Press Up/Plank Issue

Hi, wasn't 100% sure which sub forum this belonged in, so put it in here just in case...

Its taken me a while to be able to do press ups properly after fracturing my wrist a while back, I'm at a point where I can do them again and for a while I was limited by arm strength to keep up in class.

Last night I found that it was actually my back that caused me to need to stop, as after I'd done 50 or so (we were doing groups of 20 odd, so not 50 in one go) my lower back started to hurt, so I stopped. at the time I didn't think anything of it, but pondering on it today when we used to do the plank in class I had the same problem then as well, was that it was my back that hurt before my core muscles gave out.

Is this something common? Is it related to having a desk job? Or is it something more common I might need to see a doctor about?

 

Hey, I was recently writing a piece on a related topic. The press up is essentially a moving plank, until you have a solid plank the press up is always going to be an issue for you.

Make sure you're positioning your body correctly. The idea that you make a straight line (ears, hips, back of knee, ankle) is currently taking a bit of a beating as it forces a lot of pressure on the lumbar. The position you want is for the hips to be 'slightly' higher than this. This doesn't mean piked though.

Engage the entire core when doing press ups (or pretty much anything). This doesn't mean sucking in the gut, rather brace as if someone was going to punch you (I actually do give some of my more robust clients a sound slap in the belly, this normally gets the result quicker than talking to them about it for three months). Tense the glutes and thighs too. Shoulders should be pulling bad and down (towards your butt).

Make sure that your elbows are not out at 90 degrees, but you look more like the head of an arrow from above (the spine is the shaft and the elbows are the barbs). Fingers should be turned slightly out.

Now a disclaimer. Most MA instructors have no idea about fitness, strength or correct mechanics of a press up So prepare to be challenged.

 

My sensei does always say to new people that the warm up is just that - once you're warm you can stop and don't do anything you don't want, but the ego often does end up taking its toll and forces you to keep up =p

I've found it much easier on my wrists if I do the press ups a bit wider than most people do it, but I shall and try and raise my hips and tense the abs/glutes next time and see if it helps.

Are there any better lower back exercises I could do to help? currently my back day (which happens to be tonight along with chest) I do seated rows, rear deltoid (i think thats what its called its the opposite of the pectoral flies one) and a "reverse" sit up where I hold a weight at my head while laying face down on a bench a raise my head up.

(sorry not 100% sure on the names of some of these lol)

 

I've just started on some Kettlebell stuff to help strengthen a dodgy lower back and weak core.
I think it's helping but it's early days.
I also have bad wrists (both very mobile and broke one) so often do press ups on my knuckles. Obviously that puts a different kind of strain on the wrists/forearms but it certainly takes away the pain of flexing them back when doing press ups.

 

Knuckle push-ups can be good, but I'd advise you keep your wrist angle as straight as possible throughout the entire motion. This means placing your fists around solar plexus height and close to your body, knuckles parallel to your body.

Engaging the core is the most important thing to consider. A visualization most people understand is to imagine you're wearing a belt, then imagine tightening it a couple of notches. Never let your back sag, you're better off not doing them at all if it is.

A great exercise I was shown by a physio for back strengthening is essentially reverse sit-ups. Lie face-down on the floor with your arms relaxed by your sides, keep your hips on the floor throughout these motions: lift your upper body, keeping it as straight as you can, 10 times. Then lift your legs, keeping them as straight as you can, 10 times. Then lift both for as long as you can exhale. Remember to vary which way you face while on the floor. Rinse and repeat to taste.

 

Yeah...absolutely. I don't do them all the time but when I do I try to approximate throwing a punch (as that is what we're trying to improve in many ways).
Elbows close to the body etc.
On your knuckles can be a way of alleviating stress on the wrist when flexing it hurts (which it does for me).
I still also do hindus, hands close etc.

Some advice from my physio on engaging the core was to imagine stopping a wee or holding in a fart.

Oh and also...do press ups off the knees. They are a way of being able to keep press ups going and are easier to maintain form on.

 

Actually one thing that can help with back issues, lessen the need to engage the core, and provide a little additional challenge is to press your hands slightly in the direction of the top of your head. This will create a little pressure along the spine more like gravity and allow the muscles to support the spine more naturally.

 

The uncles!?!

 

If you seriously think arm?/bicep/tricep strength is limiting your ability for pushups and have access to weights at the gym try one-arm Dumbbell bench press with 16-20kg, should be a challenge to stabilise but the bench will tell you how much arch you have; and was going to suggest Dumbbell pushups but the number of people doing them on youtube with huge pelvic tilt probably not great posture for pushups or planks!

 

My initial issue with starting press ups again after recovering from my fractured wrist was being unable to flex the wrist enough, once I could flex the wrist I found I'd lost too much strength in the relevant muscle groups to do more than about 10-20 (when the class often does over 100 during the warm up)

Now that I've joined the gym, fitness has improved, wrists are generally better, but now its my back that is the limiting factor, and not the strength on the chest/arms.

 

If you're lower back is starting to hurt while doing press ups then it's going to be due to a weak core. If you're spine isn't being held rigid by your core muscles then you lower back is going to take the brunt of that as fatigue and gravity kick in.

You need to build up a program of core exercises that you can be confident of your ability to hold a rigid core while your pecs, triceps etc do their work for the press up.

You can always start out with planks held for 30 seconds and work up. Best to have someone watching you.. a coach or a training partner. In your mind you will think your rocking them... but someone objectively looking at you can see the sag in the hips and the risk your putting your lower back in.

Come up with a core strengthening program.

 

More than just weighted sit ups then? thats all I currently do, I'm trying to build up to dragon flags, but can only manage one or two proper ones, the rest (can manage about 8) i tend to have to swing up which doesn't seem like the correct way of doing it...

I shall get on the planks during my gym sessions then =)

 

Get your floppy body to the female temple that is the core stability class, once you get a few sessions done on that swiss ball with the addition of the nice coloured dumbells your core will start to switch on. I had terrible bursitis in my right hip and core classes cured it.

The core major muscles include are the pelvic floor muscles, transversus abdominis, multifidus, internal and external obliques, rectus abdominis, erector spinae (sacrospinalis) especially the longissimus thoracis, and the diaphragm. Minor core muscles include the latissimus dorsi, gluteus maximus, and trapezius.

So your back is part of the core, to many people here core and think abs and never work the lats, and obliques (if you work them the rest of the core muscles tned to get used anyway)

 

This is what i've been using at the gym, I only do regular sit ups at jujitsu training as its part of the warm up.

I shall see if the gym offers any such classes, if not i'll see what the manager can sort out for me!

I won't lie most of those technical muscle names went straight over my head. I do cover my back at the gym (day 1 - chest and back, day 2 - legs, day 3 - shoulders and arms) Which i did last night, although I'm still trying to sort out my exact routine, but last night I did Seated Rows, Rear Deltoid (the opposite of the pec flies) and the kinda inverted reverse sit ups while holding a dumb bell (8kg)

I'm planning on typing up my routing in the training logs section within the next day or two, and once I do I'll link it here so people can see what I'm doing at the gym etc and help finalise my routine =)

 

I'd be tempted to not do this. If you can not yet stabilise your spine it doesn't help to avoid using the core. What you'd end up doing here is what Gray Cook calls 'Building fitness upon disfunction'.

All the advice for building core strength is valid, for working on the press up consider doing it with your hands raised up on a step. This will reduce the upper body challenge, once you can hit 20 solid press ups like this, I doubt you'll have much of a proble doing 10 regular ones.

Also... consider buying 'New Rules of Lifting for Abs' by Alwyn Cosgrove and Lou Schuler.

 

I can manage 20-30 Press Ups quite happily, its past that that my back starts hurting.

 

are you contracting ypur glutes throughout?

 

Not that I know of, until this thread I'll admit I didn't know about tensing anything, I'm going to put all the advice into effect at training tonight and see how I get on =)