Personal Trainer, Cassandra German, demonstrates the Manny Fit Tip of the week – Modified Push Ups. This is a great way to strengthen your upper body as it works your chest, shoulders and triceps. Through practice & proper technique, you will build enough strength to do full push ups on the floor. Cassandra shows these on the smith machine, but you can use almost any bar that is of appropriate height outside in a park or playground.
Here are the steps for the exercise:
Step 1: On the bar, position your hands wider than shoulder width apart as pictured. Be sure not to bend at the wrists. Depress your shoulders and relax your neck, arms are straight. Body is positioned at a diagonal to the floor, keep your body aligned so you can keep a broom stick on your back. Push off on your tip toes. Reference Cassandra’s position in the first picture to the left as a guide.
2: Bend at the elbows, bringing your body down; chest is now just barely touching the bar. See Cassandra’s position in the center picture as a reference.
3: Straighten your elbows and come back to starting position. Remember to keep your core engaged and body aligned in a straight line at all times. Try 3 sets of 12 reps of these.
