The Pushup
We need to talk about this movement. Why is it one of the simplest exercises we do at CrossFit, yet it is one of the most incorrectly performed and unfortunately, the most cheated?
For someone starting out with exercise, they tend to think of the pushup as a challenge to their upper body strength, namely the shoulders, chest and arms. But it is also a major test of midline stability. Being able to hold decent tension in your midline is crucial to getting your first pushups, and even more crucial to maintaining good form during multiple reps and sets. When I see people making love to the ground with sagging hips, or waving their arse around in the air like they're in a yoga class, that is a sign of a weak midline.
You don't just need strength in your pushing muscles, you need to keep your midline tight as well. If your thighs or stomach are touching the ground before your chest, or are not leaving the floor before your chest, you are lacking midline strength, and are not maximising the potential of the pushup.
Have a listen to the dynamic duo of Carl Paoli and Kelly Starrett getting you set up for a perfect pushup.
We often work on the hollow body position during warmups. Get some extra work in on it, to improve your pushup. Here's another great vid from Carl P.
Now, I know that some of you have no problem with midline control. Despite repeated cues, curses, and my foot pressed into your spine, you seem unable to perform the simple task of getting your chest to the ground. That is why we employed a new coach at CFNZ. Some of you have met her, her name is Chelsea.
Coach Chelsea the rubber chicken goes beyond the call of duty, lying belly up on the floor directly under your sternum. The same sternum that seems unable to make contact with the floor, is now required to produce a squeak out of Chelsea on every single rep for it to count.
But she can't be everywhere. And let's face it, 20 people squeaking a chicken would drive us all crazy.
So we've been playing around with some ways to help you all get better. Here's a great version of the pushup used at the competition in Brisbane I attended a couple of weeks ago. (watch the first minute).
Movement Demos Hardnup 2012 from CrossFit Brisbane on Vimeo.
Now we're not going to go to that extreme for every workout, but after seeing it in action, I couldn't deny how effective it was. We're going to stick with a simple version today. Feet on a 20kg bumper plate. It's not going to ensure you get your chest to the ground, but it's going to put you at a more favourable angle to achieve it, while keeping your thighs and hips away from the ground. If they do touch the ground, you will have had to have made an extra effort to do so, ie. cheat, and the 'no rep' call will fly thick and fast......
As Michael Jackson says after he's given his backing dancers a rev up, "with love people, with love....."
Workout
AMRAP in 15 mins of:
10 Pull-Ups
15 pushups
20 Kettlebell Swings (24/16 kg)
25 Situps
40 Double-Unders
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