Building your body!

One of the most basic exercises is the press up. It is also one of the best for conditioning the body and an exercise I do a lot of in my own private workouts! The press up, not only builds chest and shoulder strength but also strengthens your core, builds your back and assists better posture.

As a mobile personal trainer this is one of those classic exercises that can be done anywhere. At home, garden, the work place and the outdoors.

A press up features in many workouts with my clients as it is such a beneficial exercise and a very efficient way to start getting in shape. There are so many press up variations that can be done depending on your goal.

You can do wide and narrow hand positions, different feet positions and different body elevation positions. You can vary the speed you do press ups, and they are great for working on muscular strength endurance.

A press up is a great benchmark of your level of health which is why they are widely used in fitness tests by various organisations. If you can't do one there are various ways I can build your strength and technique so you are able to do a press up.

In the clip here, I'm using a simple park bench which you can find just about anywhere! The benefit of doing a press up on a bench is that you have to stabilise yourself, and this really strengthens your core.