Form check - XR push ups + Bulgarian XR push ups

Hi guys, just a quick check on my XR push ups. I think the basic push ups might be okay but I'm not sure about the Bulgarians.

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I've numbered the reps so its easier to point out faults.

Basically are the push ups okay? and which of the Bulgarian push ups is closest to correct and how do I make it right?

Thanks

Basic push up seems like it might be ok, but slow it down by about 3-4x and see how it feels. This lets you focus on the scapular motion and forces much more stabilization because there is very little upward momentum to protect you from the frictionless plane of the rings. The faster you go up, the less you have to stabilize. The purpose of rings, for conditioning purposes, is to build extreme strength and function in the stabilizing structures so it is in your best interest to go really, really slow.

Bulgarian has to have both elbows inline with both shoulders, so that a single straight rod runs through the center of all 4 joints. You are basically making a cross while facing down.

In both cases, retraction as the first thing that happens on the way down and protraction as the last thing on the way up is important. In the bulgarian version you don't really want to go down much below upper arm parallel, it's not very good for the shoulder labrum in that position.

Thanks a lot for the quick and detailed reply! I understand what you mean about the Bulgarian push ups, all four joints in a straight line makes sense. I've put into action the slow XR push up and its a lot harder! How does this look?

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Slower? Should there be a difference in the tempo of the accent and decent?

Thanks again for the advice

About the tempo - YES - it makes a huge difference. It is at lot more demanding. Just try it out. Go for at least 5 seconds both descent and ascent; you should feel a difference. At least I did...

In both videos, the rings are turning a bit in on the eccentric and concentric phases.

However, this may just be due to their setup since the rings actually hang forward of their anchor point because they are setup off a door frame pullup bar. I notice this makes for a bit of oddity when I do them at home since I like my knuckles not scraping on the inside of the door frame.

Also in the second video it's so dark I can't tell if you are allowing your spine to sag a bit during the pushups. Just be conscious about it.

That looks pretty good Finnbar! Very excellent adjustment! Like Blair said, I can't tell much about spinal posture but it looks all right.

Right now I wouldn't worry too much about the rings or where they turn, just keep doing what you're doing. With these, RTO doesn't matter much and you don't really want them turning out until you pass parallel by a little bit, especially at first. You will get there eventually, but that is a detail that will slowly take care of itself over time. Right now these are going to be challenging enough