Push Ups | My Site

Push-ups

What is a push-up?

1st Modification

1st Modification

First Modification

Standing Push Up

Beginner level

3 Sets of 25 Repetitions

Novice Level

3 Sets of 35 Repetitions

Advanced Level

3 Sets of 50 Repetitions

Find any safely braced and preferably flat vertical surface.
Place your hands against it somewhere near shoulder width apart – wherever feels most comfortable for you. But not too close and not too far apart.
Take a good breath in as you allow your elbows to bend, bringing your body close to the wall – be careful not to hit your face – and exhale as you press yourself away.
Take care not to lock your elbows and as a general rule, if you can’t find rhythm or are wondering how long you should be taking to contract or extend, just let your breath guide you! Staying in control is more important than pumping out repetitions.
Stabilizers are the small muscles that never get any hype yet do so much of the work. Even if you’re advanced and can do many push ups, starting here can help take care of any possible weaknesses that may have formed due to compensation from old injuries or maybe some other underlying wonders waiting to be corrected.

Second Modification

Incline Push Ups

Beginner level

2 Sets of 25 Repetitions

Novice Level

2 Sets of 35 Repetitions

Advanced Level

3 Sets of 40 Repetitions

After choosing a safe risen surface, place your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
Take a good breath in as you lower yourself with a controlled movement, making sure to keep yourself in good alignment – think pencil. “I am a pencil” affirmation optional.
Much more of your chest will be involved in the second modification but again, many stabilizing muscles are at play. Make sure you’re able to finish your Advanced Level sets before you move on.

Third Modification

Knee Push Up

Beginner Level

3 Sets of 10 Repetitions

Novice Level

3 Sets of 20 Repetitions

Advanced Level

3 Sets of 30 Repetitions

Make sure that you’re on solid ground and let’s start by getting onto all fours.
Our hands should be slightly wider than shoulder width apart – where it feels comfortable for you – but not too far apart or close together.
Your knees can be anywhere comfortable as long as your body is aligned – no wonder than hips width apart. Feet can be lifted or stay on the ground throughout the sets.
Let’s take a great breath in as we lower our selves by bending the elbows while making sure we keep ourselves nice and aligned as we sniff some turf.
We’ll lion’s roar exhale during our controlled press just to let the rest of the kingdom know that we’re back on all fours.
No need to raise the head or tuck the chin. Let’s keep it pencil and remember to let our breaths guide us.

Fourth Modification

Push Up

Beginner Level

3 Sets of 5 Repetitions

Novice Level

3 Sets of 10 Repetitions

Advanced Level

3 Sets of 20 Repetitions

Congratulations! Now that we’ve brushed up our stability, let’s get up off our knees and get up on those toes. You’ll find that having the feet fairly close together, if not completely together, will be quite comfortable.
Hands are still slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
Let’s find a clean inhale while we lower our bodies evenly. Get those butts down! And try to remember keeping our neck level as well. “I’m a pencil” affirmations welcomed.
A Strong exhale as we control ourselves during our lift is essential. A nice new breath for our demand of the next rep can make all the difference. So, let’s empty the tank.
Keep everything nice and controlled. Form over failure. It doesn’t matter how many kinda, sorta push ups we can do. If progression is your goal then let’s remember who we are! PENCILS!

Fifth Modification

Alternating Side to Side Push Ups

Beginner Level

2 Sets of 5 Repetitions

Novice Level

2 Sets of 9 Repetitions

Advanced Level

2 Sets of 12 Repetitions

Begin in the same position as we did in a regular full push up.
When we lower ourselves, we’ll shift our weight to one side and take a nice big inhale.
As we return to our starting position, let’s stay controlled with a solid exhale and keep in mind that our next rep will be to the opposite side.
When we return to the ground, let’s bring it over to the other side and count that as one repetition per side.
Remember to keep ourselves nice and aligned. Even though we’re shifting to a side, it’s crucial to take care of ourselves so being controlled is more important than ever. You’re doing great!

Sixth Modification

One Arm Push Up

Beginner Level

2 Sets of 3 Repetitions

Novice Level

2 Sets of 5 Repetitions

Advanced Level

1 set of 10 Repetitions

If you’re here, welcome to the big stage of bragging rights that has been reserved for our top athletes since the beginning of human history. If you’re here? Congratulations!
Your feet should be slightly wider than shoulder width apart to keep your balance.
Do your best to keep your shoulders level. You’ll want to tilt that non-working shoulder way up which is fine but as you master this, you’ll want to level them out.
If you can stay level throughout the entire motion of the push up then you are in a small circle of rare talent. Even some of our best have a slight shift as they reach the third rock from the sun.
Our breath stays consistent as we inhale while we lower and exhale while we press.
A mirror would be an amazing asset to help you firm up your form. Have fun and always push up responsibly!