You've most likely done a Push-up at some point in your life before starting CrossFit, but you might not have done the full range of motion Pushup we use in CrossFit. At the top, your arms should be completely straight and at the bottom your chest should make contact with the ground. CrossFit Seminar Staff member James Hobart demonstrates this for us in the attached video. The most important part is making sure to keep your core and shoulders active to protect your spine and shoulder joints. When starting out, you may need to modify your pushups. Rather than working from your knees, work on your toes, but place your hands on a box so your upper body is elevated. Start as high as you need to in order to get your chest to the box with each pushup and over time you can lower the box height until eventually you are knocking out pushups on your toes at ground level like an army trooper!
Points Of Performance
- Hands on the ground, shoulder-width apart
- Legs straight with only the balls of the feet on the ground
- Start with arms extended
- Lower chest and thighs to the ground
- Body remains rigid
- Elbows move closer to the hips than the shoulders
- Complete at full arm extension
