Workout Wednesday: The Push-up

We wanted to take today to discuss the benefits of one of the most useful (and hated) of all exercises: the push-up. 

First off, why should you even care?

1. It's a great exercise to do any time, any where. No equipment needed.
2. It targets multiple muscle groups. Get a lot of bang for your workout buck.
3. This is really 2b: It's good for your core. A strong core improves your posture and can help prevent lower back pain (something you will struggle with if you sit a lot during the day and as you're getting older). 
4. Calorie-torching! (Let's call this one "2c".) Because you're using so many muscle groups, you burn more calories with a push-up than you will for other strength exercises that involve only one muscle. (Want to burn even more calories? Do a burpee- a push-up and a squat jump. They're awful. Katie 1 says that Katie 2, the primary author of this post, is evil for even mentioning burpees.)
5. They can be done no matter your fitness level. You can modify the exercise if you're not quite strong enough to do it properly. Are you super buff? You can easily make them more difficult.
6. Nothing makes you feel more bad ass than being able to do a proper set. 

OK, so you've finally agreed that maybe you should add some push-ups to your workout regimen. So how do you do it?

For years, we have been taught that if you can't do a proper push-up, you should drop to your knees and do a "girl push-up". In researching for this post, we came across a bunch of information that says that push-ups from your knees actually isn't the best way to go if you're building up your strength. Why? First, it puts unnecessary pressure on your knees. Second, on your knees makes it easy to cheat and makes it harder to have proper form. (Don't believe us? Watch some people do push-ups from their knees. Very rarely are their bodies properly aligned.) Third, it makes it difficult to transition to a proper, traditional push-up. The best way to build strength and get yourself to the point of actually being able to do a traditional push-up is to start with planks. Get into push-up position, and hold it there. (You can either be up on your hands or down on your forearms. It's up to you.) Proper position is key. Make sure your entire body is in line- shoulders, back, hips, knees, ankles. It helps to do this in front of a mirror or have someone watch you and correct your posture until you're comfortable you've got it right.

Once you're ready to add in some movement, add some incline under your hands. If you have absolutely no upper body or core strength, stand against a wall. Move your feet backwards until you feel a bit of a struggle when you bend your elbows. Gradually move to lower supports (the counter, the kitchen table, the seat of a chair, books on the floor) until you're strong enough to have your hands and feet on the same surface. Just be sure your form stays. And watch those elbows! You don't want them flailing out to the side. Keep them pointed towards your feet and in close to your body. 

Once you've mastered them, there are plenty of ways to make push-ups more difficult. Just like putting your hands on a higher plane makes a push-up easier, elevating your feet makes the movement more difficult. If you have some equipment around, you can also use it to destabilize yourself. A playground ball under your hand (or one under each hand) or under your feet throws off your balance and can really activate your core (Katie 1 loves this). Put one leg up in the air (just make sure you switch legs occasionally.) 

You can also vary your hand position. In traditional push-ups, your hands should be under your shoulders. Try opening up your arms, so your hands are outside your shoulders. Or, move them closer together, until eventually your index fingers and thumbs make a triangle.