When you stand with great posture, you lift up through the arches of your feet. Activating your arches prevents your ankles from collapsing inward, which, in turn, stops your muscles from unfairly pulling on your knee and hip joints.
Hips and shoulders share some anatomical similarities, and often, when people attempt push-ups, the shoulders get treated just like the hips of a person with collapsed arches.
Take a look at your palms. See the arches? Now place your hands flat on a surface, like you’re going to do a plank or a push-up. Make the following adjustments:
- Support the weight of your body most with the outside edge of your hand, keeping the ball of your hand on the surface.
- Let the fingers bend slightly, so all your finger joints are not splayed out flat on the surface.
- Visualize the lift of the arches of your hands. Some ladybugs could shelter in the arch of your hand without fear of squashing.
Now, your push-up will feel easier, because you won’t be putting so much strain on your shoulder in a way it’s not best at. You’ll do more efficient push-ups, building strength more effectively, because more of your energy will be directed to the muscles that push and pull you away from and toward the ground–not towards mitigating the strain on your shoulders.
