Exercises · Chest · Bodyweight

Push-up

How to do it

1. Place your hands under your shoulders.
2. Make a straight line from your head to your heels.
3. Lower your chest to just above the floor.
4. Push back up to the start.

Form cues that help

• Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs so your hips do not sag.
• Keep your elbows at a comfortable angle, not flared straight out to the sides.
• Move your whole body as one piece.

Common mistakes

• Sagging hips or piking up. Keep the straight line.
• Half reps. Lower your chest to just above the floor.
• Craning your neck. Keep your head in line with your spine.

Easier and harder variations

• Easier: the knee push-up, or the incline push-up with your hands on a bench or box.
• Harder: the decline push-up with your feet on a bench, which works the upper chest more, or the diamond push-up with your hands together, which shifts the work toward the triceps.
• Different grip: the wide push-up puts your hands wider than your shoulders.

Push-up or bench press?

Both train the chest, shoulders and triceps. The push-up needs no equipment. The barbell bench press makes it easy to add small amounts of weight. Many people use both.

How to progress it

Add reps until you reach a number you are happy with, then move to a harder variation or add weight. Log your reps each session. See progressive overload.

See it moving in FollowSet

FollowSet has 3D demos for the push-up and its variations and logs every set. Download it on the App Store.

General information, not medical advice. Stop if you feel sharp pain in your wrists or shoulders, and ask a qualified coach or clinician if you have an injury.