For some, they may even loathe the thought of crankin' out just a few of these little body sculpting gems. Be that as it may, the push-up also tends to be the undying nemesis for people who carry around a lot of extra body weight and for most females who feel they do not have the "upper body" strength to ever be able to do anything but modified push-ups on the knees.
The goal of this special blueprint is to address everything you need to know about performing the push-up with proper form in addition to learning how to do more push-ups in a short amount of time.
Remember, people only hate what they are not good at it. So in other words, if you're a push-up "hater", this push-up blueprint plan will help you finally unveil your true push-up potential. And though you may never be madly in love with push-up, you'll have the strength and lean muscle to impress everyone around you with your new-found ability!
Push-Ups: One of the "Big Three"
Right next to squats and pull-ups, a push-up is one of the greatest total body exercises of all time.
We all know that push-ups work your chest, triceps, and front shoulders. However, they also place a great demand on your core strength, motor skills and stability. After all, your spinal stabilizers (AKA: transverse abdominis and spinal erectors) need to be able and maintain that critical straight-line position throughout the duration of your push-ups for optimal safety and performance. In addition, push ups engage your scapular muscles (shoulder blades) in a way that most pushing exercises do not, thus providing some much needed mid and upper back work that most workouts usually lack. In fact, once you are maintaining proper positioning, you'll pretty much engage every muscle along the front side of your body. You would even be wise to squeeze your booty muscles to support your lower back, thus giving the ol' gluteus maximus some extra work.
Here's the real benefit: you can perform a quickie push-up workout anytime, anywhere. No equipment needed!
Anatomy of an Award Winning Push-up
Though nearly everyone on the planet has tried a push-up at some time in his or her life, the vast majority of folks have never performed a "full range of motion" floor body weight push-up with perfect form and technique…whew, that was a mouthful!
If you are one of those people, don't worry. You might even have flashbacks to gym class nightmares of being yelled at to do more push ups (even if you were never TAUGHT how to do it right).
That was the old. This is the new and I can help.
Below is a complete list of coaching cues I use in performing a perfect push-up:
- Be Sure To: bring your elbows to your sides and pull your shoulders blades down and back: It’s critical to keep your elbows close to your ribcage while performing push-ups. Letting your elbows “sprawl” away from your torso puts your rotator cuff at a much greater risk for injury. In addition, since most of us are so upper trap dominant, we tend to shrug our shoulders during push-ups. Don't shrug. This scapular elevation can lead to clicking and grinding of the shoulder (known as shoulder impingement syndrome). To avoid these pitfalls, visualize trying to hug your elbows to your ribcage while cracking a nut between your shoulder blades during all push-ups.
- Be Sure To: suck in your gut and clench up your core: As mentioned earlier, the push-up is a great abs and core exercise that requires muscular endurance for your deep spinal stabilizers. By "pulling your navel to your spine" and bracing your abs as if you we about to be kicked in the gut, you will best activate those key core muscles while performing push-ups.
- Be Sure To: tense your thighs and squeeze your glutes: The straighter your legs during the push-up the more stable you will be. Don' t stick your rear in the air, keep it down in a straight plank position. So again, tense your thighs and butt muscles - this helps relax overactive hip flexors, thus alleviating (and preventing) unneeded strain on the lower back.
- Be Sure To: check your breathing: In general, seek to focus on inhaling during the lowering portion of the push-up and then forcefully exhaling during the lifting portion of the push-up. By filling your belly with air during the lowering portion of the push-up your make it easier to stabilize your spine, meaning that your core remains locked in thus allowing for a smooth and seamless transition from the down position to the up position.
- Be Sure To: spread your fingers: Many people complain of wrist pain while they do push-ups. Have no worries. This usually stems from a combination of a lack of mobility at the wrist joint and a lack of flexibility of the forearm flexors and extensors. Plus, many people simply have weak wrists from a lack of weight-bearing exercises in their daily routine. Think about it- we do not do as much as we used to do with our hands and are rarely in a position where our wrists our supporting our entire body weight (besides when doing push-ups).
One way to take pressure off of your wrists during push-ups is to focus on spreading your fingers as far apart as possible.
This expands the surface area and thus dissipates some of the excess strain on the wrists.
Furthermore, doing fist push-ups or push-ups with your hands on a dumbbell (or push-up handles) tends to significantly alleviate if not eliminate any unwanted wrist issues. This neutral grip allows you get all of the benefits of push-ups so that your wrists do not continue to be the biggest limiting factor for your push-up goals. In addition, the neutral grip also makes it easier to keep your helps tucked to your sides and shoulders down and back for optimal shoulder safety.
- Be Sure To: be flat as a diving board: Throughout the entire movement, the key is to maintain a straight line from the heels through the shoulders. You must not let your hips sag as this will put undue strain on your lower back in the form of hyperextension. Also, you should avoid raising or “piking” your hips and gluteus maximus, because this not only takes a way much needed core work, but also results in a rounding of the upper back that potentially results in unwanted shoulder issues (impingement, rotator cuff strains, etc.). Ouch!
The Official Push-Up Boot Camp Blueprint
Step #1 - Find your current "Push-up Total"
Assuming a regular floor push-up position, perform as many reps as possible (AMRAP) with perfect form and technique in 60 seconds. Be sure to place a small object like a tennis ball on the floor under your chest. Your goal is to simply make contact (not slam) with this object to count as a full "rep". Record your rep total and then take no longer than a 1 minute rest for recovery.
After exactly 1 minute of rest, repeat by performing one more set of AMRAP in 60 seconds and then record your second set total.
Add both your set one and set two totals and then divide by two.
This is your current push-up total.
Step #2 - Follow the custom push-up blueprint based on your current push-up total:
The following program will systematically take you from level I to level IV six weeks at a time (not including a week of rest between levels). It is important to note that you must be following the appropriate fat loss training (total body strength circuits and cardio interval training) and nutrition plan to lose unwanted body fat that is weighing you down and literally halting your push-up totals.
Also, be sure to change up the selected push-up variation at each and every strength workout to best prevent training plateaus. Here’s an example of how to switch things up for one week of training:
Day 1 - Close-Grip Push-up Variation (to emphasize the triceps and front shoulders to improve push-up lockout)
Day 2 - Loaded or Band-Resisted Push-up Variation (to improve strength and thus make it easier to perform body weight only push-ups)
Day 3 - Stability Ball Push-up Variation- Hands Ball (to build trunk and scapular strength stability to prevent injury and maximize force output)
Remember, the better you get at every push-up variation the better you will get at "regular" push-ups. Once you achieve a current push-up total of 30 reps or more, you will notice the focus now will be on getting stronger by mastering the next level of strength: elusive 1-arm push-up. Keep in mind, improving maximum strength automatically improves your muscular endurance, though it doesn’t work the same the other way around.
IMPORTANT: Please note that you should only follow this program if you have healthy shoulders.
In addition, since you will be performing extra pushing movements, it is critical to add in some scapular retraction and depression work to prevent unwanted strength imbalances. Please note the addition of a certain amount of reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats following each set of push-ups for your “Extra Push-up Work” to achieve this end. The Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squat was selected because it simultaneously works your upper back and opens up your chest while working your lower body to boost metabolism. Plus, it’s an exercise you can do anywhere. Lastly, the “Extra Push-up Work” is best performed throughout the day to be fresh and allow for full recovery.
Current Push-up You Can Perform Now: 0-1
Push-up Workout Protocol - Level 1:
Main Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts
Extra Push-up Support Work: Follow each set of push-ups with 10 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats
Week 1 - 5 sets of 2 reps of 5-second negatives
Week 2 - 5 sets of 3 reps of 6-second negatives
Week 3 - 5 sets of 4 reps of 7-second negatives
Week 4 - 5 sets of 5 reps of 8-second negatives
Week 5 - 5 sets of 5 reps of 9-second negatives
Week 6 - 5 sets of 5 reps of 10-second negatives
Current Push-up You Can Perform Now: 2-5
Push-up Workout Protocol - Level II:
Main Strength Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts
Extra Push-up Work: Follow each set of push-ups with 20 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats
Week 1 - 5 sets of 1 rep
Week 2 - 5 sets of 2 reps
Week 3 - 5 sets of 3 reps
Week 4 - 5 sets of 4 reps
Week 5 - 5 sets of 5 reps
Week 6 - 5 sets of 6 reps
Current Push-up You Can Perform Now: 6-12
Push-up Workout Protocol - Level III:
Main Strength Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts
Extra Push-up Work: Follow each set of push-ups with 40 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats
Week 1 - 5 sets of 5 reps
Week 2 - 5 sets of 6 reps
Week 3 - 5 sets of 7 reps
Week 4 - 5 sets of 8 reps
Week 5 - 5 sets of 9 reps
Week 6 - 5 sets of 10 reps
Current Push-up You Can Perform Now: 13-20
Push-up Workout Protocol - Level IV
Main Strength Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts
Extra Push-up Work: Follow each set of push-ups with 50 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats
Week 1 - 5 sets of 10 reps
Week 2 - 5 sets of 12 reps
Week 3 - 5 sets of 14 reps
Week 4 - 5 sets of 16 reps
Week 5 - 5 sets of 18 reps
Week 6 - 5 sets of 20 reps
Current Push-up You Can Perform Now: 21-30
Push-up Workout Protocol - Level V:
Main Strength Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts
Extra Push-up Work: Follow each set of push-ups with 60 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats
Week 1 - 5 sets of 20 reps
Week 2 - 5 sets of 22 reps
Week 3 - 5 sets of 24 reps
Week 4 - 5 sets of 26 reps
Week 5 - 5 sets of 28 reps
Week 6 - 5 sets of 30 reps
Current Push-up You Can Perform Now: 31+
Push-up Workout Protocol - Level V:
Main Strength Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts
Extra Push-up Work: Perform 5 sets per day of a 1-arm push-ups variation with the following weekly progressions Monday through Friday (weekends off). Progress from stage 1 to stage 3 in choosing the appropriate 1-arm push-up variation:
Week 1 - 5 sets of 1 rep
Week 2 - 5 sets of 2 reps
Week 3 - 5 sets of 3 reps
Week 4 - 5 sets of 4 reps
Week 5 - 5 sets of 5 reps
Week 6 - 5 sets of 6 reps
Advanced Stage 1 - Modified 1-Arm Push-ups on Knees/Inclined
Advanced Stage 2 - Regular 1-Arm Push-ups 5-secondNegatives
Advanced Stage 3 - Regular 1-Arm Push-ups
Extra Push-up Work II: Follow each set of push-ups with 60 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats
Step#3- Re-Test Your Current Push-up Total
At the end of each 6-week training block, take 5 full days of rest before re-testing your new push-up total exactly as previously outlined in step one. Record your new push-up total and then take the rest of the week off for recovery before moving on to the next level of push-up boot camp.
Well, you now know everything you need to know to safely and effectively perform more push-ups than most ever will. Remember, the leaner you are the better you will be at push-ups and the more push-ups you can do, the better you will look and feel.
Seek and destroy body fat,
-Curtis
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