Push Up Plus

To do the Push Up Plus, set up at the top of a push up with your hands outside your chest and your body in a nice straight line down to your heels. Make sure your feet are together. Brace your core and then perform a normal push up. Make sure to lower your body down toward the ground as one unit and do not let your elbows flare way up by your head. Try to have your arms create an arrow shape (–>) with your body.

After lowering your chest to the ground, press back up to the top. At the top, round out as if performing the “cat” stretch, rounding your upper back up as you tuck your hips under to do the pelvic tilt. Draw your belly button in toward your spine. You want to hollow out your belly as if coughing out a hairball.

Then return to the plank position and repeat the push up. At the top, again round, but remember you aren’t just pushing your butt up in the air. You are rounding and engaging your abs as you protract your shoulder blades.

Beginners can do the push up from their knees and then come up to their toes for the “plus” or do the entire thing off an incline.