Use the Arrow to Improve Your Push-Ups
Push-ups are great exercise, but they are often performed incorrectly , which means you are missing out on some of the big strength benefits. One simple solution is to reposition your body and arms so that they form an “arrow” pointing up towards your head instead of a T-shape.
Many of us instinctively extend our elbows so that they are in line with our shoulders during push-ups. If you look at someone doing this, their body forms the letter “T”. Bret Contreras, strength and conditioning coach, notes that while this may be an “easier” way for people to do push-ups (and may work for beginners), it can lead to:
- Less muscle activation of the pectoral muscles and triceps (which we don’t want)
- More load on the shoulders
Instead, position your elbows so that they are at a 45-degree angle to your body and keep your head in front of your hands. From a bird’s eye view, it looks more like an arrow, rather than the letter T. (By the way, this can be done with push-ups on your knees).
Tip: Do This To Make Your Push-Ups More Effective | T-Nation