Pathway to push ups?

dralicephd
dralicephd Posts: 401 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi there,

My daughter wants to be able to do push ups, but currently cannot do a single one (not even from her knees). What is the best way to her there?

I've got her doing them from a wall. Is there any benefit to having her get into the standard position on the floor and go down only as far as she can? Even if it is barely bending her arms? What about just holding that position?

Thanks for your thoughts!

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Stairs are a good progression over time from wall to floor.
    Get your daughter to pick the number of stairs that allow her to do a decent volume of angled pushups and work her way down a step at a time as she gets stonger.

    There is some benefit from doing what she can in the floor position but that will be mostly to her core if her ROM is currently very restricted by lack of strength. Just like planks or tricep work would help but I'd try to stay as close as possible to the actual movement she wants to work on rather than divide up the various components of a compound movement.

    Negatives (starting from straight arms) will also have some benefit but my preference would be to work the full ROM but at a lower stress level by using the stairs or other ways to raise hands. It's not a bad guideline that to get better at a movement or lift primarily do that movement or lift as best you can.
  • dralicephd
    dralicephd Posts: 401 Member
    Thank you! I appreciate it. This is for a school thing and she has until March to improve. I'll keep working with her. We'll try the stair thing. :)
  • Montanamom1
    Montanamom1 Posts: 23 Member
    I agree with doing the stairs as a starter. I tried to do a full push-up on my 60th birthday and fell flat on my face. I moved to a couch (you could start with a wall or table/counter if you don't have stairs). I then moved to a chair, a bench and lowered the bench. Getting to the floor in about 6 mos. Due to a shoulder injury I can only do 10 at a time now - I do a full push-up, not on my knees, but I can do between 50 - 75 in a workout as long as I split it into groups, and I'm going to be 66 yrs. old.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    stairs is a good suggestion. Also, basically the same concept, but if you don't have stairs you could start with the wall and then graduate to a high countertop, then a lower countertop or desk, and then to a coffee table or something, and then the floor. That's what my wife did.
  • I2k4
    I2k4 Posts: 179 Member
    Good things discussed here, I'd throw in isometrics (my current thing for shoulder recovery) and not necessarily full body planking all the time: a yoga strap, towel, whatever held around the shoulders can be pressed forward and held for intensity at various arm positions just sitting or even flat on the back.

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