Push-ups are a difficult exercise that many people struggle with. They are also a fantastic total body exercise that everyone should be able to do.
Today’s workout will focus on upper body strength to improve push-ups. At the gym, I see many people doing push-ups wrong and it pains me. So today I will talk to you about proper form in your push-ups, modifications you can take to build strength, and we will do a full 45-minute upper body workout to strengthen everything from you shoulders to your core.
If you can already do push-ups, this is still going to be a great workout for you. I do push-ups a lot… and still found this video to be challenging. The difficulty lies in what weights you choose to lift. We are all at different fitness levels, so we will all likely be lifting different weights. No matter what weight you choose to lift, I want you to do 10 reps of every exercise. The last two reps of every set should be challenging. That may mean you lift 5 lbs weights and feel the burn, or that may mean you lift 100 lbs for some of the exercises. No matter what weight you choose the last two reps of each set should be a challenge.
Follow along or print the workout instructions below:
Do three sets of each circuit. Do 10 reps of every exercise unless instructed otherwise.
* Workout with a weight that makes the last 2 reps of each set difficult. You should not struggle through the entire workout, but you also should not get through it easily.
Circuit 1:
– Single Arm Arnold Press
– Lying Chest Press
– Straight Arm Plank (1-minute)
Circuit 2:
– Bent Over Reverse Fly
– Lying Chest Fly
– Walk Down Hammer Curl
Circuit 3:
– Overhead Press
– Lying Skull Crushers
– Plank Knee Reaches (10 each arm)
Circuit 4:
– Bent Over Wide Row
– Overhead Tricep Extension
– Push-ups