit and let your body rest - for example try '20 reps in perfect form' (as said by Fenlin, in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer).

Why can't I do a push-up?

So, where do people go wrong with push ups? Well, because most people recognise what a push up is, the risk is that they perform the exercise without thinking about what their bodies should be doing throughout the movement.

The more complex an exercise is, the more advice we may seek to execute it. But, when it comes to the push up, many of us think there is very little to it.

Far from simply being a case of lowering your chest to the ground, however, a push up requires good body awareness and control. There are three main reasons why you might now fail and fall flat on the floor:

You are not strong enough through the midline
You are moving your body past what your current strength allows
You have poor neuromuscular control/body awareness

But don't worry: you're not destined to a life face planting forever. Target your issues with the following push-up prep exercises.

How to do a push-up

Get into plank position, with your hands under but slightly outside of your shoulders. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor.

As you lower yourself, tuck your elbows, pulling them close to your body so that your upper arms form a 45-degree angle when your torso is in the bottom position of the move. Pause, then push back to the starting position as quickly as possible. Keep your core braced the entire time.

If your hips sag at any point during the exercise, your form has been broken. When this happens, consider that your last repetition and end the set.

Try these 3 exercises, to help you master the push-up

1/ Plank

Exercises to do strengthen for a push up

a) Set yourself up in the top of a push-up/plank position: hands directly underneath the shoulders and facing forwards; head in line with the spine; and glutes, quads and midline engaged.

It's fine to drop the knees down to the ground if the full position is a little challenging at this stage.

b) Maintain this position and work towards a full 60-second hold. If you're a beginner, you could break this into six 10-second holds, gradually building up to four 15-second holds and so on.

c) Work on this 60-second hold daily.

2/ Eccentric Push Up

Women's Health UK

a) Set yourself up in the top of a Push Up/Plank position: hands directly underneath the shoulders and facing forwards; head in line with the spine; and glutes, quads and midline engaged.

It's fine to drop the knees down to the ground if the full position is a little challenging at this stage.

b) Keeping your head in line with your spine and glutes, quads and midline engaged, lower your chest down to the floor in as slow and controlled a movement as you can, letting the elbows drop back towards the waist.

The slower you can go, the better.

c) Return to the start position any way you can (you are not trying to do a Push Up to return to the start; the sole focus here is the lowering down phase).

d) Repeat this for 4-6 repetitions, 2-3 times per week, trying to lower over as many seconds as possible.

3/ Incline Push Up

You will need: a bench, chair or barbell set up in a rack, at waist height (NB. you can raise/lower the height depending on your strength/preference; the higher the height of your assistance, the less weight you will bear when carrying out the movement).

a) Set up your assistance (bench/table/barbell) of choice. Place your hands on the edge of the bench/table/barbell directly underneath your shoulders. Take 1-3 steps back - your body is now at a diagonal (between your head and your feet) but should still be in a straight line, with arms perpendicular to your body. As with the plank position, your head should be in line with the spine and your glutes, quads and midline should be engaged.

b) Lower your chest down with control, towards the bench/table/barbell, being mindful not to let your elbows flare out (let them drop back towards the waist); then push back up. Only go as low as you feel you can return to the start position with good form - it's good practice to understand where your physical limitations are so that you can adjust the height of your assistance accordingly.

c) Repeat 2-3 sets of 5-8 repetitions of these, twice weekly.

If you're itching for more, find push up variations here.

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