Game Changer
GAME CHANGER #02: Why you can't do more push-ups
It's not always about strength. Most often, what's holding you back is a lack of body tension, poor shoulder positioning and a lack of movement control. Three steps to take before your first push-up.
You've been stuck at 8 push-ups for half a year. You do them every workout and add more sets, but the number won't budge. Before you decide you're too weak — check whether you're actually doing a push-up or just lowering and lifting your torso.
It's not always about strength
A push-up looks simple, so hardly anyone teaches it. But it's a full-body exercise: from your hands through your shoulders and torso to your glutes. If any of those parts aren't doing their job, the force from your chest and triceps goes to waste instead of pushing you away from the floor.
The most common problem
Lack of body tension
your hips sag or your butt rises. Your spine does the work instead of your muscles, and the movement loses power right from the start.
Poor shoulder positioning
elbows flare out and shoulders creep up towards your ears. A lot of the load goes onto the joint, and very little onto the muscles.
Lack of movement control
you drop onto your chest instead of lowering yourself. Without the eccentric phase, there's no foundation for building strength.
If your shoulders hurt after a set rather than your chest and triceps — the problem is your technique, not the load.
Start differently: 3 steps before your push-up
01. Brace your abs and glutes
your body should form one rigid line from head to heels. Imagine someone is about to punch you in the stomach.
02. Push the floor away (scapula push-up)
from a plank position, push yourself up through your shoulder blades without bending your elbows. This teaches stable shoulder positioning.
03. Rotate your upper arms so your biceps face forwards
external rotation positions your elbows at about 45 degrees and frees up the shoulder joint.
Do these three things before you bend your elbows. The first few reps will be harder than usual — that's a sign the right muscles are finally doing the work.
What this looks like in practice
The result
Better technique
every rep counts equally, without relying on momentum.
More stable shoulders
the muscles take the load again, so the joint stops getting overloaded with every set.
Better movement control
you control the tempo on the way up and down, which carries over to dips, handstand push-ups and work on parallettes.
Less shoulder overload
less pain after training, more sessions per month.
Plan for the next 2 weeks
3 sets of 8 scapular push-ups as a warm-up before every push workout.
Only do as many push-ups as you can with full body tension
even if that means 4 instead of 10. Finish the set with an easier version: hands elevated.
Tempo
2 seconds down, a brief pause near the floor, then push up explosively.
After two weeks, return to the full push-up and count your reps. This is usually where people add 3-5 reps without adding a single extra set.
That was the second instalment in the series. If you haven't read the first, start with GAME CHANGER #01 on pull-ups. You'll find the background to the whole series here.
Want me to check your technique and create a progression for your level? Send me a message — the first consultation is free.
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