Jeremy Glasgow is a local Warrenville personal trainer and fitness boot camp instructor. Today he shares his secrets to safely effectively perform more push-ups.
Jeremy claims “I think it is safe to say that the majority of people really hate push-ups. More specifically, the push-up tends to be the undying nemesis for people who carry extra body weight and for most females who feel they do not have the upper strength to ever be able to do anything but “wuss-ups,”
Below are his top 3 tips to master the push-up to build a better body:
Tip#1- Increase Pillar Stability
Your pillar collectively consists of your shoulder, hip, and core muscles. A weak pillar will mean that your hips will sag while performing push-ups- this can put undue stress on your lower back and decrease your ability to produce force. Focus on performing long duration pillar, plank, or push-up holds for 30 to 60 seconds a time to master the flat as a diving board position that is a pre-requisite for being good at push-ups.
Tip#2- Get Stronger
One of the easiest ways to get better at performing push-ups is to perform loaded push-ups. Typically, you are only using about two thirds of your body weight while doing regular floor push-ups. By wearing a backpack or weight vest you can increase your push-up weight and thus improve your push-up strength. You can also perform decline push-ups be elevating your feet for an intensified body weight alternative that increases your relative loading. Both methods will make it easier to perform regular floor push-ups with your body weight.
Tip#3- Perform Other Types of Push-up Variations
One of the biggest mistakes people make is they perform the same old regular floor push-up with hands shoulder width apart day in and day out. Your body will quickly accommodate to the same exact exercise and you’ll get stuck in a push-up rut in no time. There are literally hundreds of push-up variations, from changing your hand position (e.g. close, wide, staggered, etc.) to changing your leverage point (incline or decline) to using unstable surfaces like a stability ball to combining a push-up with other great strength exercises like squats or mountain climbers. The better you get at every type of push-up, the better you will get at regular floor push-ups and the more fun you will have with your workouts!
Jeremy (BA Exercise Science and ACE CPT), is a local Warrenville fitness boot camp instructor and personal trainer. To book him to speak at your local Warrenville, Wheaton or Naperville company, club, or organization, please contact him by email at jeremy@undergroundcorefitness.com or by phone at 630.885.3309. For a free one-week trial to his Warrenville boot camp to experience the best personal training in Warrenville please visit http://www.undergroundcorefitness.com.
