Rethinking the Pushup

By Bruce Cohn
Boston Globe, June 17, 2004
 
Whenever I walk into a gym and see people working out on a bench press machine I just want to scream, “Get off of there and do some pushups!” It’s not that I’m against using weight training equipment to improve muscular strength and endurance, but it does have its limitations. And, ironically, some of the old standbys, like the pushup, are not only more functional but better for avoiding injuries.

Weight training equipment isolates movement in a single plane: when you do a seated bench press, you are simply raising the weights by moving your arms back and forth: you don’t learn to stabilize the rest of your body while lifting the weights.

But this is not how we use our muscles; it’s not how we move in the real world. And that can cause problems.

What have come to be called “functional exercises” – like the simple pushup – enhance those movements we perform in our daily lives. They require us to raise and lower weight while controlling unnecessary movement throughout the rest of our body, especially the spine. And this is really the kind of exercise that serves us best, no matter what kind of shape we are in: Think of how many times you have lifted something and ended up feeling it in your back.

When you perform a pushup properly you draw in your abdomen and maintain a table-top flatness to your back throughout the movement. You engage the deep muscles of your stomach, back and hips while you work your chest, shoulders and arms. This improves posture and can prevent low back pain.

Though many of us associate the pushup with punishment – we remember our gym teacher, when we were late for class, saying "Drop and give me twenty" - it is a truly functional exercise that can be performed by anybody, almost anywhere, without any special equipment. But for obvious reasons, it’s not in the interest of gyms for you to learn that you can do many functional exercises without joining up; they need your membership fees.

Pushups are free, and easy to learn. A traditional military pushup is done from a prone position with your body weight supported on your hands and toes. Place your hands to the outside of your shoulders with fingers facing straight ahead. Your feet are together or up to 12 inches apart. When viewed from the side, your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles.

Begin by bending your elbows and lowering your entire body as a single unit towards the floor. Continue lowering until your chin touches the floor or until your upper arms are parallel to the ground. Complete the movement by raising your entire body in a straight line and return to the starting position. Your arms should be straight without locking your elbows while your entire body stays in a rigid line.

Not sure you can do a traditional military pushup? Don’t worry, there are plenty of ways to modify this exercise that will help you build up to performing a standard pushup. And while these adaptations lessen the weight you will have to lift, you will still be getting the benefits that come from doing this core-stabilizing exercise.

Stand arms distance from a wall and place your hands against the wall at a height that is parallel to your chest. Keep your feet flat on the ground, stomach drawn-in and lower and raise your chest to the wall and back in the same way you would if you were doing this movement to the floor and back. If you own a large stability ball try placing it between your extended arms and the wall as you perform wall pushups.

Now you’re ready to move onto some floor variations. Place your hands on a low table or on the floor slightly forward of your shoulders; rest the weight of your lower body above your kneecaps with your lower legs raised slightly off the floor and your feet crossed at the ankles. Lower yourself to the table or floor maintaining a flat back (think of your belly button pressing up against your spine) and raise your body back to its starting position. As you become stronger, you can perform the table-version while resting weight on your toes and you should eventually be able to perform a traditional pushup on the floor.

As to how many repetitions to do: think of investing in failure. Do as many as you can while maintaining a flat back and stop as you lose good form. If you can only do a small number of military pushups before your muscles fail, try continuing with some of the variations listed above. Once you can do no more, rest for a few minutes and then begin anew. Two to three of these AMAP sets (as many as possible) will be a great workout.

Pushups can also be adapted to further challenge you. Placing your legs on a large Swiss body ball increases instability and makes the core muscles of your abdomen, lower back and hips work harder while you struggle to stay balanced. Control the degree of difficulty by moving your hips further from or closer to the ball. Or try adding some rotational movement to your pushups. From your favorite pushup position, raise your body up and balance on one arm as you turn the opposite hip and arm up towards the ceiling. Repeat and turn to the other side.

So the next time you’re looking for a good total body workout and don’t have the time or inclination to go to the gym, remember the pushup. Drop down and give yourself twenty.

Bruce Cohn is the Strength and Conditioning Coach at the Middlesex School in Concord. He runs FIT-TO-GO Total Sports Conditioning and is a nationally certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Bruce can be reached at 781-316-0061 or brucegym@rcn.com.