The push-up is one of the most widely used body weight exercises, and can be performed almost anywhere, requiring very little space. This movement has many variations, so today’s article outlines the steps to be able to perform that perfect push-up.

The steps are as follows:

■ Start by getting your hands in position, palms facing forward, and hands directly underneath your shoulders (knees are down on the ground at this point in time until your hand positioning has been established)

■ If you are aiming to push up off your toes, raise the knees off the ground and walk the feet back until your feet are perpendicular to the ground

■ If you are pushing up off your knees, ensure you walk your knees back into position, tucking your feet to your backside and ensuring your hands are still directly underneath your shoulders

■ Your back should be in alignment with your hips and definitely not raising too high, or sagging too low

■ Your stomach muscles need to be switched on in preparation

■ Now we are ready we drop into the repetition bringing our chest without sagging the back or raising the hips as close as possible to the ground, squeezing through your upper back

■ On the way up you can exhale and bring the arms into the straight position.

This push-up is very effective but needs to be performed correctly. It requires no equipment and is a great way to strengthen the shoulders, chest, triceps and core.

Happy training!

Illawarra Mercury