Exercises / Push-Up

Push-Up

Also known as: Pushup, Press-up, Floor press-up

A bodyweight press from a plank. The chest lowers toward the floor, then the arms press back to a straight-elbow plank.

Primary muscles
Chest (pectoralis major)
Secondary muscles
Shoulders (anterior deltoid), Triceps (triceps brachii), Core
Equipment
Bodyweight (floor; optional raised hands or knees)
Pattern
Horizontal Push
Difficulty
Beginner
Line diagram of a Push-Up.
Diagram: Fytniz. License: original-placeholder (Fytniz).

Stills

Side view of a standard push-up at the top/plank position.
US Navy 100820-N-5216W-009 by CMC Jennifer L. Walker, U.S. Navy. Public domain. Via Wikimedia Commons. License: Public domain. Source.

Cues

  1. Set the hands under the shoulders or slightly wider and make one line from head to heels.
  2. Lower the chest toward the floor with the elbows tracking about 45 degrees from the torso.
  3. Keep the hips from sagging or piking; the brace stays through the whole rep.
  4. Press the floor away until the elbows finish straight.
  5. If a full-range floor rep is not available, raise the hands or drop the knees rather than cutting depth.

Common mistakes

  • Hips sagging so the low back takes the position instead of a rigid plank.
  • Flaring the elbows to 90 degrees and shrugging the shoulders into the ears.
  • Only dipping a few inches and calling it a full rep.

Safety

  • If the wrists hurt, use parallettes or fists, or raise the hands on a bench.
  • Stop if you feel sharp shoulder pain at the bottom.