Push Up Press

Pushups are a staple in any calisthenics bodyweight training, CrossFit, or any well-balanced fitness regimen. The compound exercise recruits muscles from nearly your entire upper body including arms, back, chest, shoulders, and core to perform the primal functional movement.

Scale your pushups by adding a resistance band to offer an ascending resistance. As you push farther and your muscles contract further, the band will compliment them with an increasing amount of tension.        

1. Grasp the resistance band and place it around your back and under your arms (to avoid chafing)

2. Place palms on the floor slightly wider than shoulder width apart, just below your shoulders.

3. Lower yourself down until your chest almost touches the floor and then press back up to starting position with arms fully extended.

4. Repeat

Tips:

• Keep body as straight as possible throughout the exercise (including head).

• Twist the band and create an 'X' before placing around your back to avoid slippage.

• Do negative reps by slowing down the regression and speeding up the push-up to exhaust chest and back muscles.

• Intensify your workout by performing subsequent sets either with a lighter resistance band or no bands until fatigue

Variations:

1. Rest your knees on the floor.

2. Place feet on an elevated surface to work lower pectorals.

3. Draw hands and elbows in closer toward your body to engage triceps.

4. Spread hands farther apart to engage shoulders and outer chest muscles.

5. Mountain Climbers: Between reps alternate bringing each knee to the elbow on the same side

Target Muscles: shoulders (deltoids), chest (pectorals), triceps, abs.