The Slingshot and a Few Other Weapons

If you are not able to do push-ups correctly, dont just do them wrong in order to pass a PT test or do a workout RXed. If you have been doing push-ups wrong for a long time, doing them correct is going to be tough at first, but the hard/right is better than the easy/wrong way, that will lead to pain down the road as you trash your shoulders.

Last time, I discussed how knee push-ups are a waste of time. So what to do if you want to scale the push-up and get better? Here are a few ideas/options:

First up is---in my opinion the best option. Mark Bell, an elite powerlifter, creator of Strength Magazine and owner of Super Training Gym,  invented a device called: The Slingshot. The Slingshot is a great tool. It costs about $45, but is worth the investment. I think spending $45 now is cheap when you compare it to wasted time and money fixing your shoulder. Many powerlifters use it to raise their numbers on the bench (which you can as well), but it can be used to help your push-ups. I bought one after I had a client who could not do a single push-up. He had never done a push-up before in his life and after training with the Slingshot (and lots of coaching), he is now able to knock out picture perfect push-ups on his own. I also use it as a great shoulder warmup if I'm doing a workout that demands a lot from the shoulders. You can see a demo of Mark Bell in the video below:

If you still feel that $45 is too much money, you can improvise to build your own slingshot. If you double-up a jumpstretch band you can get a similar benefit. But, from experience you can definitely feel a difference with the Slingshot, and its benefit of helping with dips, push-ups, and bench may be worth the money. You can see in this picture how you can improvise:

A few other quick options:

The Perfect Push-up:

This is a pretty good tool to grab if you see one at a yard sale. That rotating motion that is done on the device really nails home the idea of creating torque. 

Ring Rows:

While it is a pull and not a push...I like the way it allows you to create torque in the shoulders and upon lowering allows you to really feel your shoulder and learn the difference of being in a strong/stable shoulder position or if you are in a weak position with your shoulder in the front of the socket.

Scapula Push-ups:

I think it is a great tool to not only build some strength in the scapula region, but good to gain a feel for learning how to "screw your hands into the ground" and create a stable shoulder position. I had a lot of success with this movement with a client who had a train wreck of a push-up. Once he actually felt how his shoulder worked and could feel his shoulder becoming stable, things started to click for him. He stopped bending at the elbow first and instead initiated with the shoulder.