THE POWER OF THE PERFECT PUSHUP - By Rick Hills

Ah yes, the dreaded pushup! An exercise that literally was USED to separate the women from the men and men from the boys! This exercise when performed correctly, works the body from the fingernails to the toenails...talk about one stop shopping!!

Pushups are performed in the military, fitness boot camps and gym settings all around the
world. However, in my experience the pushup is perhaps the most improperly performed bodyweight exercise seen in the fitness world today...yet one of the most beneficial for you when done correctly as stated above. I use pushups as one of my postural and movement assessments to screen for muscle imbalances and or weakness in all of my clients. Ideally, any exercise that is used to identify muscle imbalances/weakness... should also be used to correct it.

What I Look For When Assessing a Pushup

Can the individual, while lying down in a pushup position, lift their whole body up at the same time? If not, I start them in an up position and see if they are able to stabilize and hold this position, then descend their whole body towards the ground in a slow controlled manner and up again the same way. This movement shows me if there is weakness in the shoulders and arms. Next I look at the position of the head and trunk in relationship with the rest of the body as it descends downward and up again. Does the head extend before the rest of the body? If the head extends first, this tells me the neck extensors (muscles in back of the neck) are stronger then the neck flexors (muscles in front of the neck) I then look to see if the trunk (core) stays neutral. (straight line from head to toe as much as possible, each individual's neutral will be different) If the trunk collapses this tells me the core is weak and needs to be strengthened.

How to Perform Proper Pushups

Lay on the ground with your head neutral (tuck your chin into your collarbone slightly, your face should be parallel with the ground) place your hands palm down on the ground besides your chest a little wider than your shoulders, your elbows will be at a right angle, bring your toes toward you and point them into the ground, then lift your knees up and pushup through your hands and toes until you are off the ground with your arms locked out at the top. Make sure your whole body comes up together as one unit.

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