Can't Do 1 Push-up? Try this!

The pushup. When you mention that exercise, many different thoughts can come to mind. One can think of the military, where pushups are used for testing and conditioning.

Or maybe a gym or martial arts class, where pushups are used as discipline. Then there are those people who seem to not know gravity exists, doing unreal looking pushup variations.

Well that’s all fine and dandy, but what about the people who haven’t gotten to the point where they can complete 1 full push up yet?

Well, you needn’t fret. There is still hope. You will be surprised how quickly you progress through pushups below and you’ll be on your way to doing things such as 1 ARM PUSHUPS in no time!

So starting off, you’ll want to progressively build up your strength by doing push up variations that are not quite as taxing on the body as a regular push up.
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So we’ll start off: Pushup Tips

The wider your feet are apart, the easier the move becomes, so you can adjust as needed. But the goal is to have your feet close together

A lot of people seem to think that if they touch the ground with their chin, they are going down low. This is not necessarily true, you should aim to lower your chest, not your head. Keep your head straight and eyes forward

You need to be sure to tighten your glutes and abs to maximize your results (and added difficulty!)

You want to bend until your arms are at a 90 degree angle at least, and if you can, try and get your chest to the floor (the lower you drop your chest the more difficult the move becomes)

Your back and body should be as straight as possible as well
Correct and incorrect ways of doing it

BUILDING UP TO THE PUSHUP

Wall Pushups

You’ll want to stand about arm’s length from your wall of choice.

Feet should be close together, and hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart.

In this variation, you are pushing less weight (no gravity to fight, your legs are also holding up a good bit of your body weight) so it allows you get into the rhythm of performing the move without that extra strain

To start, bend your elbows to allow your body to get closer to the wall.

Once your body is a few inches away, straighten out your arms to “push up” your body, and then repeat.

You’ll want to aim for around 3-5 sets of 10 (you can do more less, that’s just the number I’m using), once you can easily complete those reps, move on to your next progression.


Incline Pushup

Next up, we have incline push-ups. Or if you do not have anything available for an incline, you can just use your knees (illustrated below)

You can use a couch, chair, low table, just something sturdy that can support your weight.

*TIP:  the lower your surface, the more challenging this move will be*

You’ll want to ensure that your body is straight, and then proceed to lowering your chest just a few inches above your surface, and then straighten your arms and push up, and repeat.

Again, once you can easily complete 3-5 sets of 10, you should be ready to move on.


Regular Pushup

Now you are ready. If not, go back through the other variations and increase your reps.

Now you should be able to do a regular pushup. You’ll want to be sure and use proper form.

Your feet should be together, and your back should be straight.

You should be able to draw a line from your shoulders to your heels.

Now, lower your body until chest is only a few inches off the ground, and then push your body back up by straightening out your arms. Now you repeat.

Once you get to 3-5 sets of 10 on this pushup, check out more challenging variations.



Which pushup variation did you start on and how many reps did you do? Tell us below!