Mastering the Press Up

Top Tip Thursday: Why is the press-up so important to master?

There are many benefits of the press-up. It is one of the best exercises you can do, you can do it anywhere and all you need is a small area. The press ups will promote health, tone up your muscles, build functional strength and protect your body from injury.

There are 6 main health benefits of press-ups;

1. A compound exercise: Press-ups work multiple muscles all at the same time. Not only are you training your chest but your biceps, triceps, lower back, abs, anterior deltoids and your quadriceps are being engaged.

1. Boosts cardiovascular health: Doing press-ups get the blood pumping around your body. This helps the heart stay healthy.

1. Production of Human Growth Hormone: As we get older we start to produce less human growth hormone, a side affect of this is muscle decay and age related deterioration. Press-ups helps promote human growth hormone in the body which will reduce these side effects

1. Protect from injury: Rotator cuff is a common injury. Press-ups strengthen and stabilizes the muscles supporting the shoulder. When muscles are stronger and are more stable there is less risk of injury.

1. Improves posture: Press-ups require you to keep a flat back this encourages muscle will result in an improvement of your posture. This will reduce back pain and protect against back strains.

1. Stretching the muscles: The movement in a press-up will result in you stretching your biceps, back, shoulders and chest muscles. Making you more flexible.

Press-Up Progression: There are four variations of press-ups varying in difficult. The idea Is to think of them as stepping stones. As each one is mastered, move onto the next and you will eventually become a push-up pro:

Variation 1: The Wall Press-Up

The beginner’s press-up. For this exercise you should start by having your hands in line with your shoulders, you are at a slight incline to the wall and keep your body in a straight line throughout the whole exercise. This is also great exercise for the mature athlete as there is no hassle of getting up and down of the ground and there is no stress on muscles.

Variation 2: The Incline Press-Up

This press-up is a little harder. You can make this exercise harder or easier by finding different heights. During the whole press-up you are keeping your back flat and core squeezed.

Variation 3: The Kneeling Press-Up

A common mistake while doing this is people tend to keep the hips up in the air and only dropping their shoulders to the ground. The correct technique for this exercise is to push the hips forward so that from your head to yours knees is a straight line, then as you press down your body should drop in a straight line. A tip is to engage (squeeze) your core to encourage your body to stay straight and strong.

Variations 4: The Full Press Up

The goal! To do this exercise correctly you need to squeeze your core tight, Hands shoulder width apart and as before you should have a flat back. It is important to remember that If you are unable to perform this variation with the required form you must spend more time on variations 2 and 3 to build sufficient strength and become more comfortable with the technique.

Now you have the tools you need to become a push-up pro, but remember training at every level takes hard work, determination, time and a lot of practice. Do not feel disheartened about performing variation 1,2 and 3. The type of press-up you perform is not important. The important thing is that you are pushing yourself as hard as you can and progressing. Baby Steps!