Push-Ups.
I get it. On a scale from 1 to NASCAR they’re not very exciting. Not fun to do, and not fun to write about. Do I really want to sit here and write about push-ups? I could think of a long list of things I’d rather write about: standing in line at the post office, rugs, buying socks, or going to another kid’s clarinet recital. But given that we’re all training at home with limited gear and the flood of push-up tutorials on social media, I figured I’d share my quick two cents.
There are plenty of benefits. Push-ups are user-friendly, require no equipment beyond your body, and you can easily adjust them to fit different levels. They’re practical for daily life and athletic work. After more than 18 years of coaching, I’ve yet to meet a client who improved enough at push-ups to not see a boost in other lifts like squats or deadlifts.
A well-done push-up helps with lumbo-pelvic control, which improves how you transfer force through your body and, in turn, boosts everything you do. It’s pretty powerful when done right.
Here’s the gist:
Do this — keep a solid torso: hips tucked, spine in a straight line, like a steady plank that moves as a unit.
Don’t do this — let the lower back sag or tilt the pelvis forward.
But that isn’t the main thing I want to highlight.
Here’s the point I want you to notice: don’t neglect shoulder health. When someone comes to work with me who has a shoulder that hates them, I’ll often see this: the shoulder blades are stuck together and don’t move well around the ribs. The blades should move. When they don’t, it can cause tight muscles and increase injury risk. A lot of the time, this is the heart of the problem.
What I like to see instead is a little protraction at the top of the push-up — pushing the chest away slightly. That helps activate the serratus anterior and nudges the shoulder blades into upward rotation and proper abduction. The result is a cleaner push-up and shoulders that feel much better.
The Ultimate Push-Up Program
My friend Meghan Callaway released her latest resource this week, and it centers on the push-up. It’s a fantastic program that fits well with our quarantine routines. It’s currently on sale, and you can pair it with her Ultimate Pull-Up Program as well. Check it out here.
