Can You Do a Push-Up?

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

10 Jun 2007 06:26 PM

You know what a pushup is, right? It's a lift that you do using only your arms, controlling your frame and pushing up from the ground? The lift portion is that you are lifting your own body. Push-ups are ideal for building upper body strength and chest definition (yes ladies, it will help your chest too). Too often women think push-ups are only for men, but they aren't.

There are many variations on how you can do a push-up. So let's talk about specific things you need to keep in mind when you do a push-up:

• First and foremost, you want to control your core. Your core is torso, abdominals, hips and back. It's the center of your body. You want it to be controlled and tight. When you do a push up, your core should lift evenly and not peel up in a wave from the ground. When you are wavering like this, it usually means your tired
• Secondly, pay attention to the angle of your arms and your shoulders. You should not have your hands right up next to your head, in fact your hands should be directly below your shoulders or a little further back

Practicing Your Push-Ups

If you've never been great at doing push-ups (I still shudder when I recall the push-up and sit-up tests in school), here are some tips to getting started. The easiest way to learn to do a push-up correctly is to do standing push-ups. You begin this by standing in front of a wall and putting your hands directly on it - make sure your hands are even with your shoulders, creating a nice straight line. Then lower yourself towards the wall and then push away again until you are standing straight. Use only your arms to control this motion and perform it slowly, deliberately and evenly.

When you can perform wall push-ups for 3 sets of 20 reps, you're ready to move to standard push-ups. So, can you do a push-up?

Related Articles:

Let's Talk About Our Muscles - Upper Body

Let's Talk About Our Muscles - Lower Body

Weight Training Leads to Longer Term Results

10 Reasons You Should Strength Train

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger