How To Master the Perfect Push-Up Arm Position

Intro

Hey what’s happening?!!…

This is Isai Rodriguez… host of the DadSplanation Podcast where I cater to the Professional Working Man, 40 and above, who’s looking to make positive changes to his health, lose weight, and become stronger overall through simple lifestyle changes.

I’m here to share inspiration, tips and proven lessons that I’ve personally learned and lived through in my 40+ years on this beautiful blue planet.

So today we’ll answer the question Should You Drink Coffee on an Empty Stomach? and then we’ll move on to our 2nd segment with How To Master the Perfect Push-Up Arm Position…

And before we get into that, if you’d like to continue the conversation, then get on over to podcast.dadsplanation.com/vip to get on the VIP Insider’s Community where I share more entertaining “behind-the-scenes” stories, tips, and hacks that’ll keep you feeling younger each and every day!

That’s podcast.dadsplanation.com/vip…

Again, that’s podcast.dadsplanation.com/vip… be in the know… starting right now

Also, don’t forget to rate me on iTunes by leaving me a nice FAT-JUICY-5-star-review and some absolutely beautiful words of why you love the show so much! It really helps me get the word out and it’s honestly the one place where your vote truly matters!

And now let’s move into our first segment… Healthy Conversations…

Healthy Conversations:  Should You Drink Coffee on an Empty Stomach?

So I shared an interesting article with my VIP Community a few days ago on this same topic and I thought we’d talk about it here today…

For most of us, getting our coffee fix first thing in the morning is an absolute necessity…

… there are no questions about it.

And let’s face it…

… there’s truly no better alarm clock than a warm mug of your favorite brew.

And even though drinking coffee has tons of health benefits, LIKE protecting your brain from dementia…

There are actually some health risks associated with drinking coffee on an empty stomach in particular that we should be aware of.

So for starters…

Coffee can take a serious toll on your digestive system.

All that java basically jumpstarts your stomach’s production of acid…

… and if you haven’t already eaten something, the acid could end up damaging your stomach’s lining which leads to indigestion and heartburn.

This also holds true for Decaf Coffee.

And to be honest, that’s not the only risk.

So drinking coffee on an empty stomach can give you jitters, shakes, and other withdrawal effects, including mood changes…

It can also increase symptoms of anxiety, as well as boost your heart rate, irritability levels, and inability to focus.

That’s a big one considering that it’s been recorded that humans have less of an attention span than a GoldFish…

Not being able to focus because of your preferred method of caffeine intake… Is Not Good!

It’s also been found that sipping on that cup of Joe first thing in the morning actually sabotages your internal clock or your circadian rhythm.

And here’s what we mean…

So your internal clock releases a hormone called cortisol when you wake up…

This makes you feel alert and energized.

And now, contrary to what you might think…

The research has also shown that consuming coffee actually decreases your cortisol levels overall.

So let me translate…

More often than not, that early morning pick-me-up will in fact backfire on you…

… causing you to feel sleepier rather than the other way around.

And now OF COURSE…

Some people HAVE consumed coffee on an empty stomach for YEARS and felt completely fine.

If that applies to you, then by all means, continue drinking!

I’m not here to pass judgement on you and your coffee drinking habits…

… I’m just bringing to light the possible health risks you might encounter.

And so for everyone else…

It’s recommended to pair your caffeine fix with a hearty breakfast—or at least a snack if your stomach isn’t rumbling and you’re the type that absolutely can not eat in the morning.

I came across this little article because I’ve noticed that in recent years…

… I’ve been getting heartburn more often than not and so I started looking into reasons and contributors of heartburn.

And now for our SECOND segment… “Mighty Man”

Mighty Man:  How To Master the Perfect Push-Up Arm Position

So first off, let me start by saying that Push-Ups are one of those core, fundamental types of exercises that everyone can and should do…

They can help build muscle tone and strength in your upper body…

Not only that but some other potential benefits include improved cardiovascular health and better support around the shoulder joints…

But the reality is that practicing pushups (especially if done every day) does come with a few risks…

Like lower back pain, wrist pain, and even repetitive stress injury to the elbows (OR as it’s more commonly known as… carpal tunnel of the elbow OR tennis elbow).

And no matter how many years you’ve spent mastering the perfect push-up…

… the minute your muscles start getting tired, your form starts to go out the window.

Your hips start to sink, your arms get all shaky, and it starts feeling like you can’t make it through another rep without collapsing in on yourself.

I know the feeling all too well and if you’re like me, then I’m sure you know the feeling too…

But according to Shelby Smith, an exercise physiologist and health coach based in Rhode Island…

… the best way to combat all of this—and get things right until the very end of your set—is basically to focus on the placement of your elbows.

Something so simple as the placement of your elbows is the difference between finishing those last 2 sets of 10 or 15 pushups OR more or less crashing onto your chest after your arms and shoulders simply give in.

So according to Smith, you’ll be able to tell when your form is starting to go south simply by queuing into the way your arms are moving…

So basically “paying attention” to your pushup form or the placement of your hands, elbows, wrists, shoulders, chest, etc… as you make your way down toward the floor and back up again.

What she said is this… And I quote…

“The most common mistake people make when performing push-ups is allowing their elbows to flare out.”

Meaning that when doing push ups, you need to keep your elbows tight to your rib cage but many people don’t do this…

… either because they don’t know how to do push ups properly or they just don’t realize that they’re doing it.

And don’t feel bad if RIGHT NOW you’re thinking… “Dang! This is totally me… My elbows flare out when I do push ups”

Because I’m the #1 offender… everytime I do pushups with my trainer or my wife who’s also a trainer and fitness director…

… they both hound me to keep my elbows in tight.

So trust me when I tell you… “I know what you mean, dude! I’m right there with you!”

Another mistake that Smith talked about was how many people hold their elbows up too high…

… as in if you were to draw an imaginary line from your left elbow to your left shoulder, then to your right shoulder and finally to your right elbow…

… the line would be almost a direct, straight line. This is NO GOOD!

So basically… you’ll know your elbows are too high if they’re in line with your shoulder joint when you’re going down in your push up.

This creates too much stress on the front of your shoulders which keeps you from fully benefiting from the move and usually leaves you with some sort of post-workout pain in your upper body and shoulders.

So what you want at the end of the day is for your pecs or chest muscles to be doing most of the work and your triceps should be spotting your chest…

… they should be assisting your pecs, kinda like when you’re lifting a heavy bench press AND you have someone spot or assist you so that your form doesn’t get all squirrelly.

You can stay on point and maximize each rep… that’s kinda the same job of your triceps in doing a good push up.

It kinda helps keep your form on point and assists in the up / down movements.

Ultimately, you shouldn’t be relying on your shoulders to keep you moving…

So if you’re feeling it in your shoulders, then your form is most likely a little off…

But don’t worry because the FIX is simple.

All you have to do is to make a few small tweaks to your up-and-down movements to ensure that your elbows never go beyond the recommended 45-degree angle when you hit the bottom of the move.

So FIRST… check that your hands are slightly wider than your shoulders with your fingers facing forward and slightly fanned out…

So your fingers should always be facing forward and never inward so that you’ve got a nice, solid grip on the floor.

And then, when lowering yourself to the floor…

Imagine that you’re twisting a mason jar with the palms of your hands… so you want to be twisting outwards…

This subtle little change in your form helps lock your elbows in at 45 degrees.

And then think as if you’re pulling yourself down toward the floor.

So again, on the down movement… keep your elbows in by thinking as if your palms are resting on mason jars and you’re twisting outwards as you PULL yourself down to the ground…

And so NOW when you push back up, think about pushing the floor away from you…

… kinda like… have you ever been in a shoving match with your brother or sister or maybe even a best friend or bully in school…

… were you kinda got into each other’s face and then you’d shove that other person to kinda assert your dominance.

Or was that just ME and my experiences growing up in New York?… not sure but it’s kinda like a shoving match…

You want that same energy… you’re showing the floor Who’s the Boss.

Get into a shoving match with the floor, if you will.

But here’s the key when shoving or pushing the floor away…

What you’ll want to do is you’ll want to be sure that you’re firing up your core and squeezing your quads and glutes, which will help your body move in a straight line and help prevent those elbows from flaring out to the wrong position.

Now you might want to do this a little slower at first to get the hang of it…

… you’ll want to go down slowly so you can focus on your mason jar twist and pull…

… AND then slowly bring yourself up with a good shove.

Now don’t shove SOOO hard that you end up locking your elbows out…

… this is also NOT good.

I’ve made this mistake too where I shove so hard that I end up locking my elbows out.

Yes, you want to shove hard but you also want to control it abit so you don’t lock out your elbows at the same time.

That’s kinda where the actual workout comes in… it’s in the whole EXPLOSIVE CONTROL of the UP and DOWN movements.

And listen… if you’re feeling that your form is starting to slip… then suck up that MANLY PRIDE of yours… Drop to your knees… AND finish the set from there.

You have my full permission to do so because form is always, always, always… MORE important than finishing your set…

So remember, you guys… to truly MAXIMIZE your push up results… Keep your elbows tucked in tight AND strong.

Closing

That’s it you guys… That’s my show for today!

I hope you found some valuable information here and if nothing else, I hope I’ve entertained you for a few minutes and was able to bring a little man-ly sunshine to your day.

Thanks for taking some time out of your day to listen to me… it’s very much appreciated!

On next week’s episode, we’ll be going over How To Use The 8 Dimensions Of Wellness To Set Up Healthy Boundaries so you definitely don’t want to miss out on that!

And if you’d like to continue the conversation with me, then get on over to podcast.dadsplanation.com/vip to get on the VIP Insider’s community where I share even more “raw-behind-the-scenes” stories, tips, and hacks that’ll keep you feeling younger and younger… each and every day!

That’s podcast.dadsplanation.com/vip…

Again, that’s podcast.dadsplanation.com/vip… be in the know… starting right now!

Also, don’t forget to rate me on iTunes by leaving me a nice FAT-JUICY-5-star-review and some absolutely beautiful words of why you love the show so much!

It really helps me get the word out and it’s honestly the one place where your vote truly matters!

Until our next chat… Take care!