The standard pushup is an almost perfect exercise, because it works your core, shoulders, triceps and chest all at once. You can easily adapt the pushup to suit your ability level by adding instability for extra difficulty, or doing wall or knee pushups for less difficulty. Some people find the 90-degree wrist bend uncomfortable when doing classic pushups. Enter the Perfect Pushup, which claims to eliminate wrist pain while improving your entire pushup experience.
Description
The Perfect Pushup devices consist of two nonslip discs, each with a single handle attached. The handles rotate freely on the discs. You're meant to place each disc on the floor, then grip the handles and assume a push-up position. As of January 2011, the basic version of the Perfect Pushup retails for $30 to $40. You can also purchase a so-called mobile unit that folds flat and fits into a small carry bag, plus workout DVDs and a pushup counter to go with your Perfect Pushup handles.
Range of Motion
Because the Perfect Pushup elevates you slightly off the floor, you can, in theory, dip lower with each pushup for a greater range of motion. Expert recommendations on pushup range of motion vary, however, ranging from "use it or lose it" to warnings that too great a range of motion makes your shoulders vulnerable to injury from extreme external rotation. Just because the extra range of motion is there doesn't mean you have to use it. So stick to a pain-free range of motion. If in doubt, stop when your shoulders are even with your elbows.
Instability
The Perfect Pushup is designed to allow your forearms to rotate 90 degrees during each push-up, facilitating much the same motion as if you were throwing a punch. You don't have to rotate the handles. You can also keep them steady throughout the entire range of motion. Work on mastering the basic pushup technique on the familiar handles before you try to add the extra twist. If you do add the twist, your hands should be palms-in when you're at the lowest point in the pushup, and palms facing toward your feet when your arms are fully extended.
Modifications
You don't need the Perfect Pushup to benefit from doing pushups, although being able to straighten your wrists will almost always make pushups more comfortable. If this piece of equipment inspires you to do pushups as part of your regular exercise routine, the Perfect Pushup is worth its purchase price. You can use it as a training aid even if you're not strong enough to do full pushups yet, by bending your knees and doing the pushups from your knees instead of the balls of your feet.
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