Welcome back to Get Fit Guy.

I'm your host, Dr. Jonathan Sue.

Every week, I'll share science-backed tips to help you get fit, stay fit, and optimize performance.

Push-ups are a popular exercise for building upper body muscle strength and endurance.

They work your triceps, chest, and shoulders, while also strengthening your core when

performed correctly.

For many people, including myself, push-ups are one of the first exercises we learn to perform. It's probably because it's

one of the few exercises that's effective, yet doesn't require any equipment and can be performed

just about anywhere. With gyms closed and workout equipment sold out for several months during the

early days of the pandemic, it became a staple upper body exercise for anyone

wanting to stay in shape. I remember performing a twice-weekly strength workout consisting of

push-ups, pull-ups, and lunges with a backpack full of canned goods for resistance.

Although push-ups are familiar to many, few actually perform it in a way that maximizes strength

and endurance gains while also reducing the risk of injuries. In this episode, I'll provide you

with nine tips for perfect push-up performance that you can incorporate right away. Before I delve

into the tips for performing a perfect push-up, I'd like to first

mention that there are a ton of push-up variations to choose from. For example, wide push-ups,

diamond push-ups, incline push-ups, decline push-ups, just to name a few. If you're interested in

tips on other push-up variations, send me an email

or voicemail. My focus here will be on the standard push-up that's performed on a flat surface

with your hands directly under your shoulders. Your feet can be together or hip-width apart.

This variation of the push-up is good for just about anyone. Beginners can perform

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