The Superman pushup—during which you generate enough force from a pushup position to spring both your hands and feet off the ground and extend them in front of you—is good for more than just impressing your friends. This plyometric exercise is a sign of serious total-body strength, as it requires the muscles in your upper and lower body to work in tandem with your core, to initiate “liftoff”. If you can do one, then you have some serious muscle control.
How to perform the move
BUT BE WARNED: These are extremely hard to do. If you’re not quite there yet, try these progressions to build up to a Superman pushup that Kal-El would be proud of.
Pushup position plank
Hold yourself in a standard plank position and focus on activating your core—don’t sag or arch. Think, “Head to heel, straight as steel.”
Perfect pushup
Activate your core and glutes, keep your elbows tucked in by your sides, and lower yourself slowly, driving through your palms as you push up.
Clapping pushup
From the bottom position, explode up with enough force to raise your hands off the ground and clap.
Are you ready to fly?
From the down position, drive your hands out in front of you while kicking your legs straight out at the same time. Watch out for Kryptonite!
