Push Up Progressions

Last week, I wrote about how to do a better, fuller range push up with modifications to help you gain strength until you can master the move. But once you can confidently do full push ups, what comes next? Just like you can modify movements to be easier, push up progressions will make the movement more difficult. Are you ready for a challenge? 

Challenge Yourself with Push Up Progressions

When you first get “good” at push ups, the first step is to simply add more to your routine. By adding more reps the movement does get harder, because you fatigue yourself. But at a certain point, the number stops mattering. And unless you have unlimited time to work out, you want your routine to be efficient and effective. Doing fifteen minutes of push ups takes a lot of time away from other things I want to be doing. 

If you are ready, you can jump right into push up progressions like:

• Single arm push ups
• Explosive push ups with a clap
• TRX push ups with your feet or hands in the straps
• Push ups wearing a weighted vest

But for most of us, there is a vision of falling on our face while attempting these movements for the first time! When you are progressing with any exercise, it can be confusing to know what the next appropriate step is, and how to get there safely. We definitely don’t want any broken noses from poor TRX form! (Who knew push ups were so dangerous?!)

Gradual Push Up Progressions

To build your push up strength and help avoid injury, try some of these ways to challenge yourself gradually. 

• Change the tempo. Try going slowly down for three seconds, then one second up. Or try fast down, slow up. Add a hold at the bottom, mid-way, or both. 
•  Alter your stance. Just like in a plank, it is easier to do a push up when your feet are wider apart. Try bringing your feet closer together. Can you do a pushup with your feet touching? You can also try a decline push up, with your feet on a step or bench. The higher your feet, the harder the push up!
• Switch hand and/or arm positions. If you are doing push ups with your elbows at 45 degrees from your body, bring your arms close to your sides for a tricep push up. Try a diamond push up, with your thumbs and forefingers making a diamond shape on the ground. Move your hands into different positions – what is hardest for you? 
• Create instability. There are a lot of ways to do this, adding variety and challenge. Lift a foot off the ground as you do the push up. Add an arm reach at the top (easier) or bottom (harder) of your pushup. Move your arm or leg as you do the push up, like the Spiderman push up where you bring your knee to your elbow on the way down. 
• Add weight. You can try a weighted vest, but they can be very heavy. I like to add a weight plate onto the back. This does two things: 1) You have to push more weight, building strength and muscle. 2) You have to maintain a solid plank as you move up and down, so that the weight plate stays put on your back.
• Add instability. There are many fitness gadgets to add instability to your push up, making you work harder to stay balanced. In addition to the TRX, you can try using a bosu, balance board, gliders, sandbags, a medicine ball, or even a kettlebell! 
• Change body movements. Rather than moving just up and down, push up progressions also include body movements and positions. Look up dive bomber push ups, pike push ups, renegade rows with a push up, or alligators (a crawl with a push up). 

With a list like that, you’ll never get bored doing push ups again! 

You might see the really advanced movements on social media, but you don’t often see how to get there. There are a lot of steps between a standard push up and a one-armed push up. Think about the smaller steps you can take to make yourself stronger. 

And of course, you need to stay consistent! Once upon a time, I was doing push ups about five times a week for a year, and then that stopped for whatever reason. Let me tell you, my push ups went from amazing and feeling darn good to feeling very difficult. Gaining back that strength again was so frustrating.

Now tell me – where are you at with your push ups?