Bored With The Same Old Push Ups?

Here is some great push up variations to switch things up!

Close Stance Push Up

Instead of having your hands outside of your shoulder in a regular push up, bring your hands in close so they are about shoulder width apart, and as you move toward the ground make sure to keep your elbow tight by your side. Make sure to keep a straight lower back, don’t let your hips drop, and don’t allow your hips to be up too high either. This exercise puts extra focus on the triceps region, which is the back of the upper arm.

Incline Push Up

Line up on a bench or chair with your hands just outside of shoulder width apart. Keep a straight lower back, don’t let your hips drop, and don’t allow your hips to be up too high. This specific exercise puts a focus on the lower portion of the chest.

Decline Push Up

Line up on the ground with your feet on a bench or chair with your hands just outside of shoulder width apart. Keep a straight lower back, don’t let your hips drop, and don’t allow your hips to be up too high either. This push up variation puts a focus on the upper chest and the anterior deltoids, which is the front part of the shoulders.

Single Leg Push Up

Line up on the ground with one foot in the air and your hands just outside of shoulder width apart. Keep a straight lower back, don’t let your hips drop, and don’t allow your hips to be up too high. This puts a focus on the chest, as well as the body’s stability muscles.

The benefit to these workouts is that they can be done anywhere, and will take your push up training to the next level.

I hope this helps you as you prepare for our push up challenge, and if you have any questions please feel free to contact the Health and Fitness Academy at 208-557-2823 or you can contact me directly at nbernal@mvhospital.net

Noah Bernal BS, MS, CISSN

Obstacles

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6 Tips for Better, More Effective Push-ups; Technique and Cues

6 Tips for Better, More Effective Push-ups; Technique and Cues

HFA is excited for the upcoming Push-up Challenge! Here are some tips on technique to help you with your push-ups.

1-ENGAGE YOUR CORE

                Flex your abs. This helps you keep a neutral spine and contributes to full body tension.

CUES:

 1. Imagine you are going to be punched in the belly. Brace your core.

 2. “Pull” your palms to your toes. (Obviously your palms are not going to touch your toes,                but trying to “pull” them together creates the necessary tension to activate your core.

2-SQUEEZE YOUR GLUTES

                Squeezing your glutes protects your low back, improves your posture, and contributes to having that neutral spine.

3-PACK YOUR ELBOWS, DRAW YOUR SHOULDERS BACK

                A wide flare from the elbows while doing pushups leads to shoulder injury and rotator cuff issues. When shoulders are shrugged around the ears, it compromises your neck and upper back. When you “stack” your joints, it improves your shoulder health, range of motion, and recruits your triceps and lats.

                CUES:

1.       Hold a business card in your armpit.

2.       “Stacking”: Hands under elbows, elbows under shoulders

4-GRIP THE FLOOR

                This will help you engage more back muscles and maintain a solid upper body.  

                CUES:

1.       Thumbs facing each other, open fingers, grip the floor

2.       Screw your hands to the floor.

5-PULL YOUR CHEST TO THE FLOOR AND PUSH THE GROUND AWAY FROM YOU

                “Pulling” your chest to the floor, or leading with your chest, helps prevent head bobbing and sagging hips. It is also an effective way for you to keep from letting gravity lower you so you stay in control throughout the push-up.

                CUES:

1.       Head in a neutral position (looking slightly ahead of you). Lead with your chest, not your nose.

                “Pushing” the ground away from you helps you lift your body as one unit and maintain that full body tension. Don’t let your muscles relax at the bottom. Remember: the same cues apply at the bottom of the push-up as they do at the top.

6-BREATHE

                Inhale as you go down, exhale as you go up.

Keep up the great work!!!

Sources: menshealth.com; mensfitness.com

It's Never too Late

We are almost half way done with our PUSH-UP challenge!! How are you doing? If you haven’t begun it is not too late to start, it is NEVER too late to start on a goal!

Never quit or give up before you have even really started! How then will you know what you are really capable of?


Besides reminding everyone of our Challenge, I also want to take this opportunity to challenge each of you to keep reaching, keep stretching and dreaming. I know it is easy to stay in our "comfort zones" what we are familiar or accustomed too, but this life is about change. There will always be change, in fact that is the one thing that we can count on. That there will ALWAYS be change in our lives. That doesn’t mean it is easy, but rather than avoiding it or trying to run from it. Accept it! Embrace it!! And see what it does to not only make you a stronger person. But also to be a more powerful influence in the people’s lives around you as well! So try something new, chase your dreams and remember that it is NEVER too late for anything!!

 

***A reminder for those who have participated in our Challenge we will be having our wrap up party on August 3rd at 6:30pm! Hope to see you all there!***

30-day Pushup Challenge

30-day Pushup Challenge

Now that our squat challenge has come to a close - congrats to all those that participated and attempted to learn, improve upon or just even attempt to squat.

Our push up challenge (June 1st - June 30th) has now started - so to get a start on pushing your way up for the month - below is a guideline to utilize if you choose to work on improving or gaining more stamina and strength to do even more pushups.  

Can’t do a full (hands and toes) push up - try some of these modifications to work your way up to doing a full body push-up:

Inclined pushup on knees

Floor pushup on knees

Pushup against a wall

We will be having our wrap up party on August 3rd at 6:30pm for you to show all your hard work to do as many pushups in 2 minutes and we will have it be separated by gender. Here at HFA we are here to help in any of your fitness needs or even help your build up the upper body strength to push your way up!