***REMINDER – Today is the last day to register to attend the CrossFit Games regional qualifiers in Orange County. ALL SPECTATORS must register by tonight to get on to the grounds of the site. Our crew is staying at the Renaissance Club Sport in Aliso Viejo. If you would like a room or would like to share a room with someone, please email cj@crossfitinvictus.com as soon as possible.***

Workout of the Day:
Front Squat
5-5-5
(Find your 5-rep max.)
And then,
For time:
Run 800 Meters,
followed by five rounds of:
10 Pull-Ups
20 Push-Ups
30 Squats

CrossFit Invictus coach Mark Riebel in action at last weekend's SuperFrog.

Bad Habits – The Push-Up
Written by Mike Hom

The push up is a simple, effective movement that can be done just about anywhere. But as simple as the movement can be, some bad habits pop up from time to time, and high intensity workouts that include push ups often amplify these bad habits. Part of the push up’s appeal is the range of motion an individual ideally goes through each rep. From the bottom up, you are using a major muscle group in your body–the pectorals–to help in the concentric push. However, there is more to the story than just your chesticles. Supporting muscle groups include your anterior deltoids and triceps, which help in the press and stability of the movement. On top of that, your entire midline is in isometric contraction while traveling through the range of motion. Your posterior is also hard at work, stabilizing your spine in a neutral position, and putting your scapulae to work stabilizing the shoulders. But with all of that going on, there is ample opportunity for poor movement – and for us to address the fixes for each.

Sagging But Syndrome (SBS) is perhaps the most common push up flaw. This is characterized by the hips dropping and reaching the bottom of the push up before the chest. This flaw shorts the ideal range of motion and generally occurs as a result of a soft or weak midline. In order to have a nice, horizontal, neutral posture, you have to make a conscious effort to tighten all of the muscles of the core – anterior and posterior.

The opposite of SBS is what CrossFit Kids calls the “stinkbug” position. This is characterized by hips held high in a piked position. I can’t fully explain what causes this other than some possible disconnect between a person’s brain and their butt, but I can say it is almost like doing extra work to stay in that position. Regardless of why it happens, it results in a person performing an incomplete push up as the head is usually positioned to reach the floor before the chest, with the hips coming in last–assuming your head can drill into the ground.

Despite whatever reason may be for SBS and the stinkbug, these issues can be mitigated. Top-notch coaches Jeff Martin (CrossFit Kids and Brand X) and Michael Rutherfort (CrossFit Kansas City) introduced me to a variety of ways to employ plank variations as part of warm-up or finisher exercises. Planks on hands, elbows, side planks, plank walks, and other varieties can be effectively utilized in 5 minutes or less to strengthen a person’s midline stabilizers and teach them how to use their core to maintain a neutral posture. Strengthening the midline stabilizers solves myriad problems when performing push ups and does wonders when performing other movements.

The other most common variation of the crappy push up is that which does not reach the bottom or does not fully extend the arm at the top. Perpetuating this incomplete range of motion repeatedly can lead to dysfunction in the scapular region and hinder its ability to help stabilize the shoulder girdle. Strength and conditioning coach Eric Cressey has come up with a great cue for performing push ups. He says you want to “think about pulling yourself down to the ground with your upper back (imagine pre-tensioning all your scapular stabilizers).” This essentially keeps the scapulae activated so your arms are not moving independently of your scapulae. In an effort to get them functioning correctly, Cressey also recommends scapular push ups. To perform those, set up in a plank with arms extended. While keeping the arms extended, try to depress and retract your scapulae–imagine trying to squeeze your shoulder blades together and then pushing them apart. You shouldn’t go farther than a few inches. Do two or three sets of 15-20 reps and you should be good to go.

As seen here, a variety of bad habits can hinder our ability to correctly perform a push up through an optimal and safe range of motion. However, there are plenty of ways to improve your ability to do them correctly and get the most out of them. Keep striving for that perfect movement and your efforts will pay off in spades.

Further reading:
Cressey, Eric. “The Right Way to Stretch Your Pecs”. http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_repair/the_right_way_to_stretch_the_pecs.
Cressey, Eric. “Shoulder Savers Part I”. http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_repair/shoulder_savers_part_i.