The Perfect Push Up!

Tonight I had planned on blogging about the purpose behind the forms (poomse) that those in ATA Tae Kwon Do work so diligently to perfect. However, I was so inspired by another blogger's post that I ran across, that I have decided to publish her blog post here in it's entirety. Mandi, of everyone that reads my blog, I know that you'll not only benefit the most, but will also have the most interest in reading about and executing the Perfect Push Up! I do a gazillion push ups every week to further my fitness program as it's the one exercise that hits my entire upper body and core. Finding an article written by a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, as well as a 4th degree Black Belt in ATA TKD, is certainly exciting for me. Here's my challenge to each one who reads this post - Try at least 1 perfect pushup!

Kihap!

Dedie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Search of the “perfect” push-up
By Dianne Bailey, CSCS

In light of the recent Fitness Test instituted by the ATA, you may be asking, “What is the perfect push-up?” Well, you might immediately think of the recently created product called just that. The “Perfect Push-up” was created by Navy SEAL, Alden Mills, to help facilitate the body’s natural movement during the world’s oldest bodyweight exercise, the push-up. Reviews of this product have been favorable, but you don’t need to spend the $40 for these nifty handles to get your body into the right position for a great workout!

While there are many variations of the humble push-up, let’s look at the basic form to make sure you are getting the most out of this exercise.

Incorrect: elbows out, hands by head. Potential injury to shoulders. (Oct., 2007, Vol 29, Number 5, Strength and Conditioning Journal)









Correct: elbows back, hands at shoulder/nipple line. Engaging pecs instead of shoulders as major movers.















We all know that there are many differences between women and men. After all, Venus and Mars are not the same planet! This follows through into the correct form for push-ups. Most women have difficulty identifying with their pectoralis major, or chest muscle. It is, however, the original “chest protector.” Look at some of the UFC fighters and notice how developed their chest muscles are . . . good protection for their heart from the intense punches they receive! Women, however, do not naturally have the muscle mass in the chest that a man has and therefore have difficulty connecting with the major mover in the push-up. They attempt to complete the push-up with their arms. Yes, the arms and shoulders are definitely working . . . but you must use your pectorals to really get at the heart of the push-up. Proper form is critical for this to happen.

That’s not to say that the chest is the only muscle group being activated during the push-up. In a recent NY Times article discussing push-ups, Tara Parker-Pope writes, “The push-up is the ultimate barometer of fitness. It tests the whole body, engaging muscle groups in the arms, chest, abdomen, hips and legs. It requires the body to be taut like a plank with toes and palms on the floor. The act of lifting and lowering one’s entire weight is taxing even for the very fit.” The traditional push-up is performed as a long lever, total body workout with the contact points at the toes and the hands. One can modify this position and therefore make it easier by shortening the lever and performing the push-up with the contact point at the knees instead of the toes. This dramatically reduces the core activation in this exercise, however. A better way to “shorten the lever”, but still maintain core activation is by raising the level of the hands, i.e. performing a push-up with your hands on a bench.

The versatility of the push-up is amazing! Consider the number of variations that can be created with this one exercise:

Feet elevated on step
Feet elevated on stability ball
Hands on stability ball

One-arm push-ups
One-leg push-ups

Plyometric with claps

One hand on medicine ball

Transfer medicine ball

Depth drop and return to two steps

T-stab (push-up then rotate to T position)

The “perfect push-up” doesn’t have to be a product that you buy from Amazon.com. It can and should be a major part of your fitness arsenal for your ATA life and beyond.

For all pictures, click on this link: http://kicks4all.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html

Dianne Bailey is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. She is also a 4th Degree Black Belt with the ATA with 14 years experience in the martial arts. She owns Martial Arts Conditioning,LLC which runs The Conditioning Classroom, a personal training studio in Denver, CO. www.maconditioning.com