Need form pointers on pushups

elsie3

Cathlete
I've been experimenting with different hand positions, but I still feel pushups more in my shoulders than in my chest. If I keep my arms wider and my hands a little bit forward it helps, but I wonder if there is something else I should be doing. Do you or anyone have any suggestions?

Thank you for everything you do!

Carol F
 
Your could try doing a pre-exhaust set of chest flyes, which will isolate the chest muscles and not involve the shoulders, before doing the push-ups. That way, you tire out (pre-exhaust) the chest before doing the push-ups, and you can feel it more in those muscles.

(From one of the "anyones" ;-) )
 
Try military style pushups, where your hands are further under your shoulders, back towards your ribs, don't let your elbows flare out on the way down and up, sort of like a sun salutation.
Second, try pyramid pushups, where your thumbs and pointer fingers touch in front of you.
Third, try dive bomber pushups, start in down dog, and "swoop under the fence," ending in up dog, then reverse. Dive bombers sure get your heart rate up.
These three pushups are harder than regular pushups and fry your chest more.
The P90X dvd's give a pretty good idea of a lot of the different pushup styles.
You can also go to www.ronjones.org, he has free handouts on most of the pushup variations out there.
If you want further tips on different types of pushups, calisthenics style, in circuit format, look up www.sealtraining.com. Scott Helvenston, a former Navy Seal, has some killer calisthenics style workouts on dvd with lots of different variations, no weights at all. He died in Iraq, one of the four civilian contractors who was shot and killed (defending a convoy, they were overrun) and whose body was dragged through the streets and hung from a bridge. His videos live on, a tough testament to his weights-free fitness.
 

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