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The standard push-ups continue to be a good way to train your upper body. Many people may be surprised to learn how challenging it can be doing push-ups when they do it right.Let’s start by understanding what the perfect pushup is. This was created by a man in the Navy that was a former Navy SEAL. He felt the pushup was often poorly performed and it was important to use handles to guide the body. This was when he created handles that were set on top of circles for an elevated pushup foundation. These handles can rotate and offer the hands more room to move without feeling awkward. The perfect pushup was designed to ease the pressure on your wrists and joints while still maximizing the set.
Perfect Pushup Workout
The goal is to hit the pecs from all angles to ensure it is fully engaged. Too often, the average person understands the value of this compound exercise but don’t take the time to analyze how they’re doing it. The goal has to be to focus on the details and then build to a world-class pushup. This is the only way to feel safe about the task and know it will lead to a good change in how you do things.
This means hitting the upper, mid, and lower areas of the pec with controlled form. Let’s take a look at what has to be done for this type of workout to be completed with the equipment in hand.
Understanding “Form” of the Perfect Pushup
Start with the basics because your form is important in such situations. You want to focus on getting the form spot on as the rest of your workout will fall into line over time as long as you get this part down. The idea of the perfect pushup is to keep the bodyweight in line and move in one synchronized motion.
You want to keep the core tight, hands in line with each other, and ensure the glutes are clenched. This is a good way to act as one unified piece from top to bottom, so energy doesn’t leak while you are pushing up. You want to emphasize this because too many people start to sag at their hips or put too much weight on their back during a pushup. This will lead to injury and/or poor results.
The handles should do a good job of helping with this and are going to offer control as soon as you settle in for a new set.
Perfect Pushup Elite
Regular Pushups
(3 x 10=12 repetitions)
You are going to do three sets of this (10-12 repetitions each). The idea of this is to keep the handles shoulder’s width apart and ensure everything is in line before you complete the movement. You want to lock the wrist and core into place as soon as you put yourself into the elevated pushup position.
With these pushups, you are going to make sure to stay balanced and not sway forward as soon as you begin. Since this is the regular pushup, you are going to want to master this as soon as you can.
Diamond Pushups
(3 x 10=12 repetitions)
This is an ideal option to start to work on the pecs from a different angle and engage your triceps at the same time. Your triceps are going to be activated in this position because the handles are close to each other. You are going to aim to have the handles positioned right in line with your sternum.
By doing this, you will be able to push up and engage the middle of your chest and your triceps in one shot. This is a great movement and should be done with the same intensity as any other set. You will be completing 3 sets of 10-10 repetitions.
Wide Pushups
(3 x 10=12 repetitions)
Now it is time to look at fully engaging the chest and that is done with the help of wide pushups. The idea of this is to keep the handles outside your shoulders. This is going to take pressure off of the triceps and ensure you are activating the pecs as soon as you want to.
Pay attention to this movement and make sure to keep your balance as you go up. This is a big part of the perfect pushup workout.
Staggered Pushups
(4 x 10=12 repetitions)
This is the final movement and is going to be aimed at mixing things up a bit. You will look to have one handle above your shoulder, while the other remains in its “regular” position as you would during a regular pushup. As soon as you complete one set, you will switch over to the other side (i.e., move the other handle above your shoulder). You are going to do two sets for each side to get good results. Be patient with this as it will take time to master as you put in the work.
Supersets
(Mix in Between)
Supersets are an advanced technique but can do wonders for those hoping to engage their chest. The idea behind this is to reduce your rest time and simply go into the next phase of your workout without stopping. This leads to one large “superset” that has more repetitions in it.
The idea is to take regular pushups and then quickly dive into a set of diamond pushups. This is a great way to get the pecs moving and activated as soon as you want. Of course, this doesn’t mean you start lagging on the form as that is the most important part of a perfect pushup workout.
Pacing
The final component of the perfect pushup workout is understanding pacing and how it influences your results. Getting the form down pat is good but you also want to understand pacing. This means how fast you are going through the movement from top to bottom. If you slow things down during the repetition, it will lead to a more controlled setup that is fully engaging from start to finish. However, you are always welcome to mix things up as that is how you develop good pecs.
