How To Get Your First Push-Up

If you're struggling to get your first push-up, try one of these five options. One, shortened range of motion push-ups. The lower you go during a push-up, the harder the exercise becomes. The goal is to touch your chest to the floor, but you don't have to, at least initially. Use yoga blocks or other objects and gradually reduce their height over time. Two, kneeling push-ups. In general, the overall technique is similar to regular push-ups. The biggest mistake people make is keeping their hips and butt back. Walk your hands forward until your hips are fairly straight. For the descent, make sure that you are shifting your body weight somewhat forward, not just straight down. Three, eccentric push-ups. For this variation, you focus on the lowering portion of the exercise only before dropping to your knees and resetting. Like kneeling push-ups, these can help you develop the strength needed to do one full push-up. Four, hands elevated push-ups. You can use a box, bench, barbell in a squat rack, Smith machine, counter top, etc. to reduce the demand on your upper body as much or as little as you need. Get lower to the ground over time. Five, combined strategies. For example, you can perform shortened range of motion kneeling or eccentric only push-ups. These options can also be used during periods of rehabilitation for shoulder, elbow, or wrist pain.