In this article, I would like you to think about this simple, yet difficult exercise as push-up. You have to realize that by doing it improperly you can do more harm than good. Remember to put the quality of the motion in the first place, i.e. precision and proper execution, not number of repetitions, speed or load. If you master the push-up pattern, it will give you many opportunities to diversify your training, as well as a great base for shaping all motor skills. However, be aware that an improper push-up can cause pain in the spine, shoulders, elbows or wrists. Repeating and mastering the wrong position by practicing yourself, you reproduce this mistake in training and it is very difficult to adjust your body afterwards because a trainer or a physiotherapist must first help you to get rid of the improper exercise and then show you how the movement should look like step by step.

Here is the exercise step by step:

1. Get on your knees, set your hands on shoulder width and slightly in front (after mastering the correct pattern, you can modify the width of your hands) with your fingers pointing forward. Put your feet together and move the heels slightly backwards, then tighten the buttocks, and try to "twist" your hands into the floor (do not point your fingers outside).

2. Keeping the active position, move the body's center of gravity forward so that the shoulders are positioned above the palms, try to imagine that you are pointing the inside of the elbows forward.

3. When the center of gravity is above the middle of the palm, and the elbows are in line with the wrists, start lowering slowly. Try to keep the elbows as close to the body as possible so that the triceps (the back side of the arm) work eccentrically.

4. After reaching the lower position, remember that the buttocks and the abdomen need to be tight while the forearms positioned vertically to the floor.

5. While lifting up, the position of the back and the shoulders cannot change. Remember to keep your back straight, keep the position of your head and tighten your abdominal muscles.

6. Put your elbows straight to the starting position, all the time "twisting" your hands into the floor.

This push-up will allow avoiding the most common errors such as:

- pushing the elbows outside

- opening the palms, i.e. pointing the fingers outside

- deepening of lumbar lordosis

- deepening of thoracic kyphosis and moving the head forward

If you are not strong enough to do a proper push-up on the floor, do not do it on your knees. Place the hands on a platform: bench, chair, box, wall and then try to do it properly. As time passes, use lower and lower platforms until you reach the floor level. In this case, going down is your goal.

Good luck and remember: It can always be better!!!

If you have any questions, suggestions, or you would like me to talk about a specific subject in the next posts, let me know. My e-mail address can be found below.

Patryk Bieńkowski, M.Sc.

Physiotherapist, manual therapist