First – Five ways you’re doing push ups wrong
Most of us are doing a lot of push-ups now, which is awesome because it’s one of the best-bang-for-your-buck exercises. But, most of us are doing them incorrectly in at least one way or another and even advanced lifters tend to screw this exercise up. I want to show you five common push-up mistakes and show you exactly how to perform a push-up the right way, so you get the most out of this valuable exercise. Push-up Mistake #1 Leading with the head rather than the chest.
Push-up Mistake #2
Elbows flared out to the sides rather than back to the sides.
Push-up Mistake #3
Broken reps. Also called “The Pornstar.”
Push-up Mistake #4
No core engagement. Low back arched. This places loads of strain through the low back and screws up form completely.
Push-up Mistake #5
Not completing the rep. Your shoulder blades should wrap around the rib cage at the end.
How you should be doing push-ups
The Set Up- Start on all fours – knees under hips and wrists under shoulders.
- Take your hands slightly wider because you’ll want a bit more width.
- Extend the legs back you, tuck the tailbone, squeeze the glutes and brace the abs – maintain tension through the body to keep the spine rigid and stable.
- ‘Pack’ the shoulder blades (shoulders away from ears) and twist the elbow pits so they’re facing forward (shoulder external rotation).
- Finally, keep the chin tucked.
- Think like you’re doing a row: pull your body down, leading with the chest.
- Press strongly through your wrists into the floor as if driving the Earth away from you, until the shoulder blades wrap around the rib cage.
More Notes to help you improve your push up form: That initial setup is key: it will make sure you feel it in all the right places and avoid all those typical compensations. Another thing when you’re doing push-ups: go slow on the way down and take a slight pause before you press up. This will increase tension and (again) perfect your technique. Here’s my #PushUpChallenge to you: now that you know the proper form, see what it’s like to do 10 perfect reps where we go down nice and slow for 2-3 seconds, pause, and drive up. I guarantee push-ups are not going to feel the same when you do it like this. Once you perfect the push-up form, check out the below video to see my favourite 10 push-up variations to push you to the next level (pun intended). Hope this tutorial was helpful. If it was, drop a comment below and thanks for reading!
Did you like this post? Follow me on Instagram for daily workout inspiration and tips and join my weekly Wednesday Wisdom newsletter where I dive deep into the latest topics to help you train smarter and live better. Need something to tie you over while stuck at home? Download my FREE guide Band Training for Lifters here (includes info on what bands I use and a discount code to purchase them online).
