In my eyes, push ups are an interesting exercise.
They're incredibly common and part of every exercise program known to mankind.
Yet..... GOOD push ups are incredibly rare.
The reality is that most people can't do them well even if they think they can!
And if you're thinking push ups are not even a remote possibility for you, you're not alone.
So what's so great about push ups anyway?
The answer is threefold:
1. Learning to load-bear through your arms into the ground is how you developed shoulder stability as a baby so you could eventually reach for things you wanted, crawl, and get up off the ground. Most adults start to lose that shoulder stability and need to rebuild it.
2. Pushing away from the ground requires your abdominal muscles to fire to resist gravity and back extension, which means you get core training benefits for free. Lying on a bench and pressing weights upward doesn't do that.
3. You get upper body strength without the need for equipment, which is a plus if you're working out at home.
If you’re thinking “but I can’t even do a push up!” that’s totally fine.
It's just a matter of HOW you do them, and doing them in a way that you can control PERFECTLY.
