Happy Monday to you.
Here’s a question I received over the weekend..
I am a 44 year old female, I go to the gym three times a week and have been going for four years. The only thing I can not do is a press up (Push Up). When it comes to doing proper full press ups I just collapse, have you got any tips to over come this.
I’ve been asked this question and seen problems with Push Ups for years so I thought I would share my solution with you…
The Push Up (or Press Up)
I use a lot of Push Ups in my workouts. The Push Up is not just a great exercise for conditioning the upper body but it’s actually a great core and abs exercise too.
When you think about it, the Push Up is just a moving Plank performed from the hands.
Including the Push Up in your workouts will seriously condition your core muscles and help with lower back pain that many people suffer from due to bad stability of the lumbar spine.
Watch my Push Up Tutorial below:
The Core Part
It is vital during the Push Up that you keep your Hips up and body level from shoulder to heel.
If your hips sag or collapse during the Push Up then you risk injuring your lower back and your core muscles will not be activated.
The Strength Part
Women have less upper body strength than men, sorry ladies that’s just nature.
So if you lack the upper body strength then you need to make the Push Up easier while you develop your strength. Performing lots and lots of attempted bad push ups will only make things worse.
The Push Up Progression
So, to master the full Push up you need to improve both your core and upper body strength.
Step 1:
Always begin from the centre and work outwards, so core comes first…
Practice the Shoulder Taps exercise until you can complete it perfectly for 30 seconds (60 seconds is even more desirable).
Watch the Shoulder Tap exercise below…
Step 2:
Next work on your upper body strength…
Practice lowering from the top of the Push Up position down to the floor. Lower slower and aim for a 3-5 second lower. Don’t push back up just return to the start position.
Work up to 3 sets of 10 lowers with a 2 minute rest between sets.
It is vital during this phase that your core is engaged and body is kept perfectly straight just like with the Shoulder Taps.
Step 3:
Finally, start practicing full Push Up with your hands raised on a bench. When you can complete 3 sets of 10 reps from the bench move down to hands on the floor.
BOOM! You will now be performing Full Push Ups!!
OK, that’s all for today, I hope you found this useful.
Take care,
Greg
To see more posts about push workouts, go here.
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