Alachua Personal Trainer Explains How to Do More Push-ups

April 5, 2011 - PRLog -- Nathan Trenteseaux is a local Alachua personal trainer, fitness coach and fitness business owner. Today, he shares his secrets to safely and effectively perform more push-ups.

Trenteseaux claims, "I think it's 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 many women who feel they do not have the upper body strength to ever be able to do anything but 'wuss-ups,' or modified push-ups on the knees."

Below are his top 3 tips to master the push-up to build a better body:

Tip#1- Increase Core Stability

Your core collectively consists of your shoulder, hip, glutes, lats and abdominal muscles. A weak core means 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 planks, or push-up holds for 30 to 60 seconds or for 10 sets of 10-second holds with short 3-5 second rest breaks each time to master the "flat as a diving board" position that is a prerequisite 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 incline push-ups by elevating your feet for an intensified body-weight alternative that increases your relative loading. Both methods will eventually 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 adapt 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 or combining a push-up with other great strength exercises like squat thrusts (burpees) 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'll have with your workouts!

Nathan Trenteseaux, B.S., YFS1, USC1, YNS, TRX-STC is the owner and fitness coach for a local Alachua group personal training fitness facility that features high-intensity bootcamp-style workouts. Underground Fitness Revolution specializes in 30-minute EXPRESS metabolic workouts for busy men and women. To book Nathan to speak at your local Alachua company, club, or organization, please contact him by phone at 352.682.3310 or by email at nate@UndergroundFitnessRevolution.com. For more information, please visit www.UndergroundFitnessRevolution.com.

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Underground Fitness Revolution specializes in 30-minute EXPRESS metabolic workouts for busy men and women designed to get you in the best shape of your life regardless of your current fitness level.