Common Pushup Form Mistakes
Hands facing inward.
Heilig often sees people rotate their hands toward each other on the floor, which causes the shoulders to roll forward during the exercise. “That’s not going to be a stable position for the shoulder,” she says. In fact, this setup mistake is a common cause of pain at the front of the shoulder.
Chin tucked.
Tucking your chin down to look at the floor is a setup pitfall that can negatively affect your pushup posture. A tucked chin can make your shoulders curl, impeding your range of motion and potentially straining your shoulders, neck, and back.
Lower body not engaged.
Pushups are total-body exercises that are often treated as upper-body exercises. “If you don’t feel your butt engaged, your core probably isn’t engaged either, because they fire together in that position,” Heilig notes. Without help from your glutes, your abdominals can’t hold your spine in a neutral position, causing your ribs to drift forward or your spine to arch.
How to Set Up for the Pushup
Point your index fingers straight ahead.
To get your shoulders in a healthy, stable position, place your hands on the floor with your index fingers pointing straight ahead. Then spread the rest of your fingers to widen your base and think about screwing your hands into the floor. “That’s going to activate your shoulder stabilizer muscles,” Heilig says.
Gaze slightly ahead.
Keep your eyes looking slightly forward and your collarbones broad to put your neck in a more neutral position. That sets your shoulders up for better movement during the exercise.
Squeeze a yoga block or Pilates ball between your thighs.
Heilig often uses this trick with her clients to teach them how to activate their lower body and glutes during pushups. You don’t have to use a prop for all your reps; once you know the feeling of lower-body engagement, imagine squeezing a block or ball to maintain it.
(Here’s how to perfect your pushup. Check out this article if you experience wrist or shoulder pain while performing pushups.)
Strong Starts
Are you setting up correctly while lifting? Get expert guidance on perfecting your setup for several common strength moves at “9 Strength Moves You May Be Setting Up Wrong (and How to Fix Them),” from which this article was excerpted.
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