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By Jason Greenspan
Unfortunately in the fitness industry there are a lot of fads ad trends that come and go over the years.
But just like great songs and movies there are certain exercises like the push-up that are considered “classics”.
The push-up has stood the test of time for good reason.
Push-ups require the entire body to work together as a unit as the muscles of the front of the body (chest and shoulders) and the back of the arms ( triceps) move the body toward and away from the ground. And of course the “core” is involved to help the body from being pulled out of proper alignment and dropping to the ground.
The push-up is a great indicator of upper body strength and helps you to bulid a strong foundation. If you can’t lift your own bodyweight, you really should not be doing upper body exercises like the bench or dumbbell chest press that require weights. Also, since the push-up requires you to use more muscles than the dumbbell or bench press, it is great when you are pressed for time and want a total upper body workout.
There are plenty of fitness enthusiasts that can lift a lot of weight, but have trouble completing a set of twelve push-ups with proper form. The reason for this is usually they have a weak “core”. Their upper bodies are strong, but usually the core s the limiting factor. To ensure that your core (abs, low back, butt & hips) are strong, make core training a priority and don’t perform the majority of your exercises sitting or lying down on a bench.
How to do it correctly:
Start: Begin in the all fours position with the shoulders over the hands and the hips over the knees. Your head should be in front of your fingers. Slowly straighten your until your entire body ( except for your hands and feet) is suspended completely parallel to the ground.
Head & Neck: Throughout the movement keep your head and neck in line with your spine like you have a tennis ball under your chin. So you don’t want your head to jut forward during the movement.
Shoulders: Shoulders should not lift up towards your ears as the body is lowered. They shoudl remain diwn and back throughout the movement.
Hands:Should be positioned directly under shoulders about shoulder or slightly wider than shoulder width.
Elbows: Elbows should bend and move out the sides slightly about (45 degrees) as you lower your body.
Knees: The knees should remain straight as the weight remains on your toes. The body should form a straight line from your head to ankles and maintain this lin throughout the movement.
Abdominals and butt muscles: Abs and butt muscles should be contracted throughtou the movment to help stabilize your spine and maintain proper alignment. THINK OF PUSHING THE FLOOR AWAY FROM AS YOU PUSH UP FROM THE FLOOR.
Breathing: Inhale as you lower your body and exhale as you push up fom the ground.
NOTE: THIS IS THE FULL VERSION OF THE PUSH-UP. YOU CAN MODIFY THIS MOVEMENT BY PERFORMING OFF A WALL, YOUR KNEES OR WITH YOUR HANDS ON AN EXERCISE BENCH, WHICH IS THE PREFERRED VERSION. ALSO, IF YOU HAVE SHOULDER OR LOW BACK PROBLEMS, MAKE SURE TO GET CLEARANCE FROM YOUR DOCTOR OR PHYSICAL THERAPIST BEFORE ATTEMPING THE PUSH-UP. TO ENSURE GOOD POSTURE AND TO PROTECT YOUR SHOULDERS, MAKE SURE FOR EVERY SET OF PUSH-UPS, INCLUDE A SET OF ROWS FOR YOUR UPPER BACK MUSCLES.
Silver Stars Fitness is the premeire fitness authority that specializes in working with men and women over the age of 50. Our mission is to provide you with knowledge, passion and of course RESULTS!
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Monday: Balance & Fall Prevention @1230
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