How to Improve Pushups

The pushup is one of the most popular forms of body weight exercise in existence. It can be integrated into workouts, or a whole workout can be created with nothing but pushups by doing various positions with various grips. As with any type of weightlifting exercise, form means everything. Your pushup is only as good as your form. With that being said, there are ways to improve your form that involve the other parts of the body that are also called into play.

Step 1

Work your shoulders. Shoulder strength is very important when it comes to pushups. They help stabilize the upper body when you are lowering and lifting yourself. To strengthen them, do some military presses, upright rows and lateral raises. You can use either dumbells or barbells for any of these exercises.

Step 2

Work your triceps. The triceps are located on the back of the upper arm, and they are called into play when your elbows are extending. To strengthen them, do tricep dips on two chairs. Place the chairs about the length of your legs apart from each other. Place your hands on the edge of one chair and your feet on top of the other. Slowly lower yourself until your elbows are bent about 90 degrees, then push yourself back up until your arms are straight.

Step 3

Elevate your feet. To increase the muscle fiber recruitment in the upper chest, place your feet on a stationary object and perform pushups. This can be a chair, table, bench or bed. The higher the object, the harder the pushups will be to perform.

Step 4

Do off-balance pushups. Instability pushups are more challenging than standard pushups, and they also recruit more muscle fibers. To perform them, place one hand on a medicine ball or basketball, and perform pushups.

Step 5

Do some BOSU pushups. A BOSU is a functional training tool that looks like a Swiss ball that has been cut in half. It has a flat side and an inflated dome side that can be used either way. Flip the BOSU over so the flat side is facing up. Grab the sides and perform pushups. This is similar to off-balance pushups, except both of your hands are off balance at the same time. This causes you to use more stabilizer and core muscles.

Step 6

Strengthen the back. Strengthening your back can also contribute to improved pushups. A way to do this is by performing pike pushups. These are done by coming into a regular plank position, then lifting your hips up in the air and shifting your weight back on your heels. You then lower your upper body down toward the floor until your nose is about 2 inches away, then push back up.