Ok... it's becoming very apparent that I fail at push-ups...major fail. I do the shred DVD and every other move in Level 1 I've figured out how to do perfectly, even if I sucked at first. Push-ups, though? Lousy lousy lousy haha.

I do them with my knees on ground, obviously. What I can't figure out is how not to have my butt sticking up in the air. I end up falling on flat on my face! haha.

Advice/tips/encouragement? ty

I had that trouble too. Not sure how to explain it but I make sure that from my shoulders to my knees I'm an absolutely straight incline. You'll definitely feel it in your abs. And only go down as far as you can to avoid face-planting.

I find it is easier to learn good form (and more productive) to do incline pushups rather than knee pushups. Instead of trying to go to the ground do them on a bench or sturdy coffee table, desk if you need more height. (or smith bar if you are at a gym). I can do full military pushups, but still feel awkward with knee push-ups.

If you cant get your body to hold the straight line then core is where you are weak and you may want to start by just holding the full pushup up- position (plank) instead of pushing up.

One other suggestion is to try doing them on the wall. Sounds weird, but just put your feet out behind you & find your "plank". A lot easier standing when weight is distributed to your feet vs. on the floor where you risk a rug burn on your nose .

Another suggestion is to find a spotter. Get a friend whom you trust to help you with your form. It is really hard to correct this yourself. I had the same problem & found that it corrected itself as my strength improved.

Keep on keepin' on!! You'll get there.

Cheryl

I started doing this ..

http://hundredpushups.com/index.html

I second the suggestion of the wall push-up or try the stair push-up... Start at about the 4th step and work yourself down to the floor...

This is my suggestion as well.

I do wall and steps push-ups. I'm also doing the 100 push-up thing, in order to help in that area.