The Jackknife Pushup is an excellent conditioning and, in many cases, muscle building exercise. It’s a combination of two exercises – the jackknife and the pushup.
Online Personal Training Video: Jackknife Pushup
How To Do It
1. Begin in the pushup position.
2. Perform a pushup.
3. “Jump” both legs forward to your chest to the tucked position, as if preparing for a squat thrust.
4. “Shoot” your legs back to the pushup position.
5. Repeat, beginning the process again with another pushup.
Online Personal Trainer Tips
1. As with other cardio-demanding exercises, breathe normally.
2. Keep your eyes on a spot a foot or so in front of you on the floor. To avoid neck injury, do not stare straight forward.
3. During the pushup portion of the exercise, the first contact you make with the floor with any part of your face should be with your chin, not your nose. This will help prevent a truncated range of motion.
4. Keep your body rigid throughout the pushup. Imagine a steel rod between your ankles and shoulders or knees and shoulders, depending on which lower body contact point you choose.
5. During the pushup, maintain a rigid body. Your hips, stomach and chest should contact the ground at approximately the same time.
