To be honest, push-ups aren’t as easy as they seem. It takes a lot of upper-body and core strength to push your bodyweight up off the floor while staying in a plank position.
I used to be a long-distance runner with a weak upper body before I started strength training, so I know what it’s like to start over. You can get there, but it will take time and practice.
If you want to do this bodyweight move, I have two changes that will help you get there. You will work the same muscles, but in a different way, to get stronger and practice the movement pattern.
You might like the picture of a woman lying on her back on an exercise mat on a wooden floor, with her legs bent at 90 degrees. There are plants and glass walls behind her.
Can’t do a plank? A Pilates teacher gives three beginner-friendly options that still build core strength. A man in an orange shirt and a man in a white shirt are both doing push-ups against a low wall outside, with the camera facing them sideways.
A personal trainer says that if you’re new to working out, these are the first five exercises you should do.
This core strength workout doesn’t require any equipment and can help with back pain and posture. I used the two options below when I was first learning how to do full push-ups, and I still use them with my personal training clients today.
I still do these moves in different ways to keep my push-up strength. It’s true that you will lose this bodyweight move if you don’t use it.
If you’re not very strong right now, you might want to just do the first move and then add the second one when you get stronger.
1. Push-up with a negative
You can move on to a negative push-up, also called an eccentric push-up, if you can hold a high plank with a stable core and form for 30 to 60 seconds.
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This move is all about the descent. You will get stronger for a full push-up if you learn how to lower yourself slowly and with control.
How to do it:
Eccentric Push-Up with Full Reset – YouTubeEccentric Push-Up with Full Reset – YouTube Watch On Sets: 3 Reps: 5–8
What to read next: a woman doing a glute bridge on a yoga mat
No sit-ups or planks; I’m a personal trainer and these are the five moves. I think that all beginners should start working on their deep core with
A woman in a park is smiling and holding a resistance band.
This standing exercise has changed my core strength in just six months. A woman does a high plank at home.
This circuit is what I would do if I wanted to strengthen my core but only had five minutes and no equipment.
- Get into a high plank position with your shoulders directly above your wrists and your body making a straight line from your shoulders to your feet.
- Get your butt, core, and shoulder blades to work.
- To lower yourself to the floor in a controlled way, bend your elbows and keep them close to your body.
- At the end of your range, let your knees fall to the floor.
- Push back up by extending your arms. To get back to a high plank position, lift your knees.
- If you can’t lower all the way to the floor, try the incline version. Put your hands on a box or chair instead of the floor to make it easier on your shoulders and arms. Keep doing this until you can easily do three sets of five to eight reps.
2. Hold a low push-up
This is an isometric move where you hold the bottom position of the push-up, just before your chest hits the floor.
I like this move because it makes the hardest part of the push-up stronger. You can also change the difficulty level by holding it lower to make it harder or higher while you’re still building strength.
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