Why The Push-up Is The Single Most Important Exercise
For two decades I’ve been coaching athletes of all sorts. Professional ones, recreational ones, and broken ones.
Be it better at making money, better at having fun, or simply better at living, we all yearn to improve. And while the goal may change, the application doesn’t. There’s simply a host of moments that EVERYONE should be able to do and do well. And the push-up is one of them. Arguably, it’s the most important.
When I first meet a prospective athlete, I have them squat. We don’t use weight or fancy tricks, and I make sure they’re capable and safe before we do, but we always start with some form of squatting. Why then, you ask, isn’t squatting the most important movement? Good question. Because most people spend a lifetime getting on and off the toilet, and that alone gives them some practice. Their squats are usually immature and full of technical problems, but at least there’s something to work with. Not so with push-ups, however. More than eighty percent of the athletes I work with can’t lay face down on the ground and get up. Not even once. That’s why push-ups have overtaken squats when it comes to training priority. Because no one can do them.
And why should we? Our days are designed for comfort and convenience, making that ever important trip to the ground as rare as an eclipse. Until, of course, there’s an accident. Then what? Have you ever thought about it? If someone was to trip and fall and couldn’t push-up in any meaningful way, they’d be stranded like a turtle on its shell. Vulnerable. Hopeless. An easy target. But they will figure out a way to squirm back to standing, you say. Maybe. Or maybe someone will come along and help them up. But do we really want to depend on the kindness, or coincidence, of a stranger? And what happens if it’s an emergency and there’s simply no time to figure it out? What if we literally have seconds to live and all that’s going to keep us breathing is one solid push-up? What then?
Test it. If you’re able, get on the floor? And before you even try a push-up, how did it feel getting to the ground? Did it sound like twigs? Has it been longer than you can remember? Are you breathing hard? Did you have to think about where to start and how to bring the floor closer? If so, don’t get discouraged. It’s good to have a starting point and you’ll get strong fast.
Now try to rest on the chest, then push-up. Could you? Maybe you had no problem, maybe you were on your knees, or maybe you had to call for help. The point is, the push-up isn’t about looking good, it’s about living good. And there’s simply no way to do that if we can’t take ourselves to the ground, and easily push ourselves up from it.
It’s ok if push-ups aren’t your thing. But now that you know, we have to get to work!
Push-ups in 3 Steps
1. Every time you walk into a room, perform five push-ups. Start doing them up against a wall and work your way to the floor, and off your knees. It will take a while, but they will come. If this is too embarrassing at work, then practice 30 push-ups a day no matter what.
2. Spend at least two minutes a day practicing planks. Some of us can sort of do a push-up, but when we do our lower back look more like a banana than a board. Film yourself planking for two minutes every day. And make sure your lower back looks flat.
3. Practice keeping your elbows at your sides. When many of us try push-ups, we push our elbows away from our bodies and wonder why our shoulders hurt. Instead, keep those elbows tight to the body. It will be hard at first, but far better in the long run.
Don’t get frustrated, get busy. You never know when on the world’s simplest exercises will become the most important.
