Press Up Strength Obstacle Course – Junior Athletic Development

The Press Up, loved (and hated) by many. This exercise has been used for years as both a great strength & muscular development tool but also the go-to punishment method for many coaches. 

"You dropped the ball..give me 20!"

There's no debate among the effectiveness of the press up. When it comes to Junior Athletic Development it's a must. 

OR IS IT??!!

Having worked with hundreds of junior athletes I very rarely encounter one who:

👉Has excellent form with the press up
👉Actually ENJOYS them

On the surface the press up looks simple..go down, press up. 

However, any personal trainer or strength coach will tell you it's one of the toughest exercises to teach (along with the correct plank, which actually is an important aspect of the press up).

Coaches - I'm not having a dig, as I think Parent Coaches are the heart & soul of all Junior sporting clubs and teams, however unfortunately they're not equipped with the tools and skills to correct poor form in the press up. 

🙁Poor form at an early age get's ingrained and becomes second nature, a pattern, that's tough to undo.

Also, Press Up's for Juniors, are unfortunately, just not very exciting, in fact they're down right boring. 

"Oh great we're doing press ups" said no-child, ever! 

For these reasons I love the press up obstacle course. If we can create a CHALLENGE or task that's ENGAGING or FUN we're doing a good job.

Sure, form won't be perfect, but who cares, we're not actually teaching the 'press-up'...we're just 'playing'....at least that's what they think.