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Push-Up Exercises
PRIOR TO STARTING ANY PUSH UP EXERCISES, IT IS RECOMMENDED YOU CONSULT A PHYSICIAN
1. BASIC NARROW PUSH UP
a. Place your hands flat on the floor (shoulder-width apart), keeping your arms straight, elbows unlocked. Straighten your legs behind you, drawing your feet together. Rise up on your toes so the balls of your feet are touching the floor. Your body should form one straight line from your feet to your head; your eyes should stay focused straight ahead (chin up). Without moving your head, slowly lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the ground. Avoid winging your elbows out to the sides (this can aggravate the shoulders). Pause, then slowly push yourself back up and repeat for as many repetitions as prescribed.
i. If you're looking to apply a little extra effort at the end of your set, try the following variation. After performing one set to failure, bend your legs until your knees touch the floor and continue to do as many extra push-ups as possible. A traditional push-up is the equivalent of pressing 60 percent of your body weight, but going to your knees changes the pivot, dropping that percentage to around 35.
2. BASIC WIDE PUSH UP
a. Place your hands flat on the floor (three–four inches wider than shoulders), keeping your arms straight, elbows unlocked. Straighten your legs behind you, drawing your feet together. Rise up on your toes so the balls of your feet are touching the floor. Your body should form one straight line from your feet to your head; your eyes should stay focused on the ground below. Without moving your head, slowly lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the ground. Pause, then slowly push yourself back up and repeat for as many repetitions as prescribed.
i. If you're looking to apply a little extra effort at the end of your set, try the following variation. After performing one set to failure, bend your legs until your knees touch the floor and continue to do as many extra push-ups as possible. A traditional push-up is the equivalent of pressing 60 percent of your body weight, but going to your knees changes the pivot, dropping that percentage to around 35.
3. TRICEPS PAUSE PUSH-UP
a. Place your hands flat on the floor (shoulder-width apart) with your arms straight, elbows unlocked. Straighten your legs behind you, feet together, and position yourself so that the balls of your feet are touching the floor. Next, slide your hands in so that they lie about 1 foot apart, angling your fingertips slightly toward each other. Slowly begin to lower yourself toward the floor, pausing momentarily one-third of the way down. Lower yourself down another third of the way, then pause once more. Bring yourself down till your chest touches the floor. Slowly push yourself back up until your arms are straight, elbows unlocked, and repeat for as many repetitions as prescribed.
4. CHAIR PUSH-UP
a. Place two sturdy chairs of equal height about shoulder-width apart from one another and kneel in front of them. Place one hand flat on each seat, then extend your legs behind you. Keeping your shoulders directly above your hands, slowly lower yourself down as far as you can. Press yourself back up and repeat for as many repetitions as prescribed.
i. You should perform this push up in the wide position
5. DECLINE PUSH-UP
a. Stand with your back to a sturdy chair (most seats will be approximately 16 inches off the ground, an ideal height for this push-up). Assume the starting position, making sure your hands are spaced shoulder width with fingertips facing forward. Keeping your body straight, lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Pause briefly, then, while holding the contraction in your chest and arms, press back up. Repeat for as many repetitions as prescribed.
i. You should perform this push up in the wide position
ii. You may substitute the chair with an Stability (Exercise) Ball
6. INCLINE PUSH-UP
a. Kneel on the floor, facing a sturdy chair. Place your hands flat on the arm of the chair (shoulder-width apart) and extend your legs behind you. Next, lower your upper body to the chair arm by bending your elbows, keeping your knees locked and your body rigid throughout the movement. Press back to the starting position and repeat for as many repetitions as prescribed.
i. You should perform this push up in the wide position
7. PLYOMETRIC PUSH-UP
a. Kneel on the floor and place your hands slightly wider than shoulder width. Place your legs straight behind you so your weight is resting on your hands and toes, with your head up and your back straight. Slowly lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the floor, and then explosively press yourself back upward past the starting position, clapping your hands quickly and returning them to the starting position before lowering yourself again and repeating the movement. Do as many repetitions as prescribed, and then continue doing basic push-ups until failure.
8. MEDICINE BALL PUSH-UP
a. Get on your knees and place your hands along the sides of a medicine ball, spreading your fingers wide to help grip the surface. (If you don't have access to a medicine ball, use a soccer ball, basketball or any other round object.) The space between your index fingers and your thumbs should form the shape of a diamond. Balance your weight on the ball, then carefully extend your legs behind you to assume the traditional push-up posture. Lower yourself down until your chest touches your hands, then slowly press yourself back up and repeat for as many repetitions as prescribed.
9. MEDICINE BALL ONE ARM PUSH UP
a. Using a medicine ball, (If you don't have access to a medicine ball, use a soccer ball, basketball or any other round object.) get into a regular pushup position. Leave one hand securely on the ground and bring the other hand and position it on top of the medicine ball. Slowly perform a regular pushup and focus tension on the pectoral muscle which you’re pushing off the medicine ball with and repeat for as many repetitions as prescribed.
10. KNEEL TO PUSH UP (MEDICINE BALL)
a. Your body will be in an upright position sitting on your knees. Hold medicine ball at chest level. Keeping your torso erect, fall forward and chest press the medicine ball to a partner or a wall. Upon releasing the ball drop your hands to the floor and immediately complete a push-up and repeat for as many repetitions as prescribed.
i. Advanced athletes: To make this more challenging have a partner throw the ball back to you. You will have to explode up with the push-up so that you are back in the seated upright position on your knees. Your partner will throw the ball back to you and then repeat the exercise until the desired repetitions are met.
11. MEDICINE BALL OBLIQUES
a. Lie on your back and raise your legs with your knees bent. Holding a medicine ball between your knees, rotate your legs to the side and then return to the starting position. Repeat to the other side.
12. ELEVATED ONE-ARM PUSH-UP
a. From a kneeling position, place your right hand flat on a phone book or any object that elevates one hand about six inches, laying your left hand on the floor as you normally would. Next, get into the standard push-up position. Lower yourself down until your upper arms are parallel to the floor, then push yourself back up. Repeat for as many repetitions as possible. Rest one minute, then switch hands and perform the exercise again.
13. SLIDING PUSH-UP
a. Throw on a pair of socks and find yourself a slippery floor surface--wood or linoleum will do. Get yourself in a classic push-up position, hands flat on the floor (shoulder-width apart) and your legs behind you. Do one push-up. Then, keeping your hands firmly pressed into the floor, slowly slide your body back, letting your feet slide backward, until your nose is pointing straight down at the space between your hands. You should feel your stomach muscles contract as you slide. Next, slowly shift your body forward (your feet should be sliding up as well) until your belly is almost over your hands. Slide back until your shoulders are once again directly above your hands and repeat for as many repetitions as prescribed.
14. DIAMOND PUSH UP
a. Place your hands close together; with the index fingers and thumbs of one hand touching the other hand and making a diamond shape. You then do push ups with your hands touching the center of your chest and elbows close to your sides. Repeat for as many repetitions as prescribed.
15. STABILITY (EXERCISE) BALL PUSH UP
a. Lay with your chest on the stability ball. Place your hands at the sides of your chest. Place your toes on the floor, legs straight. Push your body up until your arms are almost straight (do not lock your elbows). Hold and balance for two seconds. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat for as many repetitions as prescribed.
16. HINDU PUSH UP
a. Get into position with your feet spread slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Bend
