Press ups are one of my favourite exercises. Seriously. A good press up will tone the chest (very important for the ladies, to maintain a nice torso ‘profile’ – you wouldn’t hang a picture on a crumbling wall, if you get my drift), and also work into the triceps (back of the upper arm aka ‘bingo wings’).
Press ups can be done anywhere, anytime, without any equipment. If you do press ups three times a week, you will make progress steadily. Do them everyday for rapid progress.
There are three levels of press ups – the box press up, intermediate, and full press ups.
Beginners version: Box Press Up
The box press up is the beginners version, or for those with little upper body strength.
You start on all fours, as pictured, and slowly bend your elbows to lower your nose to the floor. Breathe in on the way down and out on the push up. Aim to lower your nose between your hands.
Try three sets of ten repetitions.
Next level: Intermediate Press Up
The next level up, the Intermediate press up, is suitable for those with some upper body strength, who want to progress and get stronger.
You can see that the back is flat, and body weight is further forward. This effectively means that you are pressing more of your body weight through your arms and chest.
Ensure when you do this press up that you lower your chest all the way down to the floor. This will ensure you are working your chest as well as your triceps.
After you can easily acheive three sets of ten of the intermediate, it’s simply a matter of lifting up your knees for…
What to aim for: Full Press Up
The Full Press Up. It is a simple case of lifting your knees from the intermediate press up position to get to this level.
Ensure that your tummy is pulled in and your back straight. Shoulders should be relaxed. If you cannot hold the start position for more than a few seconds, then revert back to the intermediate level and concentrate on your form and abdominal strength.
All full press up should be performed nice and slow, breathing in on the way down and out on the way up. Ensure your chest goes all the way down. If you can only go halfway down, revert to Intermiediate and practise going all the way down to the floor.
I like to do 3 sets of 10 reps of press ups, ideally everyday. You can build up by doing, say, one set of intermediate, one set of full and then a final set of intermediate. There is absolutely no shame in practising the intermediate level, as it will help you develop good form and a slow speed. If 3 sets of 10 is too easy, builing up to 3 sets of 11, 3 sets of 12 etc etc. Enjoy!
