Wall push-ups for beginners are a great choice for seniors and beginners who want to gain strength in order to progress to the full range traditional pushups.
They are an excellent alternative to strengthen and build arms, shoulders, and chest muscles in these three cases:
(i) Beginner: You are a beginner and do not have enough strength to do standard full range pushups.
(ii) Senior: You are a senior and want to have stronger upper body, but want to begin with caution so as to avoid injury.
(iii) Back Problem: You want to strengthen your chest but have some back problem because wall pusups do not put stress on your spine.
In all the above cases you can start with wall pushups and slowly progress to traditional pushups over time as you build up strength.
You can do them as per your convenience anywhere and any time, even during a TV commercial break.
How To Do Wall Pushups For Beginners And Seniors?
Start Position: Stand in front of a wall at a distance slightly farther than arm’s length. While facing the wall, lean your body forward and place your palms flat against the wall at shoulder height and slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, with the fingertips pointing upward.
Movement:
(i) Slowly bend your elbows and lower your upper body towards the wall in a slow, controlled motion. Your feet should remain flat on the floor. Hold the position for 1 second.
(ii) Push yourself off the wall until your arms are straight with elbows slightly bent. This completes one rep.
Tips & Notes:
(i) Repeat the movement 5 to 10 times. Rest; then repeat 5-10 times. This way you can do 3 to 4 sets.
(ii) Never lock your elbows during a chest workout. Doing chest workout with straight arms (locked elbows) can put too much pressure on your elbow joint and that may cause an injury, like tendonitis.
(iii) Never arch your back during chest workouts. Arching your back during chest workouts can put unnecessary stress on the lower spine and cause injury.
Watch This video to learn correct form of doing Wall Pushups
Progressing To More Intense Wall Pushups
(i) Stop and pause halfway as you lower your body towards the wall. Hold for a few seconds and continue to move towards the wall. Stop and pause again for a few seconds more as you continue moving towards the wall.
(ii) This is another advanced version of wall pushups. Try performing the wall push-ups in a very slow pace. Count very slowly up to 4 as you move towards the wall and again very slowly count 4 as you push away from. This increases the time during which your chest and arms remain under the tension.
