It’s All About Progression: Push Ups
Beginners make a lot of mistakes when they first start lifting and it isn’t their fault. They see a workout in FLEX or SHAPE magazine and just go at it. Then their form is poor, they are complaining of soreness, and they don’t see results. Why? Because they don’t use progressions. Why start with reverse lunges or body-weight squats when you could be doing back squats with German volume training that promises 100 lb increase in your 1RM in 3 months? Same think with push ups to benching. I don’t let any of my untrained athletes and clients bench until they have shown proficiency in the push up. I mean they should be able to do 15 body weight push ups before I put them under the bar. Dumbbells are another case, but hopefully you are picking up what I am dropping you.
The Push Up
The horizontal press is another one of those movements that people tend to progress to rapidly. Should you really be joining in with your buddies on Bench Monday if you can’t do 12 bodyweight push ups? Probably not. What about doing dips, dumbbell press variations, or dumbbell flys? Oh yeah, and that brings me to my next point, stay the hell away from machines unless you want to get into bodybuilding (and can eat and train for it) or have a specific reason for doing so (training for EXTREME hugging does not count, although I am all for it).
Now let’s talk about the push up a little more before we continue. Personally I think it is in the argument when you talk about the top three exercises you can do for optimal strength, performance, and overall health promotion. Just for discussion (in the comments) I believe the other two are the single legged squat (or lunge) and the pull up and its variations.
How to do a perfect push up
Keep these things in mind when performing the push up:
- Keep a straight line from the back of your head to your heels.
- Keep glutes tight (will help you keep that straight line
- Chin tucked
- Don’t lead with your head
- Hands shoulder width apart (or more) and under your shoulders (don’t have your hands past your face when you are on the ground.
- 45-70 degree angle at the armpit
- Bring chest all the way to the ground for proper scapular retraction
Phase 1:
- Elevated Push Up (hand elevated)
- If someone can not do push ups from the ground the best place to start is with their hands on a box or an elevated barbell in a rack. This way you can progress them by moving the bar in the rack closer to the ground or a shorter box.
Phase 2:
- Bodyweight Push Up
- You should be able to complete a minimum of 12 push ups correctly before moving on
Phase 3 (Where the Fun Begins):
- 1-Legged Push Ups (Great for core and shoulder stability, I am a big fan of this as the first progression after bodyweight push ups)
- T-Pusp Ups
- These are great for also addressing thoracic mobility as well.
- Feet Elevated Push Ups (12 inch box)
- Clap Push Up
Phase 4:
- Spiderman Push Up
- TRX Push Up
- TRX Atomic Push Up
- Slideboard Push Ups
- Valslide Push Ups
- Renegade Row
Spicing it Up
Now what if you have become a master of all of the push up variations and now you need more of a challenge that is where these come in play.
- Chains
- Band Resisted Push Ups
Now what are your favorite push up movements? I could go the rest of my lift just doing push ups… But I won’t… Because I love benching…
Kevin, try these pushups. The iranian military has been doing them for centuries. They are similar to the spiderman pushups except you actually turn your chest out to the sides as opposed to keeping it facing the ground like normal pushups. Works all parts of the arm, and has a surprising cardio effect when you do it fast like it is supposed to be done.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z92Za3K4SvY
WHoa, Those Iranian Pushups look wicked. I like the Brazilian Pushup as a part of my Body Weight circuit.
But Kev, nice article. I like pushups and do what we called ‘pups’ in the police academy, “101 pushups for me because I asked nicely” – my RTO. This is just a daily routine. I try to get them down to one set, but not quite there. One thing we did to keep good form is to use a broom stick and slide it in the belt down the center of our back. Head and but gotta touch the stick and then the rep counts. It worked for me, so maybe it helps.
P.S. I taught the RTOs some of these pushups I learned from an earlier fitcast, most notably the T and spider man. MY classmates almost jumped me in the parking lot. Good times, bro.
I like this article and the core progression article, too. Especially since I am a relative beginner and need info more on the basic, regression side. I especially liked the ego-deflating but necessary recommendation that there is no point in benching until I have mastered pushups. Can I recommed a pull-up progression article next?
Jason the metalheaddoc
Hey Kevin,
I’ve taken to heart all your (and the FitCast’s) advice on programing push-ups into my routine. I’ve been doing weighted push-ups for a while and my shoulders have never felt better. I’m wondering what your thoughts are about one-arm push-ups. They’re big in the kettlebell community due to Pavel and his “Naked Warrior” book. I’m not sure if I’ve heard you guys talk about them.
My question is if they are just as good for shoulder health or if they put them at risk because of the stress in the stretched position. If you recommend them, where would you put them in your push-up progression?
Thanks,
Eddy
Great post! I’d like to see a progression article on pullups too sometime.