Proper Push Ups

Doing proper push ups is one of the most effective methods you can use to get and stay in shape. However, if you're looking for one method of doing proper push ups you'll discover a number of different styles and techniques - and everyone feels that their way is the right way.

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On the surface, a push up seems like a very simple exercise. All you're doing is facing the ground and pushing your body up using both your feet and your hands. There are good methods and bad methods to doing a push up and there are also many different styles in between that are neither good nor bad, they simply exercise different muscle groups.

There are a number of effective ways to exercise most of your major muscle groups with this exercise, including your shoulders, chest, triceps, stomach and even your legs. There are also a number of ways that you can do it wrong and hurt yourself. The following details outline the most popular styles of doing proper pushups.

The first place that should serve as the gold standard for outlining a correct push up is the U.S. Army. The Army has strict regulations regarding the number of repetitions a soldier should be able to maintain less than two minutes based on age and gender. In the Army test event, if the push up is not properly performed, the repetition is not counted. What's the correct method to do a push up in the Army?

1. Start by placing your hands side by side below you on the floor in a position that's comfortable when you push your upper body straight up from the floor.
2. Your feet should be placed from 1 to 12 inches apart.
3. In the up position, your arms are completely straight, your legs are completely straight and your body from your head to your heels forms a straight line down the general line of your spine.
4. As you lower yourself toward the ground, your body should move in one motion and should always form a straight-line all the way down.
5. In the fully down position, your upper arms should be at least parallel to the floor. Many soldiers push their chin up and back so that they can get their body even lower to make sure the repetition counts.

If you strictly follow this routine to the letter, no one can tell you that you're doing it incorrectly. If it's good enough for the U.S. army, it's good enough for anyone!

Pilates is one of the most popular exercise regimens in the world today. The goal of Pilates is to not only increase your body muscle strength, but also to increase your "core" strength. The Pilates push up is a critical part of that standard routine. The following is the procedure for a Pilates repetition.

1. The "up" position for this push up is identical to the army method, with hands pointed forward.
2. Lower your body toward the floor, maintaining your body in a straight-line from head to heel.
3. As you lower body toward the floor, keep your elbows close to your sides so that they don't stick outward.
4. As you lower your body using this technique, it will seem uncomfortable until you learn to use your core strength to stabilize torso.

Most fitness experts will admit to you that the most difficult push up of all is the yoga one, known by yoga practitioners as the dreaded Chaturanga Dandasana, which stands for "four limbs staff." This suggests the fact that when you're in the pose, your four limbs support the staff - your body. This yoga move takes tremendous strength and endurance and accomplishing it without injury is the sign of a skilled yoga master in tune with her inner strength.

1. The first step of this push up is very similar to Pilates, where your arms should be firm against your sides and elbows pointed back, not out.
2. As you exhale, you lower your body evenly, parallel to the floor. It's critical to keep your entire body completely straight.
3. At this point near the floor, hold the pose for up to 30 seconds. If you are capable, you can push back up into your next yoga position, otherwise lower yourself all the way to the floor.

Some skilled yoga experts even go so far as to perform this difficult position using only their fingertips, exhibiting extreme strength and control in combination with skillful balance and endurance.

The guides above only represent three unique styles for performing this powerful exercise. The technique that you choose depends on what parts of your body you are hoping to develop, as well as whether or not you're hoping to build up your endurance in addition to strength.

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