My clients know, I do not believe in "girlie" pushups where your knees are on the floor. But there is a way to work up to doing pushups on your toes:incline pushups.
To do incline pushups, all you need is an elevated surface: a window sill, a counter top, a bench, table, sofa, etc. The surface just needs to be wide enough so that your hands can be wider than your shoulders when you perform the pushup. From here, everything else is the same:
1) Walk your feet back so that your body is straight.
2) Tuck your tail bone under and come up onto your toes, shifting forward so that your chest will land between your hands.
3) Your hands are wider than your shoulders but in line with your shoulders.
4) Bend your elbows and lower your chest towards the bench (or table or window sill, etc) Make sure that your whole body comes down in one piece.
If it is too difficult and you can only do a couple of pushups, find a higher surface. The reason why regular pushups on the floor are so difficult is because gravity has a greater effect when you are parallel to the ground. (yes, I did pay attention in physics on occasion.) :) The higher the surface you choose the less challenging the pushup will be. You want to be able to do at least 10 and then work your way up to 15 repetitions. Once you can do 15 with no sweat (figuratively) then find a lower surface to use. You will be doing pushups on the floor in no time!
Do 2-3 sets of these 2-3 times per week to get your arms ready for the summer and to be stronger than you ever thought possible!
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