How to improve press ups?

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What exercises would anyone recommend to increase my strength so I could do more press ups? I can only do about 5 press ups at the moment but wondered if there was anything I could do to improve (as well as regularly doing press ups)

Anything that increases your core strength, like holding a plank.

Also squeezing your bum makes it easier.

User - I was told last week that while doing a press up my chest should almost be on the floor. I can't do that while on my toes so dropped to my knees. Does that make sense?

Do you have a core strength class near you? I do CX Worx and it's a 30 min core strength class and it's amazing. Loads of plank work!

Have a look at the Plank Challenge maybe?

I can do about 5 press ups in a row almost getting my chest on the floor with my arms shoulder width apart.

The gym I go to doesn't have a any core strength classes apart from Pilates but it is always on at a time of can't got.

Will try holding a plank at home as an v limited for time at the moment.

I can't seem to get my chest anywhere near the floor! Unless I drop down to my knees. I used to be able to but now it feels like my arms just won't do it. Is it better to do girly press-ups getting properly low to the ground, or to struggle on with proper ones even if i'm not bending my arms very far?

Better to do them on your knees with proper form (chest to floor) than on your toes without the full range of movement. If you want to make knee press ups harder you can do "hand release", so once your chest is on the floor, lift your hands up and then put them back down and push up from there- ensures you max the range.

The primary muscles used are your pecs and triceps so exercises that strengthen them (bench press for pecs or tricep dips) will also help.

The best way to be able to do more press ups (IMHO) is to keep doing more press ups , just more sets of whatever you can manage in one go! And I'd second what Aggressive says, its better to do them on your knees until you can manage full ones with proper form on toes. Much more protective of your back that way too - if you are trying to do full ones and don't have the requisite core and upper body strength then there will be a tendency for your tummy to dip down, arching and putting lots of strain on your back.

Rather going from your knees, which is a completely different movement, do inclined pushups and work your self down.

Eg wall pushups -> push ups on table -> push ups on chair -> push ups on stacked books.

How is going from knees a completely different movement itsall ? Incline push ups wall/table/stairs have their place in building up to full ones - with knees providing the lowest incline before moving to toes - but if someone can do press ups on knees correctly there's no benefit in making it easier by doing incline ones and push ups on stacked books sound more than a little bit dangerous

Because if you are pressing up from your knees you are not keeping your whole.body straight which is important when doing pressups. Its also generally a different range of.movement as.the length between the hands and feet/knees is very different.

Gradually decreasing height inclined pushups use exactly the same form as "proper" push ups so that you build up.all the relevant muscles.

This is pretty good on push up form:
www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/02/15/proper-push-up/

If you are doing push ups on your knees, you should be keeping your body perfectly in line, as with inclines, full push ups or declines.

But you are not keeping your body perfectly inline - there is no straight line from your toes to head. Press ups are essentially a plank which you move up and down. You will find.it hard to properly engage all.the muscles.likes quads and flutes going.from your knees. Its biomechamically very different.

itsall - this picture shows the position you should be in - as you say, essentially a plank. I agree that it won't work your quads in the same way and that there is a very slight difference in the angle you work your chest muscles but it is clearly a good enough choice for pretty much every trainer (Jillian Michaels, the guy in your link, almost anywhere you look online) to use as a progression between inclines and full push up....

at pilates today we were planking, and encouraged to squeeze from our armpits and ribs

i found press-ups far easier once i'd engaged my upper torso like this

I think we may be arguing at cross purposes :)

Press-ups from knees is great for working on upper body strength, and this will help you with a full push up.

Press-ups from your feet (inclined or not) will work your whole body, including the muscles in your legs which obviously work differently depending on if your legs are bent or straight.