Perfecting the push-up
The push-up is one of the best exercises for the entire body as it requires strength and stabilization of the entire body from the head down to the feet.
Here are some things to look for when performing them.
*?? You should be able to draw a straight line from your head to your ankles. This requires keeping the head in a neutral postion
*?? Keep the core tight, in particular the abs and glutes. I tell people to think of trying to draw their belly button up to their spine to help keep the abs tight and engaged. If the core isn’t kept tight or is lacking in strength you will usually notice a sagging of the hips and midsection or someone pushing their hips up high getting their body more into a “V” shape positions to try to offset the lack of core strength.
*?? Keep the knees straight by flexing the quads and keeping them tight. People usually don’t think of this one but if they don’t do this the legs can start to sag and drop which can also make it harder to keep the core tight.
*?? Perform the push-up with the arms at about a 45 degree angle (in a W shape). If the arms are kept at the side of the body you will get too much tricep recruitment and if they are flared out at more of a 90 degree angle it can open the shoulder joint up to too much stress.
*?? When lowering yourself down in to the bottom position keep your chest out. Think chest to the ground and get a full range of motion (this can vary depending on what type of push-up you do as there are a numerous different variations) by touching the chest to the ground and extending your arms at the top and protracting (drawing your shoulder blades forward) your scapulae.
This is good for overall shoulder and scapulae health as you get the scapulae to go through a full range of motion and work muscles like the serratus anterior and pec minor. Doing pressing movements like dumbbell and barbell press variations don’t give you the chance to work the scapulae through a full range of motion as lying on your back on a bench makes it difficult to allow for complete movement and range of motion of the scapulae.
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