A Step-By-Step Guide To Master Superman Push-Ups

By Soumik Ghosh

Saturday, August 4, 2018, 10:01

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's the Superman Pushup.

And there are very few body-weight movements that are as impressive as the Superman Pushup, which gets you briefly taking flight-just like the man of steel! Besides being largely popular on social media, this particular variation of pushup also represents one of the most challenging ones to execute.

Do you know what you earn yourself once you've mastered the Superman Pushup?

Well, this plyometric exercise has outcomes beyond just impressing your friends. By learning and performing it religiously, you gift yourself an upper-body size and strength, somewhat comparable to the Man of Steel himself.

This exercise demands the muscles of your upper and lower body to work in tandem with the core, to initiate the "liftoff", and as a result, largely impacts your total body strength. Once you've mastered doing it, you'll feel having some serious control over your muscles.

How To Prepare

There are a few prerequisites to master the perfect Superman Pushups. And it starts by building really strong mid-back muscles that will eventually help you elevate your arms.

Use dumbbell rows to build the strength that you're going to need while pulling your arm backward. Train your glutes with 3 sets of 10 glute bridges. It'll help you elevate your legs when in flight. Here's a step-by-step guide to achieve all of these.

WEEK ONE- This is your week of learning clap pushups. At the top of your regular pushup, just push your hands off the floor and clap them together. Then descend.

Day 1: 5 sets of 6

Day 2: 5 sets of 6

Day 3: 5 sets of 8

Day 4: On the fourth day, simply lie on your belly, arms extended forward. Just lift your legs and arms, stretching them as much as possible. That's one rep and you need to do 5 sets of 10 reps.

Day 5: Back to clap pushups again. 5 sets of 10.

Day 6: 5 sets of 7

Day 7: Try doing 15 clap pushups at one go. If you can't then redo week one.

WEEK TWO- Now we move on to shoulder-slap pushups which involve slapping your shoulders with both hands when you're at the top of the rep.

Day 8: 5 sets of 4

Day 9: 5 sets of 4

Day 10: 5 sets of 6

Day 11: 5 sets of 6

Day 12: 5 sets of 8

Day 13: 5 sets of 8

Day 14: Complete 10 shoulder-slap pushups. If you're not there yet, get back to the beginning of week two.

WEEK THREE- We need to learn hands-flying pushups now. You have got to extend your arms forward at the top of every rep before descending.

Day 15: 4 sets of 3

Day 16: 4 sets of 3

Day 17: 4 sets of 4

Day 18: This time you need to hold the top position for 2 seconds each time. Do 4 sets of 8 such reps.

Day 19: 4 sets of 6

Day 20: 4 sets of 6

Day 21: Perform a set of 8 hands-flying pushups. Can't? Repeat week three.

WEEK FOUR- As you're getting closer, now it's time to train on explosive pushups. On each rep, you'll be jumping your whole body off the floor.

Day 22: 3 sets of 2

Day 23: 3 sets of 3

Day 24: 3 sets of 4

Day 25: Holding the position for 2 seconds. 3 sets of 4

Day 26: 3 sets of 4

Day 27: 3 sets of 5

Day 28: Do 6 full body explosive pushups. If you can't, you need to repeat the fourth week regimen.

WEEK FIVE- Now you're ready to work on Superman Pushups.

How To Perform

There are two ways in which you can begin your Superman Pushup sessions.

The first one is an optional advanced starting technique. For this, you need to fall forward from a standing into a push-up position, keeping your core tight and body straight as you let your hands touch the ground.
Alternatively, you can get in your regular push-up position, arms extended and core tight.
Now, descend to the lower position of a push-up with arms flexed, core still kept tight.
Push your body upwards as powerfully as possible using both your hands and feet, which should propel yourself up into the air.
As your hands and feet lose contact with the ground, extend your arms forward so that your body is in a straight line.
Now land back into the same push-up position.
Let your momentum carry you till the lower position of a push-up. Immediately, transition into a second rep.

For any confusion, query or suggestion feel free to drop your comments right below.