“My top tip for total beginners or those coming back from a wrist or shoulder injury is to use a variation with your hands turned inwards. This takes pressure away from the wrists and more to the fingers and knuckles,” says Lopez.

Perform it the same way as a standard press-up, but with your knees resting on the mat and your hands slightly wider than shoulder distance apart. Turn the left hand inwards slightly, to around 1 o’clock and your right hand inwards to 11 o’clock as you perform the exercise.

4. Pilates press-up flow

Want to perform a pilates flow of your chosen variation? Here’s Lopez’s go-to that she performs towards the end of class when you’re warmed up enough to get through the dynamic routine.

Stand at the back of your mat with feet in parallel.
Raise the arms above your head then round the upper body to dive over your legs towards the mat.
Place your hands on the mat and walk them out into a plank position with your hands shoulder-width apart.
Perform your chosen variation of a press-up, repeating three to five times.
Lift your hips towards the ceiling into downward dog then walk your hands back towards your feet.
Roll up one vertebra at a time to an upright position.
Repeat the flow three times.

4 pilates press-up variations for a stronger upper body