People often forget to take note of their form when performing the time tested, classic push up. We all know the basics – its a simple move and one of the most difficult! With a adjustments, you can really make every precious push up worth the pain. Perfect your technique and see (as well as feel) the difference!
Engage your lats
Focusing on squeezing your muscles running either side of your torso will aid in upper body stabilization. Push your palms into the floor and imagine tightly squeezing your armpits as if holding something there. Feel how centered and steady your upper body becomes.
Drop your shoulders
Bunching your shoulders up toward your face can cause undue neck tension and focuses energy away from your target areas. Instead of working and toning your core, shoulders and arms, your neck takes the strain. Try moving your shoulder black backward and downward, in the opposite direction to the ears, before bending the elbows. This will also cause your back muscles to engage. Picture squeezing the shoulder blade together.
Push your hands toward the floor like you mean it
During the push up motion, press your palms firmly into the ground. As you do this, move your arms outward, ensuring that your biceps and elbows are forward facing. This will make the exercise most effective while keeping stability and focusing tension on the arms, shoulders, back and core.
Align your neck and your spine
This tip in mainly to avoid spine and neck injuries or strain, which will only set you further back in your training and hurt your health. Make sure you do not tip your head too far down or tensing it upward. Find a spot a few inches above your fingertips and keep focused on it as you move.
It’s all about the core
Imagine squeezing in your muscles toward your belly button – the tension created here helps engage your core muscles, which make up your whole waist and torso. All these muscles work together to make you stronger and keep the lower back stress free. Double up on efficiency as your turn your push up into an intense core workout along with working those arms.
Breathe easy
This is our top tip to get the best workout possible out of your pushups. Your breathe is the driving force behind the movement; it determine exactly how perfectly formed your pushup will be. The trick? Exhale as you exert effort upward; inhale as your move downward. The exhalation will aid you in core contraction, leading to a more powerful, flawlessly formed pushup.
If you enjoyed this, try  the 7Min Summer HIIT Workout today.
