HOW I DID MY FIRST PUSH-UP (AND HOW TO GET YOURS)

A push-up is an excellent exercise for building upper body strength. Most people can do a push-up. But most also cannot do a push-up. I was one of them. Don't feel ashamed if you cannot do a push-up. Everyone starts from a point. In this article, I will show you how I did my first push-up and how you can do it too.

Like you, I couldn't do a single push-up back then, but I worked my way up to it. The process is not very hard. The secret key is patience. Like Gandhi said, "To lose patience is to lose the battle." 

There are a lot of easy push-up variations that you can use to build your strength for a push-up. They are:

• Wall Push-ups
  
• Incline Push-ups
• Knee Push-ups
• Negative Push-up

Wall Push-ups

If you find incline push-ups hard, then you must try wall push-ups. The further you move from the wall, the harder it gets. You can also lift one leg to make it harder. Don't place your hand lower than your chest, it can cause wrist pain. If you can do 15-20 wall push-ups in a row, then you can try the other variations. 

Incline Push-ups

To do an incline push-up, you can use any elevated surface. The lower the surface, the harder it becomes. If incline push-ups are hard for you, try negative incline push-ups. Lower your body slowly and get back to your position. If you can do 15-25 incline push-ups, lower the height to make it harder.

Knee Push-ups

Knee push-ups are performed on the ground, just like regualar push-ups. But it is easier as it involves you in placing your knees on the ground. Just like the incline push-up, you can do neagative knee push-ups if it is hard. If you can do 10-15 knee push-ups, you must be able to do a regular push-up.

Negative Push-ups

Negative push-ups are easier than regualar push-ups as you don't have to push your bodyweight. Start in a push-up position and lower you body as slow as you can. Once you touch the ground, get back into the starting position and repeat.

Additional tips

• Don't lose hope if your progress is slow. It will take time, patience is the key.
• Be consistent, or the progress will take time.
• Rest 2-3 minutes in between sets.
• Don't focus on the number of reps, instead focus on the number of sets.