This Trick Will Make Doing Pushups Much Easier
If you're sick of doing pushups on your knees, this magical trick will get you doing a full pushup on your toes immediately. It seriously works, even if you always do modified pushups and can never complete a full pushup. Never? Get ready because you're going to be only doing full pushups from now on. Say goodbye to modified pushups.
All you need is a Pilates ring, according to Well + Good. That's it; that's the magic trick. Place the Pilates ring under your chest vertically while you are in a full pushup position. The ring will provide you with resistance, which is how it magically helps you do a full pushup. The ring pushes against you because it's trying to snap back into a circular form. You're pushing it into an oval. Pilates instructor Hannah McMullen tells Well + Good you'll experience better form, better control, and be able to engage your core more.
How to do a full pushup with a Pilates ring
Unlike the image here, McMullen recommends keeping the ring vertical, not horizontal. There are two pads on the Pilates ring. One goes on the floor, the other on your sternum. Get into a high plank position with your hands on the mat, shoulder-width apart, legs straight out, and toes on the mat. Bend your elbows and lower your body toward the mat, keeping your back straight. You're squishing the ring on the way down. Get as low as you can, and slowly push yourself back up to the starting position. Fight the ring on the way up as it will want to snap back into its circular form. The resistance gives you some extra muscle engagement, especially in your abs. Keep your breath steady and inhale on the way down, exhale on the way up. Repeat your new, full pushup 10 times.
Doing pushups has numerous health benefits, from helping you feel less stressed to alleviating back pain, as certified personal trainer Charlie Nash told Health Digest. Add pushups to your regular workout routine or do some during your work breaks throughout the day.