Sometimes it’s good to revisit your classics and, in bodybuilding, the push-up is one of them.
The exercise obviously allows you to work the upper body (shoulders, triceps, pectorals , etc.), the back, but also more generally the cladding.
The buttocks and the legs are also solicited, which makes it a very complete exercise.
All of this, you probably know. And sure of your knowledge, you probably think, like most athletes and even the less athletic among us, that you know how to do a push-up correctly.
After all, the exercise is a priori not so complicated, right? Just get into a plank position then bend your elbows to lower your whole body, trying to stay straight and then push with your arms to return to the high position then, and chain the repetitions.
However, starting a push-up in the plank position is not the best solution to position yourself optimally, explains Nicolas Veret, manager of Workshop Gymnasium Paris , the gym at the Bulgari Hotel. However, the key to a successful push-up is positioning.
What is the correct position for push-ups?
The sports coach recommends lying flat on your stomach in order to explore the ground with your hands and put them at a good distance from your shoulders. “I often see clients placing their hands too far forward or too far apart. It will make the exercise more difficult, less effective and create unnecessary tension in the shoulders in particular”, says the sports coach. “The first piece of advice I give to beginners but also to more experienced athletes is to start on the ground because in this way they quickly realize if their positioning is right. By pushing they immediately feel if the movement is good.”
Once flat on the ground, your hands – parallel to each other – should find their place at the height of your chest and spread more or less at shoulder width. You should quite naturally find the position that suits you best. It will then remain to properly engage your abs, your glutes and your legs before pushing on your arms to come back up in one block. Keep in mind that your whole body should go up and down simultaneously.
How far to go down when doing a push-up?
Continuing to discuss the best way to perform a classic push-up , Nicolas Veret points out another common mistake: going too low. “By absolutely wanting to touch the ground with your chest, you also risk putting too much strain on your shoulders and losing the horizontal position you want to keep,” he points out. “We can set a rule that there must be a distance of one fist between his chest and the ground. You don’t have to go any lower to do a great rep.”
How do you breathe when doing push-ups?
As with any strength training exercise, the most common recommendation is to exhale on exertion and inhale on release. When you do a push-up, you therefore logically inhale when you go down before exhaling when you push on your arms to go up. “You are able to chain push-ups without following this type of breathing while keeping your muscles well oxygenated”, however nuances Nicolas Veret. “You don’t have to limit yourself to this rule.”
