{"id":2965,"date":"2025-01-10T03:50:19","date_gmt":"2025-01-10T03:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/incline-push-up-tutorial-video.html"},"modified":"2025-01-10T03:50:19","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T03:50:19","slug":"incline-push-up-tutorial-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/health\/incline-push-up-tutorial-video.html","title":{"rendered":"Incline Push-Up Tutorial (Video)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">If you have trouble performing at least 10 consecutive repetitions of the classic push-up with proper form \u2014 hands in line with your shoulders, body straight, elbows tucked at your sides, chest to within a few inches of the floor \u2014 the usual advice is to work your way up by doing knee push-ups. There\u2019s just one problem with that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cThe knee push-up doesn\u2019t work the same muscles in the same ways as the classic push-up,\u201d says Trevor Thieme, C.S.C.S. \u201cSo it doesn\u2019t help you build the strength you need to eventually progress to a regular push-up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">It\u2019s a matter of physics: When you change the point of contact with the floor from your feet to your knees, you change the angle of your arms to your body and, consequently, the action of the push-up on your joints and muscles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">A better option: The incline push-up. Like the knee push-up, it\u2019s an easier variation of the classic bodyweight exercise. But because it shares the same body position and movement pattern with the regular push-up, it works the same muscles in a similar way. This takes them through the classic push-up\u2019s full range of motion, just at a different angle of your entire body to the floor.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also more adaptable to\u00a0your current fitness level. \u201cThe greater the angle of your body to the ground, the easier the exercise becomes,\u201d says Thieme.\u201d As you become stronger, you can move your hands progressively closer to the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Incline Push-Up: Step-By-Step Instructions<\/h2>\n<p><iframe src=\"http:\/\/players.brightcove.net\/1634697872\/SJeKARb7p_default\/index.html?videoId=5576353788001\" width=\"600\" height=\"337.5\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><strong data-redactor-tag=\"strong\">Appears in:<\/strong>\u00a0The 20s\u00a0&gt;&gt; Megan\u2019s Workouts &gt;&gt; Pyrashape<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on a bench or other stable, elevated surface, and assume a\u00a0high plank position with your feet together and body straight from head to heels. Clench your glutes and brace your core to lock your body into position.<\/li>\n<li>Maintain a flat back and keep your core engaged as you lower your chest to within a few inches of the bench. Don\u2019t let your hips sag.<\/li>\n<li>Pause, and then push yourself back up to starting position.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>How to Make the Incline Push-up Easier (or Harder)<\/h2>\n<p>There are several ways to progress or modify the incline push-up to make it more or less challenging.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Change the angle<\/h3>\n<p>As noted above, you can perform incline push-ups at nearly any angle: the steeper the incline, the easier the move becomes. People new to strength training can even perform the incline push-up with their hands on the vertical surface of a wall.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Change the tempo<\/h3>\n<p>The slower you perform any exercise \u2014 including the incline push-up \u2014 the greater your muscles\u2019\u00a0time under tension\u00a0will be, and the more challenging the exercise will become. Try taking three to four seconds to lower your body, and see if you don\u2019t agree.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Add some instability<\/h3>\n<p>To increase the challenge to your balance and core, lift one foot off the ground as you perform the move, alternating legs every rep. Another option: Place your hands on a stability ball\u00a0instead of a stable surface.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Be explosive<\/h3>\n<p>Want a serious challenge? Push yourself up as fast and hard as possible, perhaps even with enough force for your hands to leave the bench for a split-second. In so doing, you\u2019ll work your type II muscle fibers (which have the most growth potential) even harder.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Benefits of Incline Push-ups<\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The push-up may be as close to a perfect exercise as it gets: You don\u2019t need equipment, you can do them anywhere, and when performed correctly, they work muscles throughout your body (not just your chest and arms). The incline push-up makes these benefits more accessible to\u00a0beginners.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Also, like classic push-ups, the incline push-up targets a muscle group that typically gets off easy during chest exercises like the bench press: your core. In fact, you can even think of the incline push-up as a plank variation, as both exercises (plank and push-up) share the same starting position.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Incline Push-ups: Muscles Worked<\/h2>\n<h3>Pecs<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p>Chief among the muscles worked by the incline push-up are the pecs. The larger of the two, the\u00a0pectoralis major, has three primary functions: To raise your upper arms, to rotate them inward, and to bring them toward the midline of your body (like when you clap or hug). Located underneath the pec major is the\u00a0pectoralis minor,\u00a0which helps draw the shoulder blade forward and downward.<\/p>\n<h3>Deltoids<\/h3>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-146397\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/21122502\/shoulder-workouts-600-shoulder-anatomy.png\" alt=\"shoulder deltoid anatomy | Shoulder Workouts\" width=\"600\" height=\"378\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>Your shoulder joints are each controlled primarily by the deltoid and the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that helps stabilize the shoulder joint. The deltoid sits on top of the rotator cuff, giving your shoulders their size, definition, strength, and power.<\/p>\n<h3>Triceps<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-177123\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/25143405\/horseshoe-triceps-600-anatomy.jpg\" alt=\"Image of Triceps Anatomy | horseshoe triceps\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0triceps brachii\u00a0are the muscles found on the backs of your upper arms, and which connect your shoulder blade (scapula) to your upper arm (humerus) and forearm. Together they straighten your elbow.<\/p>\n<h3>Core<\/h3>\n<p>Distinguishing the push-up from other chest-centric moves like the bench press and fly is its engagement of the\u00a0core muscles, principally the\u00a0rectus abdominis (i.e., \u201cabs\u201d). This sheet of muscle extending from the bottom of your rib cage to the top of your pelvis pulls your chest toward your hips, and vice versa. Also involved in the incline push-up are the internal and external obliques flanking your torso, the transverse abdominis (embedded beneath the\u00a0rectus), and the spinal erectors of the lower back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you have trouble performing at least 10 consecutive repetitions of the classic push-up with proper form \u2014 hands in line with your shoulders, body straight, elbows tucked at your sides, chest to within a few inches of the floor \u2014 the usual advice is to work your way up by doing knee push-ups. There\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1565,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2965"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2965\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}