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There’s More Than One “Right” Way to Do a Pushup
For a lot of people, pushups fall into an all-or-nothing category. You either do them “right”… or you don’t do them at all.
The truth is: there isn’t just one right way to do a pushup. It depends on where your body is today.
Strength Is Built in Steps, Not Leaps
In this video, I walk through several pushup variations, starting with the easiest version and gradually moving to more demanding versions.
What matters isn’t which version you’re doing. What matters is that each step makes sense and leads naturally to the next.
If you can do a wall pushup, that’s a great place to start. You’re building the strength and coordination that make pushups on the back of a chair or countertop achievable.
Once your back-of-the-chair pushups feel solid, moving to the front of the chair isn’t that big of a leap. From there, modified pushups on the floor are the next step. Soon you’ll be able to do regular pushups. What once felt impossibly far away starts to feel… realistic when you can see a clear progression on how to get there.
That progression is where confidence comes from. Not forcing yourself through something your body isn’t ready for, but stacking small, successful reps that add up over time.
Using a wall, a bench, or your knees doesn’t make the movement less valuable. It makes it appropriate. And that is what allows you to keep showing up and building strength.
Why I Teach This Way
I’d had back problems since I was in my 20’s. About ten years ago, I was diagnosed with disc bulges and fissures, one step away from herniated and ruptured. I had to learn to exercise differently.
I had to relearn how to build strength in ways that respected my body while still challenging it. That process changed how I think about fitness and movement. It taught me that adaptation isn’t a shortcut. It’s the path.
That’s the approach I bring into every class I teach.
(FWIW, my back is in the best shape it’s been in decades!)
If This Resonates
If watching the video makes you think, “Oh… I could start there,” that’s not an accident.
That’s exactly how my Functional Fitness classes are designed. Everyone works on the same movement patterns, but each person does the version that matches their current ability, mobility, and comfort level.
The same philosophy carries into our martial arts training. We build capability gradually, with clarity and intention.
If you’re curious, you can learn more about both programs here:
And if nothing else, I hope the video helps you rethink what “doing it right” really means.
