This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

How to: Perfect Your Pushup

How to: Perfect Your Pushup with Coach Joy

Hey there, it's Coach Joy. I just wanted to share with you a couple tips on how to perfect your pushups. A lot of times I see beginners doing pushups, and they just have horrendous form, and it's only because they haven't developed their core yet. So don’t try to do pushups on your toes until you’ve mastered it on your knees. 

Also, check your form. You want to make sure that that belly is in and braced. Think about wrapping something around your back all the way to the front. Let me show you what it looks like here in my video on How to Perfect your pushups!

When you first start a pushup, you want yours hands outside your shoulders, your neck is in neutral, the top crown of your head is pointing straight forward. Okay? So don’t look up and don’t look under you (everything’s fine under there I assure you J). Pick a point about three inches in front of you to set you gaze on. Elbows go out to 90 degrees and lower till your chest is in alignment with your elbows.

Find out what's happening in Castro Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Now I'm on my knees with knees slightly behind hips, core engaged. Remember no valleys (belly dropping to the floor, and back concaving) and no pitching a tent (butt is higher than hips like a tent).   No pitching tents. We don’t pitch tents. No pitching tents when you do pushups, and no valleys. We're not on a hiking trip.

Okay, so 1 more tip -- no bobbing for apples. Yes, it's fall, but we're not bobbing for apples. This is bobbing for apples when you dip your head but nothing else is moving. Okay? That doesn’t work your core … that doesn’t work your chest, so get your knees back so your knees are slightly behind your hips.

Find out what's happening in Castro Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Toes are on the floor to start with, elbow out, neck in neutral. Push away.

That’s your beginning pushup. When you get advanced you can come up to your toes, pushing your heels back.  Everything stays the same when you're on your toes. Nothing changes with your form. Up on your toes, down and away. Down <breathe here> and away.

One of my favorite tools to use is the Perfect Pushup. Why? Because it keeps your hands in great alignment and allows for better range of motion because you can swivel these puppies. Tony Horton (the P90x guy) uses them.  Your wrists and nice and neutral, nice and strong. Give that a try.

And for more pushup tips and other workouts check out these videos

Part 2: How to Perfect the pushup – the hardest part!

How to: Medicine ball pushups

How to: Tricep pushups on a medicine ball

 Let me know how it goes by leaving a comment below – You can do this!

 

 

Your friend and Coach,

Joy Poulsen

Inspire Fitness bootcamps

Get Fit with Joy

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?