Push-Ups, if you're going to do them, do them right.

Whenever I see someone performing a movement incorrectly, I always think of the value of quality over quantity. People who lack movement quality are often times choosing to do so because they worry that they won't have enough quantity. I've seen this attribute a lot with Push-Ups.

Push Up's are one of those classic movements that many of us had to do in Physical Education Classes, and may pride ourselves in thinking we are good at them. This causes us to sacrifice our form to accomplish the number of push-ups we think we should be able to do. The problem with this is, once you start doing a movement incorrectly for a certain number of reps, you are almost certain to need to do it incorrectly in the future. Your brain picks up on this and starts wiring you to perform the incorrect movement pattern with less thought involved.

Setting the Ego aside and Re-Learning Push-Ups

If you're still reading, then it means you may see some value in improving your push up quality, and I congratulate you for this self awareness.

The Common Faults:

1. The splayed hands fault: Fingers pointing out to the side or at an angle

2. The arched back fault: Tapping the ground with your hips on each rep limits the range of motion and puts your back in a bad posture.

3. The shrugged shoulder fault: Those who shrug their shoulders are closing the space in the joint, which can lead to some discomfort if repeated.

4. The flared elbow fault: This generally accompanies the shrugged shoulder fault, and involves elbows pointed laterally during the push up and generally leads to some form of elbow discomfort.

Fixing the Faults:

Now that you understand WHAT the faults are, let's go over tools to FIX them.

1. Hand Position: This is the easiest fix of all, just point your fingers straight ahead, this will allow you to rotate your elbows inward and engage important stabilizer muscles around your shoulders.

2. Lower Back: If you had a tail, tuck it underneath you creating a flat back posture. This is essential during push up's. Now, aim your chest for the ground on each rep, not you stomach or hips. Core exercises like a hollow body hold can help you learn this movement.

3. Shrugged Shoulders: In the push up position actively pull your shoulders away from your ears until you feel a muscle below your shoulder blade engage. Watch the video to see some of the banded exercises that help you learn this movement.

4. Flared Elbows: With your fingers straight ahead, think of actively pulling your elbows towards your midline. In doing so, you should feel muscles behind your shoulders engage. Watch the video to see a PVC exercise that will help you learn to engage better.

What if it's a Strength Problem?

If you are trying to fix your form but it still doesn't look or feel right, it may be that the movement as you are doing it is too advanced. The simple fix is to break it down. Practice only performing the descent on push ups and cheating the way up. Alternatively, you could elevate yourself on a bench and perform push ups. Whatever you do, make sure the form is on point now, so you don't have to break bad habits in the future.

Hope you enjoyed the tips and remember, Consistency + Effort combined with intelligent training leads to improved Performance.