These strength-building prep positions will have you dropping down and giving twenty before you know it!

Now if you’re anything like me, you’ll understand why I say pushups are THE WORST!  at least for those of us who can’t even manage the one without hurtling to the ground face first. However, I guess before we give up for good and accept a flabby fate, know this: You CAN master the classic upper-body toner by building strength gradually.

Practice with the following four moves, and I promise the thought of doing pushups will no longer make you want to cry.

1. Pushup Prep : The Plank

The pushup works all the muscles on the front of your body, especially your core, so the best place to start building strength is with a stabilization exercise. The foundation of a perfect pushup is a plank. You need to be strong enough to suspend your body in a perfectly straight line between your feet and shoulders before you can do pushups.

Starting Position:
1.    Place your hands on the floor directly under your shoulders with your arms extended.
2.    Keeping your weight over the center of your hands, screw your hands into the ground with your fingertips spread wide as if you are trying to push the floor apart with your hands.
3.    Squeeze your legs together, tense your thighs, glutes, and abs, and pull your ribs and shoulders down.

The Move:

Hold the starting position, working up from 20 to 60 seconds, and focus on your breathing. Once you can hold a plank for 60 seconds, move to the next progression.

2. Pushup Prep : One Foot, One Arm Plank

Starting Position: Start in a plank.

The Move: 

Raise a leg and the opposite arm off of the floor to hold your body weight with only two points of contact on the floor. If this is too difficult, you can try it with just one foot or one hand and work your way up to both.

3. Pushup Prep : Elevated Pushup

Elevating the top half of your body makes a pushup much easier because you’re pushing less of your body weight

Starting Position: Start in a plank with your hands on a box, bench, or step.

The Move:
1.    Tuck your elbows to your sides and slowly pull yourself into the bottom position until your chest hovers above the box.
2.    Hold this bottom position briefly and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
3.    Reverse the movement, being sure to fully extend your arms, and push your shoulder blades away from each other at the top of the movement. Your goal should be to gradually work your way to the floor by decreasing the elevation.

4. Pushup Prep : Eccentric Pushup

Starting Position: Start in a plank with hands on the floor and arms straight.

The Move:
1.    Do only the “eccentric” or negative portion of the pushup. Tuck your elbows to your sides and very slowly lower yourself until your chest hovers above the floor, being sure to take three to five seconds to lower.
2.    Place your knees on the floor to help cheat your way back to the top. Once you can do five to 10 of these consecutively, you’re ready to pump out some regular pushups.

The Classic Pushup

Starting Position: Start in a plank.

The Move:
1.    Tuck your elbows to your sides and slowly pull yourself into the bottom position until your chest hovers above the floor.
2.    Hold this bottom position briefly and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
3.    Reverse the movement, being sure to fully extend your arms, and push your shoulder blades away from each other at the top of the movement.