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Chest

Push-Ups

The push-up presses your own bodyweight: chest, triceps and front delts, with your core holding a plank.

Push-Ups: starting position
1Starting position
Push-Ups: end position
2End position

Setup

Hands on the floor a little wider than your shoulders, fingers forward. Body in a straight line from heels to head, glutes and abs tight.

Execution

  1. Get into a plank: hands a bit wider than your shoulders, body a straight line from head to heels.
  2. Inhale and lower yourself until your chest nearly touches the floor.
  3. Exhale and press back up, squeezing your chest.

Common mistakes

  • Hips sagging or piking up — keep the body in one line the whole set.
  • Elbows flared to 90 degrees — keep them closer to your body.
  • Partial reps — go down until your chest nearly touches the floor.
  • Head reaching for the floor — your neck continues the line of your back.

Not sure about your form? Send me a video of a set — I'll take a look and tell you what to fix first.

More for this muscle group: Chest

Barbell Bench PressBarbell Bench PressDipsDipsDumbbell Bench PressDumbbell Bench PressIncline Dumbbell PressIncline Dumbbell PressIncline Barbell Bench PressIncline Barbell Bench PressDecline Barbell Bench PressDecline Barbell Bench Press

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Position photos from the open free-exercise-db.