Building Pecs: The Do’s and Don’ts of a Perfectly Proper Push-Up
Most people are familiar with that old standby the push-up as a sure way to pump up your pecs. The problem, though, is that many people have developed bad habits over the years.
Push-ups can be an important part of a well-rounded fitness program that encourages balanced strength in both your upper and lower body. If your exercise plan consists mainly of biking, hiking, running or brisk walking, your cardiovascular system and lower body muscles are getting plenty of important attention.
So now, why not focus on creating strength, shape and definition in the muscles of your upper body as well? The easiest and cheapest way to do this is to use your own body weight as resistance in the classic push-up.
If you are one of those who are preoccupied with just counting how many push-ups you can do, bad form often takes over. The result: a sore neck, shoulders and lower back.
Done correctly, this simple move will tone more than just your chest muscles. And done consistently, you’ll also improve strength in the front of your shoulders, the backs of your upper arms, as well as your forearms, abdomen and back.
* Begin by lying face down with your hands directly under your shoulders, fingers pointing forward, elbows bent. Straighten your legs behind you, and lift your knees off the floor by supporting yourself on the balls of your feet.
* Before you begin, inhale. On the exhale, tighten your abdominal muscles and push up, keeping your body in a straight line. Squeeze your chest muscles to lift your upper body and use your abdominal strength to lift your hips and legs.
* Look down, but don’t hang your head or jut out your jaw. Your chin should be a fist distance from your chest. Keep your shoulders pressed away from your ears during the exercise. When your arms are straight, don’t “lock out” the elbows or collapse into the shoulder blades.
* Slowly lower your entire body. Feel your muscles tensing as you descend. Don’t let your stomach and hips sag during any part of the push-up. Remember that the slower the push-up, the more effective the exercise. Instead of straining to do 10 fast push-ups in a row, think of doing one slow push-up with perfect form. Then do another, and maybe one more.
* When your form begins to falter, lower yourself to the floor. Now you can do an easier form of the push-up by bending your knees, crossing your ankles and performing the rest of the routine as described above. You’ll be lifting less of your body weight and can do more reps without compromising correct alignment. Check that your hands are directly below your shoulders. Placing them too wide apart will put undue pressure on your shoulders.
Start with one set of 10 repetitions and aim to do two sets of 10 repetitions as you get stronger. If at first you can’t do any push-ups on your toes and hands, then do them on your knees. Always end each push-up session with a stretch for the chest, shoulders and triceps. Push-ups cause your upper body muscles to tighten, and if you leave them that way you set yourself up for bad posture and possible injury.
Here’s a good stretch that you can do sitting or standing. Hold a towel in your left hand. Put your left arm behind your head, bending your elbow. Reach your right arm up your back toward your left hand and hold on to the other end of the towel. Gradually move your right hand up the towel and breathe deeply. Repeat using the other arm.
Push-ups may bring back bad memories of high school P.E. class, but don’t overlook them. Done carefully and correctly, they can produce noticeable results with very little fuss.
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* Joan Voight, a San Francisco journalist, contributed to this column.
* Karen Voight is a Los Angeles-based fitness expert whose column runs the first and third Mondays of each month. Her latest videos are “Ease Into Fitness” and “Yoga-Sculpt.” She can be reached by e-mail at kvoightla@aol.com.