Performing a perfect press-up

I believe it’s valuable to teach each of my female clients to perform full press-ups.  This is not so that she can impress others.  I want her to impress herself.

I work together with her over weeks and months, developing her physical strength and body confidence.  She’ll  tone up muscle, but not put on bulk.

Physical Results:

I attribute much of female body transformations to press-ups, or push ups, if she’s American. The physical benefits of full press-ups (i.e. up on the toes) are wide-ranging.

She’ll notice big improvements in strength and toning in the upper body. I believe the press-up is a key ingredient for toned arms and shoulders. She may be wary of bulking-up in the chest, but if monitored correctly, this will not happen.

Emotional Benefits:

The benefits of the press-up are more than just the physical results. To be able to move herself purposefully and confidently is an emotional benefit of bodyweight exercise that’s often overlooked.

Instructing the Exercise:

At the beginning of personal training, if necessary, we regress the press-up move to something that is achieveable – perhaps a ‘box’ press-up (i.e. on the knees) or a small movement before building up a range of motion. The key points I keep in mind when instructing this exercise are finding a comfortable wrist position; ensuring the nose or chest reaches the ground; and watching that the low back doesn’t sag, causing undue stress to the spine.

Sense of Achievement:

There’s usually an incredible sense of achievement, when my female clients experience the correct completion of one full repetition. And it’s addictive.