Every time I see a video of someone doing push-ups, there's always someone in the comments saying about how the form is bad. I was always told my form was bad, but was never told what to do to improve it. Are push-ups just some Emperor's New Clothes kind of thing where nobody knows how to do one, but everyone needs to pretend to know so they don't seem like un-fit idiots?

  • geikei [none/use name]
    ·
    2 years ago

    https://youtu.be/lnR_kb5Wjf8

    From a quality calisthenics athlete that's also a physiotherapist. I'm doing push ups for years now and it's basically covered here. Yeah there are things to do and avoid, especially in the shoulders

    • Mother [any]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Excellent video, the tip on eccentrics is something I’ve never seen and will incorporate immediately, I do a lot of circuit training where in later rounds push up volume is needed but my muscles are too tired, seems like this is a very good solution

  • TreadOnMe [none/use name]
    ·
    2 years ago

    It depends on what muscles you are trying to hit. The closer your hands are to each other, the more you are hitting your triceps as opposed to your chest. That being said, the most typical thing that people 'do wrong' is focus too much on their arms and not on keeping their 'core' tight and flat (basically focusing on abs and glutes). Otherwise, elbows should be at 45 degree angle to your body or parallel, as close as you can get. If they are at a 90 degree angle, you are doing some weird stuff to your shoulders that is better accomplished through other means.

    That being said I hate doing pushups and only use them for balancing excersize, otherwise everything you can accomplish with pushups is easier to accomplish through benching.

  • frick [they/them]
    ·
    2 years ago

    just do what feels right is what i always say. To me, a pushup is what one does to get a dorito into their mouth.

  • Lundi [none/use name]
    ·
    2 years ago

    push ups are a shit exercise, skip pushups and learn how to do a planche

    • Stylistillusional [none/use name]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Realisticaly, the list of people that can do a planche, while not having done thousands of pushups is very short.

      The planche is an advanced exercise, while the push up can be scaled to basically any level of fitness.

      • Lundi [none/use name]
        ·
        2 years ago

        What I mean is that being able to perform pushups will help you perform a planche, sure, but there are progressions in the planche learning process that are easier than pushups and once you complete them you should have the strength to perform push ups if you so wish. But spending your time learning how to perform the perfect pushup isn’t really that worthwhile of an endeavor.

    • fanbois2 [none/use name]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Counterpoint: Do not skip push ups, they are an excellent exercise and can be scaled to pretty much every level. A planche progression isn't bad thing to learn, but static strenght and dynamic strength are different things.

  • aaaaaaadjsf [he/him, comrade/them]
    ·
    edit-2
    2 years ago

    Fingers forward, hands not to far apart and arms/elows bend in line/ almost parallel with your body (not completely though). Rest of your body from back to ankles is a straight plank line, without your butt sagging or being in the air. Engage core muscles (almost as if you're trying to pee or take a shit) to keep the plank. Go down until your head or chest almost grazes the floor, then up again.

    At least that's what I was told when I was able to work out in the past. Could be incorrect or outdated

  • LoudMuffin [he/him]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Watch how OmarIsuf does them https://youtu.be/4Zs5XbRTMOk

    Lotta people just kinda flop around while doing them

  • a_fanonist_hexagon [he/him]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Yeah I've heard different things. Growing up I thought you were supposed to have your elbows at 90 degrees at the bottom, then I trained with some guys who swore by keeping your hands in close to your ribs and bending your elbows almost parallel to your body

    • aaaaaaadjsf [he/him, comrade/them]
      ·
      2 years ago

      That second one is much more correct, you definitely do not want to flare your elbows out that much like you were told to when growing up.

  • infuziSporg [e/em/eir]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Does it exert your triceps? Then it's a push-up.

    If anyone tells you you're doing a push-up wrong, your response should be "fine, I'll just do something else". If they say 'you could more effectively target certain muscle groups' then that's worth considering iff you want.

    A learning curve to fitness just serves to make it inaccessible to people, and to make people snobbish about it.