Form Fix of the Week: Pushup

“Everyone knows how to do push ups.” NOT. Every week I remind my boot campers how to perform a push up in good form. Sometimes it is because they want to push harder or not look like the only person who can’t do a proper one. But I can’t stress this enough, a push up in bad form isn’t doing anyone favors. It also isn’t shameful to not be able to do even one, because this sucker takes a lot of practice and build up.

A push up is one of the most basic exercises that builds upper body and core strength. No equipment is needed, not even this and there are no excuses that can justify leaving it out of your workout (unless you are injured/have joint restrictions, then you are absolutely excused).

Proper Form: 3 Things to Focus On

Spine. I am a big defender of spine health. So when doing any exercise I will always mention this first. When executing an exercise from a prone position, it is best to keep your spine in a neutral position. Note that I am not saying “straight” but “neutral.” The difference is that when the spine is in neutral, it is allowed to perform as it should with the natural curves in motion. Pushing the spine into a straight position is forcing it into an unnatural state. Neutral also means not letting the spine hyperextend. When in a prone position, don’t look like your cat, stretched out over couch and under the coffee table. Only a cat can be comfortable and look cool in that position.  

Elbows. What part of the arms are pushups actually working? Pushups utilize anterior and medial deltoids (shoulders) as well as the triceps and pectorals (chest). They are a ton of variations on pushups and there are a lot of arguments on which is actually the true one, but I’ll stick to the form that I feel works best for the major muscle groups used. When lowering to the ground, keep the elbows close to the side of the body, bending 90 degrees towards the feet.

Neck. Keep the neck neutral as well. A common compensation I see in pushups is when the neck drops down and forward. A little trick to know if the neck is in the right spot is to actually look a few inches in front of you rather than straight down.

How to Build Up

Start with planks. Having stability throughout the core and shoulders is a key component. Don’t worry about lowering just yet. A proper plank is all about keeping the neck and spine neutral and the shoulders directly over your elbows/wrists. Learning to engage the core, quads and glutes will keep pushups in proper alignment rather than looking like someone is about to break out the worm.

On your knees. Don’t knock anyone doing push ups on their knees. I would rather have a client do pushups on their knees in perfect form any day of the week until they build the strength to go to the next level. (See previous.)

Halfsies. I like having my clients learning how to hold a pushup halfway before even attempting to lower all the way. This still gives the core and shoulders more control without losing form.  

Now are we ready to tackle the pushup?

Quote of the Week: We Become

"We become what we think about." —Earl Nightingale

Quote of the Week: #MayaTaughtMe

Maya Angelou has passed away at 86. There are so many ways that great women like her have sparked fires and led us into our own battles with weapons of self confidence, respect and tenacity. Women like Maya have taught us to live life lovingly, to always grow and to never accept defeat.

"We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.” —Maya Angelou

Agility Drill of the Week: Figure 8 Up Downs

Are we having fun with burpees yet? I know I’m … not. This week’s ADOTW involves a burpee-like move and adds agility to all the already awesome goodness. Think of it as an ode to my hometown footwork fame plus a crossfit addict’s need to add plyos to EVERYTHING.

Figure 8 Up-Downs

Set 2 cones a few feet apart, just wider than shoulder width apart. Starting in the middle of the cones, shuffle around them in a figure 8 motion. When you return to the start, pause, place your hands on the ground in front of your feet while bending your knees. Next, jump back into a plank position with your neck and spine in a neutral position and immediately jump your feet back to your hands. Stand up, adding a vertical jump at the end, then repeat the figure 8 motion in the opposite direction. Do 10 to 12 reps or see how many you can do in 1 minute.

Pro Tips

- Use your whole body to perform the drill: swing your arms and drive the actions with both your hips and legs.

- When jumping back into a plank, you shouldn’t look like you are trying to do the worm on the way back. Concentrate on keeping your body as flat as a board as you push back up. Since this is a full body move that means your arms and core are doing work too.

- Look up! Train as if you were training for your sport, so don’t be caught looking at your feet when you could be focusing your eyes on what is happening around you.

- Form over speed: do a run through once or twice at a slower pace to get the rhythm and form right. Speed in these drills won’t benefit you if you are running through them like a wacky waving inflatable tube man. Once you’ve gotten a handle on technique, go for speed.

Form Fix of the Week: Burpee

Did you just throw up in your mouth a little bit? Yeah. I did too. The burpee. The motherload of exercises. No one likes to even acknowledge that this exercise has essential benefits, just that it sucks the life out of your very soul no matter how fit you are. If you happen to know a person named Megan (aka Sara Problem), then you have agreed to do her birthday burpee challenge for her upcoming 44th birthday. That means starting with just 1 on day 1, adding a burpee to the previous day’s count and ending with all 44 on the last day. Someone very smart and pretty did the math and that means 990 burpees in 44 days. I think I just threw up in my mouth again.

I am not one to try fitness challenges on my own. But doing something in solidarity is definitely better than going at it alone, especially for someone awesome. So in honor of this birthday burpee challenge, today’s FFOTW is, you guessed it, the burpee! For the challenge, it was requested that everyone do a traditional old-fashioned burpee (which excludes the push up) so I will go over form for this particular burpee.

1. Stand straight up, feet shoulder width apart.

2. Bend down and place hands on the ground just in front of your feet and jump your feet straight back behind you, ending in a plank position.

3. Jump your feet back to your hands in one swift motion and keep your knees bent.

4. Immediately follow up with a vertical jump, driving with your hips and your hands extended above your head and land softly with knees bent.

Pro Tips

- A burpee involves power. If you are concentrating on form, it is important to remember where the power comes from—your hips! That means in-between steps 3 and 4, you are loading for the jump, not standing up in between and losing that power. Think of thrusting your hips from the squatting position to execute the jump.

- This traditional burpee does not require a push up or lowering down to the floor. BUT if you choose to add these steps, remember:

- Your push up requires good form too—neutral neck and spine with your core engaged

- If you are lowering to the ground, you shouldn’t look like you are trying to do the worm on the way up. Concentrate on keeping your body as flat as a board as you push back up. Since this is a full body move that means your arms and core are doing work too.

- Power comes from form first, speed second. Start slow until the technique is there, then go for speed.

Want to learn more about burpees? Check out:

Where Do Burpees Come From? (Spoiler Alert: Not Hell) | via Greatist

How to properly do a burpee demo (video) | via Hockey Training Pro

Five Reasons Why Burpees Should Be Your Favorite Exercise | via 12 Minute Athlete

Follow my progress on Instagram, or join the challenge on Facebook.