Can't keep my back straight during push ups.

Mellouk89
Mellouk89 Posts: 469 Member
edited February 2021 in Fitness and Exercise
When doing push ups I have a tendency to arch my lower back and no matter how hard I try to keep a good posture my lower back will arch after a couple of reps. And because push ups are a high repetition exercise it's particularly hard to keep a good posture the whole time.

I don't know what might be the problem but I was thinking of using a belt for my lower back, is it a good idea? I have no other way to train my chest as I don't have access to a gym right now and I only have 30lbs dumbbells.

I thought about maybe skipping training chest until I have access to a gym.


Replies

  • age_is_just_a_number
    age_is_just_a_number Posts: 631 Member
    Some thoughts:
    Tighten your core muscles to maintain a flat back. Activate your entire body.
    Reduce your range of motion.
    Try incline push-ups until you can maintain the flat back.
    Do fewer reps and hold plank.
    Do chest flys with your dumbbells.
  • Mellouk89
    Mellouk89 Posts: 469 Member
    edited February 2021
    Yeah at this point I should do fewer reps and do them slowly, it's not that simple of an exercise. I always did bench press or dips for chest which doesn't really require full body activation.

    I should also do chest flies but I have a hard time really feeling my chest muscles with this exercise. And 30lbs is a little bit light.



  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Doing your exercise correctly is obviously the best bet but if you have a strength imbalance between your chest/arm strength and your core strength then I would suggest adding in some planks.

    No I wouldn't suggest skipping a major muscle group (chest) until gyms reopen, work on bringing your weaker element up rather than letting your stronger element decline.
  • lx1x
    lx1x Posts: 38,330 Member
    +1 planks..

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    Start on your knees. Check a mirror and FEEL your position. With repetition comes habit.

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  • SnifterPug
    SnifterPug Posts: 746 Member
    I've only recently achieved an unassisted push up and I am now working on stopping that arch. Lots of core work (oh, how I hate planks, but they work), pulling my belly button in tight, really bracing core and glutes as I work and tucking my chin closer to my chest.

    Totally agree with the suggestion to check a mirror - in fact I video all my push ups so I can see the problems and work on the finer points.
  • Mellouk89
    Mellouk89 Posts: 469 Member
    edited February 2021
    Yes I started doing planks a couple of weeks ago, i'm doing 3 sets of 1min and after a minute I start shaking and it becomes really hard. I do them on leg day and I notice that it's not just hard for my abs but for the entire body.

    I don't know what are the strength standards for planks, is 3x1min ok?

    And yes I record myslef doing push ups, the first few reps I can keep my back straight but after that my lower back archs.


  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    edited February 2021
    No one minute isn't great for planks. 3 x 1min might be enough for you to improve but it's reflecting your struggle while doing push ups.
    There's no real benefit in holding more than 3 minutes so when you get there make the plank harder, not longer.
  • spyro88
    spyro88 Posts: 472 Member
    Maybe you could find other exercises to strengthen your core too? If you're arching then it's probably to do with weak core.
  • Mellouk89
    Mellouk89 Posts: 469 Member
    I'll go for 3 x 2 mins for now we'll see how quickly I can get there. I'm not progressing very quickly.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    I'm going to disagree with most people and say that arching on pushups isn't necessarily bad. The body naturally tries to arch because that utilizes more of the chest muscle, since most of the muscle fibers are oriented downward, nor horizontally. This is why many people instinctively arch on the bench press too - in fact it's often recommended to arch on the bench press. On pushups, it's only problematic if the arching is excessive. That happens when the abs don't contract hard enough - usually a coordination issue rather than a strength issue. But avoid doing ab exercises prior to pushups, since that puts the abs in a weakened state. Video recording your sets from the side is helpful for checking pushup form btw.
    Mellouk89 wrote: »
    And because push ups are a high repetition exercise ..

    They don't have to be - you can wear a weighted backpack to make them more challenging.

  • Mellouk89
    Mellouk89 Posts: 469 Member
    edited February 2021
    Interesting, so as long as the arching is not too excessive it's not really that problematic. I have a slight arch, I wouldn't say it's excessive but when I tried decline push ups I compensated a lot more than on regular push ups. Still I could do 15-20 reps on decline push ups, but with a arched back.

    I'll try it with weight on my back see how that goes. Maybe I could do fewer reps that way, no more than 8-10 reps.
  • SarahVeste
    SarahVeste Posts: 16 Member
    Start with a wall press up, form is the single most important thing when completing any exercise; if youre unable to complete the exercise in that correct form then take a step back with the exercise and master earlier stages and then work your way progressively up to where you want to be.

    In the case of press ups; start with wall press ups, then take yourself on some stairs to reduce the incline, then go to the floor but keep your knees on the floor, then to your standard press up, then you can make it more difficult by elevating the feet or by having your feet on an uneven surface.

    Always start by aiming to achieve 8 reps successfully, once you can do that push for 12, once you can do 12 try the next level of the exercise.

    Hope that helps:)

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