A push-up not only helps you to get a stronger upper body, but also a stronger midsection. Proper form is necessary to avoid injury and get the results you seek.
The common mistakes most people make when performing a push-up are going too fast and using only partial range of motion. Pay particular attention to the alignment of your elbows. The ideal angle from your sides is about 45 degrees. This allows you to effectively work your chest muscles. Keep your body stiff and straight as a plank, elbows at a 45 degree angle from your sides, breathe in on the way down, lower your body all the way down, allowing your sternum to gently touch the floor , and breathe out on the way up.
While in plank position, pull in your belly button. Your belly button is attached to your transverse abdominis; this holds your gut inside and gives your spine and vertebrae a nice, weight belt-tightening type of support. So by pulling it in, you begin to contract that deep inner transverse abdominis muscle. Just a fancy way of saying, suck in that gut and hold it!
Keep in mind, however, that in order to really get “six-pack” abs, you have to shed fat. Men need to get their body fat down to about six percent, and women around nine percent in order to achieve that classic six-pack. Those are the fitness professionals we all see in ads that are in awesome shape. But it is a great goal to set and anything we do to improve our health is well worth the work.
Drop and give me 20…
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
