how to do a good push-up

​Hi!  My name is Laura and I am a holistically minded personal trainer and confidence coach.  I am a big believer that lifting weights helps to build confidence and is the basis of my motto:

"lift some weights, lift your spirit, lift your life."

If you are new to lifting, it can take a bit of research and guidance to get yourself ready to go off to the gym on your own!  Hopefully this guide to pushups helps get you there!  If you need any more advice, click the buttons below to learn more.

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pushups are a "functional movement"

All the exercises I explain in my exercise library are what trainers like to call "functional movements".  This means that they require a whole muscle GROUP to be activated, rather than just isolating one muscle.  These exercises tend to get your heart rate up more, and they help to burn more fat and build more muscle!

I use these functional movements as the primary exercises in my workout plans.  If you want a workout plan that is quick, effective and works well at building your curves and confidence, then make sure to check my workout plans out!  There's routines for every schedule, and you will never get bored from doing the same thing each week!

If you want the workouts PLUS in depth coaching for other areas of your life like confidence, healthy habit creation, goal setting and mindset, make sure to check our my confidence coaching that includes the workout plans along with everything else!  

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yeah, pushups are hard.

Yup, they're hard.  Not denying that at all.  BUT, pushups are a critical part of building strength when done correctly.  Watch this video first, then read on for a detailed explanation.  

So...  what's going on here?  First, any pushup should start out in a proper plank.  (read more about setting up a proper plank HERE).  Think about it, a pushup is really just a moving plank.  The goal is to keep your body nice and tight throughout the whole movement, with only your arms and shoulders moving. 

To do this, start with your hands directly under your shoulders.  If you are performing your pushup from your knees, that same rule still applies.  Think about it this way, the more centered your hands are under your shoulders, the better they will be able to push your body away from them.  If you are performing your pushup from a bench or the wall, again keep your hands as directly under your shoulders as possible.

See how my elbows stay close to my sides?  Ideally, your arms should be at a 30 degree angle to your body.  This means that your elbows are NOT splayed out to the sides and that your fingertips are NOT pointing towards each other.  Your hands can turn in slightly, but just enough to mimic the 30 degree angle that your arms make.  At first, this might seem like your arms are way too close to you, but I promise this will save your shoulders in the long run!  Learn how to do them well NOW, before you engrain bad habits.  

The other thing to remember is that your hips should not fall down and they should not fly high.  Keep them in the same position you started your plank in.  If you notice your hips shifting up or down, it's time to stop, you're done with your reps.  At this point you can either take a break and try another set, or you can try an easier variation of a pushup.

my biggest piece of advice:

Again, pushups are not easy!  Do not get frustrated with yourself if pushups are hard.  Do not try to push yourself and do poorly executed pushups from your toes either.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing pushups from your knees, a bench, a chair, or even the wall.  Start slow and only progress to the floor when you are ready.  Even ONE perfectly executed pushup from your toes and the floor is better than 10 that are just messy.

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