{"id":48261,"date":"2016-03-09T14:30:48","date_gmt":"2016-03-09T19:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=48261"},"modified":"2021-05-14T02:52:30","modified_gmt":"2021-05-14T06:52:30","slug":"perfect-push-ups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/perfect-push-ups\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Do Perfect Push-Ups (Even on Your Knees)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"THIS
Photo: Ryan Kelly \/ Daily Burn 365<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These push-ups come to you from Daily Burn 365<\/a> trainer Dara Theodore. For a brand new, no-equipment workout every day, head to DailyBurn.com\/365<\/a> to get your first 30 days free. <\/em><\/p>\n

Always feel push-ups in your chest and shoulders \u2014 but never in your glutes and core? Chances are something\u2019s amiss. After all, how far apart should your hands be, should your elbows flare, and what\u2019s the deal with knee push-ups exactly? For a seemingly straightforward bodyweight exercise<\/a>, there\u2019s some major room for error. Luckily, a few simple tweaks can make all the difference.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Daily Burn 365: New Workouts, 7 Days a Week<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe push-up is a full-body exercise, if you\u2019re doing it right,\u201d says Dara Theodore, Daily Burn 365<\/a> trainer. \u201cLargely it\u2019s a triceps and chest exercise, but you should be squeezing your glutes<\/a> and engaging your core.\u201d Read on for Theodore\u2019s tips and tricks for your best push-ups yet.<\/p>\n

Your Ultimate Guide to Perfect Push-Ups<\/strong><\/h3>\n

First order of business: Pick your poison from the options below. Keep in mind, each variation will be challenging in different ways (and no, the term \u201cgirl push-ups\u201d is NOT allowed). No matter which version you choose, Theodore recommends setting up a phone to record yourself and assess your technique. That way, you\u2019ll be able to see right away if your hips are too high, too low or just <\/em>right. Or, ask a knowledgeable workout buddy<\/a> to do a quick check of your form.<\/p>\n

\"Perfect
Photos: Ryan Kelly \/ Daily Burn 365<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Standard Push-Ups<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Ah, the classic push-up, king of all bodyweight exercises to build strength, endurance and explosiveness. But before you get those guns firing away, focus on hand placement to set yourself up for success. Where and how you place your palms will influence how your shoulders and elbows align. Your hands should be right under your shoulders or slightly wider and your fingertips should be pointed straight ahead, not inwards or outwards, says Theodore. \u201cThink of screwing your arms into the ground,\u201d she says. If you take your hands too wide, your elbows are more likely to flare out to the sides. That precarious \u201cT\u201d position will put undue pressure on your shoulders \u2014 the opposite of what you want when trying to build strength.<\/p>\n

Do:<\/strong> Let your elbows float slightly out to the sides about 45-degrees (like in the picture above).
\nDon\u2019t:<\/strong> Let your hips collapse as you descend into your push-up and press back<\/a> up. Squeezing your glutes and core, and being conscious of maintaining a straight line from the top of your head to your toes will keep you in sound alignment. You also don\u2019t want your hips to sag downwards, as that puts the lumbar spine in a compromised and potentially compressed position, says Theodore.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Can\u2019t Do a Push-Up? Here\u2019s Where to Start<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Tricep-Push-ups\"<\/h3>\n

Tricep Push-Ups<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Want to tone the back of your arms? You\u2019ll recruit your triceps more if you keep your elbows anchored closer to your body as you lower yourself to the floor, says Theodore. \u201cI find it also forces me to engage my core just a little bit more,\u201d she says. Imagine performing a chaturanga<\/a> (the yoga move). Your upper body should shift slightly forward as you descend. Your arm will form a 90-degree angle as you lower down from plank<\/a> position.<\/p>\n

Do:<\/strong> Move your shoulders beyond<\/em> your wrists as you lower down. Your hands should end up next to your ribs (chest area) and your forearms should be perpendicular to the ground.
\nDon\u2019t:<\/strong> Crunch your shoulders up towards your ears. This will throw your body alignment for a loop, says Theodore. \u201cYour elbows are going to be way behind your wrists.\u201d Instead, focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together and rolling your shoulders back and downwards. \u201cA properly aligned push-up mimics proper posture,\u201d Theodore says, noting that firing up your core can help prevent your shoulders from creeping up.<\/p>\n

\"Perfect
Photos: Ryan Kelly \/ Daily Burn 365<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Modified\/Knee Push-Ups<\/strong><\/h3>\n

We\u2019ve all been there: You start out strong with a few standard push-ups but by the end of your second set, your hips are bouncing all over the place as you try to speed through a few more reps. Red alert! Theodore says you should choose an easier variation the second your form starts to go awry. There\u2019s no need to be a push-up hero \u2014 you\u2019ll get the best results and avoid injury if you maintain proper body alignment.<\/p>\n

Theodore recommends putting your hands on a bench or box to perform an incline push-up if your not feeling up to standard push-ups, since incline push-ups can better activate your core muscles. No bench around? You can drop to your knees, but be sure to keep a close eye on hand, elbow and shoulder placement. You can let your elbows flare out a bit like a standard push-up or keep them close to your torso like tricep push-ups \u2014 the choice is yours.<\/p>\n

Do:<\/strong> Keep your shins on the ground instead of raising your feet in the air if knee push-ups usually bother your kneecaps.
\nDon\u2019t:<\/strong> Stick your butt out. This isn\u2019t the dance floor \u2014 your booty should not<\/em> be sticking up in the air, even if you\u2019re on your knees. Your action plan: Engage your core as much as possible.<\/p>\n

Ready to put your push-ups to the test? Work out with Dara and Daily Burn\u2019s other elite fitness trainers live at 9 am ET every day. For your 30-day free trial, head to DailyBurn.com\/365<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Have you been doing push-ups all wrong? Get the secrets to the perfect push-up \u2014 from standard to knee variations \u2014\u00a0from Daily Burn’s Dara Theodore. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,6,14],"tags":[32,313,281,341,357],"class_list":["post-48261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-exercise","category-fitness","category-strength-training","tag-bodyweight","tag-daily-burn-365","tag-strength-training","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2running"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48261\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}