PUSH-UP

SET-UP

1. Lie in the prone (face down) position on the floor supported by your hands, which should be placed slightly wider than shoulder-width apart in line with the middle of your chest with your fingers pointed forwards.
2. Push your shoulders down away from your ears.
3. Ensure that your core is tight, and your hips and torso are straight.

EXECUTION

1. Exhale as you push down on the floor through your palms to raise your body away from the ground.
2. Fully extend your arms at the top of the lift - but avoid locking your elbows.
3. Inhale as you lower your body until it almost touches the floor by bending your elbows.
4. Repeat for the prescribed number of reps and sets.

1. If you are initially unable to perform the basic Push Up with good form try performing Bent-Knee Push-Ups, where this exercise is performed with your knees on the floor, or Incline Push-Ups, where your hands are elevated above your feet; the closer they are to the vertical the easier the exercise will become.
2. Avoid shrugging your shoulders toward your ears, which places greater emphasis on your triceps.
3. The correct placement for your hands should be slightly wider than shoulder-width and below the plane of your shoulders, in line with the middle of your chest.
4. Put the greatest pressure of weight on the outside of your hands to minimize the risk of injury, particularly your wrists. In the same vein minimize the amount of pressure placed on the bottom of your hand/wrist.
5. Keep your head, hips, and torso straight. Bending at the neck reduces the emphasis on the chest, whereas misalignment of your hips either up or down prevents your abdominals from being fully engaged.
6. Use the full range of motion - performing Push-Ups on push-up bars will help achieve this and reduce the pressure on your wrists. Try to lower your chest enough to slightly graze the ground, or at least come close to it. NOTE: If you do not have sufficient mobility in your shoulders aim to avoid letting your body dip below 90 degrees at your elbows and undertake a parallel workout program to address this shortfall.
7. Control the tempo of this exercise throughout. The eccentric (descending) phase should ideally be twice as long as the concentric (ascending) phase.

• Decline Push-Up: This is essentially the standard Push Up with elevated feet.
• Diamond Push-Up: Place hands are held close together with your index fingers and thumbs touching one another to form a diamond shape.
• Raised Leg Push-Up: Alternate raising one leg off the floor during each rep.
• Three-Point Push-Up: Placed one leg on top of the other so only one foot and two hands are in contact with the ground.