Push-ups

#push-ups#exercise#strength#workout#body

As long as nobody has said how many, push-ups feel like something without an end. A set number tells the body how to spread the effort, and the visual support below shows both the posture and how many are left.

A boy in a blue t-shirt holds a push-up position with his hands on the floor.

♂

Boy doing push-ups

A boy in a blue t-shirt holds a push-up position with his hands on the floor.

About this visual support

The difference between five push-ups and an unspecified number is not about strength but about overview. A child who cannot see where the end lies will either spend everything at once and run out after two, or back away before the first attempt. Effort cannot be rationed when it has no edge to count towards.

Visual support solves two separate problems here. One is posture: a straight line from shoulder to heel is hard to describe in words to someone who cannot see themselves from the side, but easy to compare against a picture. The other is counting. A row of five boxes makes every completed push-up visible, and the last box is a promise that this really does end.

Let the child pick the number within a narrow range, three or five, and keep that number steady for a week before raising it. Managing three every day builds more than failing at ten once. In the Routined app, push-ups can sit as their own step with a picture, a count and a timer that shows the rest between sets.