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Dean Sanderson demonstrates the correct form for a push up.
Photos by KELLY PRESNELL / Arizona Daily Star
More Photos (6):
Start position
Support your body weight with your hands and toes. Start with you hands a little wider than shoulder-width apart and your feet about hip-width apart. Fingers should face forward, and toes should be curled under with heels pointing at the ceiling. Your body should be aligned in a plank from ankles to head with your hips tucked under.
End position
Bend your elbows and lower in a smooth motion until your body is parallel to the ground and suspended just above the floor. In push-up drills, your nose must touch the ground to count. Push back up in a smooth motion to the start position.
Modifications
Incline push-up
This variation puts less strain on the muscles. Rather than starting on the ground, try doing push-ups with your hands braced against a wall, a counter or a bench. The closer you get to the ground, the more difficult the move will be.
Modified push-up
Get in the standard push-up start position but with your knees, rather than your toes, supporting your weight. Lower and raise your body with your arms and your knees acting as a pivot point. This variation puts less strain on the muscles.
Safety push-up
Beginners and people with shoulder problems should put a pillow or a ball under the chest to prevent going too deep and injuring shoulder muscles.
Decline push-up
Get in the standard push-up start position but put your toes on a bench. Lower and raise your body with your arms as your feet remain elevated on the bench. This variation is more challenging.
push-up repetition guidelines
Men (up to 225 pounds) World class — 50 repetitions National caliber — 42 Collegiate — 35 High school — 25
Women (up to 170 pounds) World class — 35 repetitions National caliber — 27 Collegiate — 20 High school — 12
Source: "Functional Training for Sports" by Michael Boyle.

Accent

Perfecting the push-up

It's not an easy exercise to do, but it's one way to work the muscles in the arms, chest, shoulders, core and thighs
By Sarah Mauet
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 11.06.2007
Welcome to Reform School — the first in a new monthly series in which local experts give their opinion on how to execute an exercise they often see done incorrectly. This isn't just about strength training — it's about injury avoidance.
The expert
Michael DuBois, physical therapist and geriatric certified specialist at Sanderson & DuBois Momentum Physical Therapy, 6206 E. Pima St., 733-6227.
The exercise
Push-ups.
The explanation
DuBois is a big fan of the push-up.
"The push-up is an excellent total body workout," he said. "It's a good exercise to have as part of a strength-training program."
With one action, you can work muscles in the arms, shoulders, chest, core and thighs. Plus, strengthening those muscles at the same time is helpful in daily life — it gives the body a chance to coordinate a fundamental movement, DuBois said.
"We should all have the strength to get up from the floor," he said. "A push-up is getting up from the floor, pushing a cart, pushing a car."
"Many of the exercises we choose are intended to have a purpose," the physical therapist added.
But the push-up is also a difficult exercise precisely because it requires muscle strength and coordination. The most common mistakes DuBois sees are sagging or arching backs, which could cause injury but are more likely just to make the exercise less challenging, especially on core muscles. Another common error he sees is beginners or people with shoulder problems going too deep — they should put a pillow or ball under the chest as a safety.
"The most important thing when you're starting is not to go down too far because it can put too much strain on the shoulder," DuBois said.
Adjustments always can be made in the number of repetitions, the intensity, the speed, the hand or foot positions, the body position and the depth of the push-up to make the exercise more or less challenging. Beginners should start with easier modifications and work up to some of the tougher moves.
"People have to realize that it takes time to get from point A to point B," DuBois said. "There are no quick ways. It takes persistence and determination."
It also requires vigilance, especially with beginners and people with shoulder problems.
"With any exercise you need to recognize your own body's limits or fatigue," he said. "Muscle soreness is acceptable, but joint pain is not."
● Contact reporter Sarah Mauet at 573-4124 or at smauet@azstarnet.com.
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