Push-ups are a basic exercise that many people incorporate into their workout routine. They target multiple muscle groups, including chest, shoulders, triceps, and core, and are simple yet effective. However, there is a lot of debate about whether or not you should place your chest on the floor while doing a push-up. So, should your body touch the ground while doing a push-up? Let’s delve deeper into this topic and explore the factors you should consider when performing this exercise.
Why is full range of motion important in push-ups?
To perform a perfect push-up, you need to extend the movement to its fullest extent, which means lowering your body until your chest touches the floor. Here’s why:
- Maximize muscle performance: A wider range of motion recruits more muscle fibers throughout the movement. As you lower your body until your chest touches the floor during a push-up, you activate not only your major muscles (chest, shoulders, and triceps) but also the stabilizing muscles of your core and upper back.
- Promotes Muscle Gain: Reaching a lower position puts a greater strain on your muscles and encourages strength gains.
- Flexibility and mobility: Performing exercises through a full range of motion increases the flexibility and mobility of your joints. Over time, this improves the overall quality of your movement and reduces the risk of stiffness and discomfort both during training and everyday activities.
Should you place your chest on the floor when doing push-ups?
In a perfect push-up with ideal mobility, your chest may briefly scrape the ground. Lowering your body until your chest lightly touches the floor allows you to utilize your full movement potential and activates more muscle fibers in your chest, shoulders and arms. This greater range of motion maximizes muscle engagement, resulting in a more effective workout.
Lowering yourself until your sternum is close to the ground maximizes pectoral muscle engagement and force, but this isn’t for everyone: if you have limited shoulder range of motion, forcing yourself to go too far can put undue strain on the shoulder joint, causing pain and dysfunction.
Prioritize shape over depth
The most important factor is Correct FormatThe golden rule is:
- If you can comfortably lower yourself down until your chest is almost touching the ground while maintaining perfect posture (straight back, elbows close to your body), [1]That’s the sweet spot! You’ll get the most out of your exercise.
- If lowering all the way puts strain on your shoulders, prioritize stopping just before your chest touches the floor. Focus on engaging your core and keeping your body in a straight line throughout the movement. Remember, a well-executed push-up is better than a shallow one, which can compromise your form and put you at risk of injury.
Optimizing your push-up technique
Regardless of the depth you achieve, it’s paramount that you prioritize proper form throughout the entire push-up. Let’s take a closer look at some key aspects of push-up technique.
Core strength is paramount: During a push-up, your core acts as the bridge between your upper and lower body. Engaging your core throughout the movement will stabilize your spine and help prevent injury. To activate your core, imagine drawing your belly button in toward your spine. Focus on maintaining a straight line from your head to your heels throughout the push-up.
Elbow position is important: As you lower, keep your elbows close to your sides, rather than flaring them out. This takes pressure off your shoulders and engages your triceps more effectively. Keep your upper arms hugging your ribs throughout the movement.
Controlled movements are essential: On the lowering phase, don’t just drop down – lower with control to maximize muscle work, then push up with the same control and explosiveness.
For even better results, focus on actively engaging your chest muscles throughout the push-up. This mind-muscle engagement will not only improve your form, but it’ll help you get the most out of each push-up. Squeeze your chest muscles as you lower yourself, then visualize explosively pushing back up to the starting position.
A smooth, controlled push-up is much more effective than one that is jerky or rushed.
A simple variation: building a strong foundation
Are you struggling to do a full push-up? Don’t worry! Here are some valuable modifications to consider:
Incline Push-ups:
This is a great way to build upper body strength before tackling full-on push-ups. It’s done with your hands elevated on a bench or sturdy object, giving you a more manageable starting point. Start off high and gradually decrease the incline as you get stronger.
Knee push-ups:
Kneeling push-ups, performed on your knees rather than your toes, are a valuable option for beginners or those recovering from an injury, allowing you to focus on proper form and core strength before increasing the difficulty. Focus on maintaining a straight line from your head to your knees and keeping your core tight.
Think of incline push-ups and kneeling push-ups as stepping stones on your push-up journey. When performed with proper form, these variations will strengthen the supporting muscles in your shoulders and improve your overall push-up mechanics. This strong foundation will allow you to gradually work your way deeper into your push-ups without compromising your form.
Difficult variations
Once you’ve mastered the basic push-up variations, you might be ready to push yourself to the limits and try some more challenging variations. Here are two options to take your push-ups to the next level.
Resistance Band Push Ups:
This variation can be made even more challenging by incorporating a resistance band.
- Wrap a resistance band around your upper back just below your shoulder blades. Hold the ends of the band with both hands in a normal push-up hand position.
- Perform a standard push-up; the resistance band provides additional tension throughout the movement, increasing the load on your chest, shoulders and triceps.
Push-ups with a push-up bar:
Push-up bars raise your hands higher and increase the range of motion of your push-up, and this variation puts more emphasis on your shoulders and triceps.
- To perform this variation, place your hands shoulder-width apart on a push-up bar.
- Slowly lower yourself down, keeping your elbows close to your body.
- Press back up to the starting position, maintaining a straight line from head to heels.
What’s right for you?
Remember that the secret to effective push-ups is proper form and gradual progression, so don’t try to force your chest down if it compromises your form.
- New to push-ups? Start close to the floor and progress to a deeper position as you get stronger.
- Do you have shoulder problems? Choose a comfortable depth to avoid pain.
- Not sure? Please speak to a certified trainer for individual instruction.
Conclusion
Listen to your body, modify as needed, and focus on quality repetitions. Following these steps will help you master the push-up and reap its many fitness benefits. Push-ups are a great exercise for developing upper body strength, core stability, and overall functional fitness. Incorporating them into your training routine with proper form and progressive resistance will get you closer to reaching your fitness goals.
