Description
A push-up variation where a weighted vest is used to add resistance, making the exercise more challenging.
How to Do Weighted Push-up with Vest
- 1Setup
Securely wear a weighted vest, ensuring it fits snugly without restricting your natural range of motion.
- 2Setup
Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on the floor, fingers pointing forward, and extend your legs straight back, resting on the balls of your feet.
- 3Setup
Engage your core and glutes to form a straight line from your head to your heels, avoiding any sagging or arching in your lower back.
- 4
Inhale as you slowly lower your chest towards the floor by bending your elbows, keeping them tucked at about a 45-degree angle to your torso.
- 5
Push through your palms and exhale forcefully as you extend your arms to return to the starting plank position, maintaining a rigid body throughout the movement.
Tips
- Maintain a neutral spine throughout the entire movement by actively engaging your core, preventing your hips from sagging or rising too high.
- Control the eccentric (lowering) phase of the push-up, taking 2-3 seconds to descend, to maximize muscle tension and hypertrophy.
- Keep your elbows at approximately a 45-degree angle to your body, rather than flaring them straight out to the sides, to protect your shoulders and better engage your chest.
- Ensure a full range of motion by lowering your chest until it's just an inch or two from the floor, then fully extending your arms at the top without locking your elbows.
Common Mistakes
- ×Allowing hips to sag or arch the lower back compromises spinal integrity; fix this by actively bracing your core and squeezing your glutes to maintain a straight body line.
- ×Performing partial repetitions without fully lowering or extending reduces muscle activation; correct this by focusing on a complete range of motion, touching your chest close to the floor and locking out your elbows.
- ×Flaring elbows out wide puts undue stress on the shoulder joints; improve by tucking your elbows closer to your body at a 45-degree angle to better engage the chest and triceps.
Variations
Assisted Weighted Push up
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Weighted Svend Press
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Weighted Drop Push Up
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Side Push-up with Towel
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