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"name": "KC Clements, MS"
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"name": "Warrior Made",
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"headline":"How To Do Explosive Couch Push Ups With Perfect Form",
"datePublished":"2018-01-12",
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"description":"Learn How To Do Explosive Couch Push Ups With Perfect Form.",
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<article>
<div>
<ul>
<li><a href="#section1">Instructions</a></li>
<li><a href="#section2">Things to Keep in Mind</a></li>
<li><a href="#section3">Conclusion</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<section>
<p>The pushup is quite possibly the most popular bodyweight exercise that exists. You may not have done one since high school gym class and with good reason— pushups are actually a very challenging exercise that force you to work your chest, shoulders, arms, and upper back hard. Fortunately, there are a number of modifications you can apply to make your pushups a little easier. Here we’re going to teach you a beginner variation on the pushup you can do right in your living room: the explosive couch pushup.</p>
<p>The explosive couch pushup is just what it sounds like. You’ll perform a regular pushup, but instead of having your hands on the ground, they’ll be placed on a couch. Plus, you’ll add one little twist that’s going to put the “explosive” part in the explosive couch pushup. Instead of simply pressing yourself back up to the starting position, you’re going to give a hard push off the couch, allowing your body to go airborne for a second before catching yourself back on the couch. That explosive movement will cause your muscles to fire rapidly, helping you to build strength, speed, and power.</p>
<p>This is fairly difficult for a beginner exercise, so if you find that you’re not quite ready to add the explosive kick to this move, you can opt for a couch pushup instead. You’ll perform a pushup with your hands on the couch, but you’ll simply press your body back up to the starting position the way you would with a normal pushup.</p>
<p>When you’ve perfected your explosive couch pushup, you’ll be ready to take on the regular explosive pushup. The explosive pushup is the same as the couch variation, but instead of placing your hands on the couch, you’ll be on the floor. This adds an extra challenge to the regular pushup, creating more work for your arms as you explode off the ground.</p>
<p>From there, you can test out the advanced variation: the feet on couch explosive pushup. You’ll perform an explosive pushup, but with your feet up on the couch rather than on the floor. This decline position is going to give your upper chest and delts a much more challenging workout than the normal explosive pushup.</p>
<p>Now, let’s learn how to do an explosive couch pushup with the best possible form:</p>
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<section>
<section id="section1">
<h2>Instructions</h2>
<ol>
<li>Face your couch and place your hands on it.</li>
<li>Get into a pushup position with your hands slightly in front of you, about shoulder-width apart, and your toes planted behind you to form a plank.</li>
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<li>Bend your elbows to lower your body down towards the couch.</li>
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<li>When you’ve gone as far down as you possibly can, give an explosive push through your hands and arms, lifting your upper body and allowing your hands to leave the couch if possible.</li>
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<li>Let your bodyweight bring you back to the couch then immediately enter into another explosive pushup.</li>
<li>Continue repeating this movement until you’ve reached the desired number of repetitions.</li>
</ol>
</section>
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<section>
<section id="section2">
<h2>Things to keep in mind</h2>
<ul>
<li>Make sure your arms aren’t vertical but are at a bit of an angle in front of you. It should feel like you’ve taken the normal pushup and elevated it up to the couch.</li>
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<li>When you’re in the pushup position, be sure to squeeze your glutes, your quads, and your core in order to maintain perfect alignment from your head to your feet. Your butt should be in alignment with your body not sticking up.</li>
<li>Keep your elbows tight towards your sides as you bend into the pushup. You should really feel your triceps and your shoulders activate as you lower yourself down.</li>
<li>During the pushup, only go down as far as you comfortably can. As long as you can get some bend in your elbows, while adding in that explosive movement, you’ll be getting a good workout while building strength to help you go farther. Work up to touching your forehead to the back of the couch as this is a great measure of progress over time.</li>
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<li>When you land, do it as gently as possible and bend through the elbows as you hit the couch. To keep your movement light, try imagining that you’re bouncing on a trampoline. This will help to prevent injuries in the elbows and wrists.</li>
<li>Inhale as you lower yourself towards the couch and take a nice, strong exhale as you explode off of the couch. Doing this will keep you focused on your form while getting the blood pumping to your muscles.</li>
</ul>
</section>
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<section>
<section id="section3">
<h2>Conclusion:</h2>
<p>There’s a lot to keep in mind while you perform this exercise, but stick with the cues we’ve given you here and you’ll get the maximum benefit out of your explosive couch pushups.</p>
<p>Again, if you’re not quite ready for the full explosive couch pushup, try doing a couch pushup without the explosive movement. Form is key here, so as long as you keep your form perfect, you’ll be getting a great workout and preparing yourself to take on the explosive variation.</p>
<p>Once you’ve mastered the explosive couch pushup, you’ll be ready to drop your hands from the couch to the ground to perform the regular explosive pushup like a pro. With that exercise under your belt, you’ll be able to tackle the feet on couch explosive pushup where you’ll maintain that great form while doing an explosive pushup with your feet on the couch.</p>
<p>One of the best parts about this move is that you can perform it with no additional equipment in the comfort of your own living room. So, the next time you’re watching TV and you hit a commercial break, try doing a set of these explosive couch pushups before the show comes back on.</p>
<p>If this exercise is too easy, try <a target="_blank" href="https://www.warriormade.com/content/exercise/perfect-form-explosive-push-ups/">Explosive Pushups</a>.</p>
</section>
</article>
