Hello I am Anthoney and I am one of the personal trainers at Arena Fitness and Boxing.
Push ups have been an integrate part of fitness for a long time. For myself it was something I was unable to do till I was 15 years old. Once I learned how to get strong with easier variations I did my first one and more.
But don’t you worry I have set up a plan for you below that will get you to your first one this year.
What is a push up?
Push ups are a bodyweight exercise that trains the muscles of the chest, triceps, shoulders and core.
The Technique:
- Lie face down on all fours while placing your toes hip width apart and your hands slightly wider than shoulder width.
- Brace your core and keep your upper and lower body in a straight line. Avoid sagging your hips down or rounding/arching your lower back.
- Take a deep breath in and bend your elbows at 45 degrees while lowering yourself to the floor. Ensure your chest touches the ground or is 1-2 inches from the ground.
- Exhale and push yourself up while still keeping your body in a straight line from head to toe.
Now let’s look at some exercises to help you progress to a full push up.
For anyone new to exercise I suggest starting on exercises 1 and 2 for 3-6 weeks each. If not pick any variation from exercise 3 onwards. Aim to spend as long as it’s needed before you progress to the next variation.
1. The Machine chest press.
This exercise is simple to set up, learn and strengthen for the pushup.
1. Adjust the seat till handles are at elbow or chest height.
2. Place elbows at slightly wider than shoulder and push the bar forward.
3. Exhale and bend elbows at 45 degrees as you bring the handles to your chest.
Warm up: 2-3 light sets building up to your 8-10 rep training weight.
2 sets and progress to 3 sets 8-10 reps,
1 sec up and 2 secs down.
Rest 1-3 mins between sets.
Increase weight every 1-2 weeks.
Train 3x per week with this variation for 3-6 weeks minimum.
2. Dumbbell Chest Presses
The Dumbbell chest press will be great for building stability and strength.
Also, it is easy to set up.
If it’s hard to balance perform the exercise slowly.
1. Sit on the bench and kick the dumbbells up using your knees or get someone to place the dumbbells in your hands.
2. With hands slightly wider than shoulder width press the dumbbells up to eye level.
3. Bend your elbows to 45 degrees and Lower the dumbbells to your lower chest.
4. Ensure to keep your hands steady and move in a straight line.
Warm-up: 2-3 light sets building up to your 8-10 rep training weight.
23sets and progress to 4 sets 8-10 reps,
1 sec up and 2 secs down.
Rest 1-3 mins between sets.
Increase weight every 1-2 weeks.
Train 3x per week with this variation for 3-6 weeks minimum. Spend 3-6 weeks on this variation.
3. Hands Elevated push ups
Now that you have built your strength, let’s focus on some modified push up variations if you elevate your hands you will make the push up easier. The higher your hands are from the easier it is. You can choose anywhere chest height, hip height, knee height or anything higher or lower.
NOTE: You may have to spend weeks progressing to a lower heights till you get strong for the push ups.
Examples of places to elevate your hands on high box, smith machine, bench or anything with a suitable elevation.
Technique wise its equal to the push up technique above. Just place your hands on an elevated surface, ensure your elbows are still 45 degrees when lowering, and keep your body in a straight line from head to toe.
Warm up: 2-3 light sets 8-10 with an easy variation or half your training reps.
4 sets of 5-16 reps of each, 2 secs down and 1 sec up.
Progress to a lower height after you can perform 10-16 reps.
3-6 weeks and progress by increasing reps and later moving to a lower height.
NOTE: If it is hard to perform the next variation down, then train “the lowering” part of the push up using a 5-8 secs lower. Simply stand up for the upward motion.
Progress to 4x 8 sec lower and slowly add the full part of the movement.
Summary
You now have a nice group of exercises to progress to your first push up.
- The Machine Chest press.
- The Db Chest Presses
- Hands Elevated push ups (chest, hip, or knee height or lower)
Spend 3-6 weeks or more on each exercise or if your body is strong enough, spend 3-6 weeks or more on the push up variations above.
You can do it, just have fun growing with time and consistency.