How to do the Push-Up
Set up. Place your hands on the floor slightly wider than your shoulders and step your feet back so your body forms a straight line from head to heels.
- Brace your stomach and squeeze your glutes.
- Bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the floor, elbows angled back at about forty-five degrees.
- Go down until your chest is just above the floor.
- Push the floor away to straighten your arms, keeping the body in one line.
Form cues
- Keep your body rigid like a plank.
- Keep your hands under your shoulders.
- Lower the chest, not the head.
Common mistakes
- Letting the hips sag or pike up.
- Doing half reps that stop well above the floor.
Muscles worked
Main target: Chest. The chest muscles fan out across the front of the ribcage, from the breastbone and collarbone to the upper arm. They bring the arm forward and across the body, which is the work of every press, push-up and fly.
Its other side: Upper back, Lats and Rear delts, in the horizontal push and pull pattern.
What to pair it with
Movements that round out a workout with the Push-Up, from the same catalog the StatBlockFit app logs.
- Inverted Row Superset partner: it trains the other side of the horizontal push and pull pattern, so the two can alternate.
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press Same push session: it trains the front delts.
- Upright Row Same push session: it trains the side delts.
- Barbell Shrug Often left out: it trains the traps, a job the moves above leave undone.
A complete workout around it
5 movements, the Push-Up first, at the catalog's rep ranges. Load it into the workout builder to change the sets, reps and weights, then bookmark it or download it.
- Push-Up 3 × 5 to 30 reps
- Inverted Row 3 × 6 to 20 reps
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 × 6 to 15 reps
- Upright Row 3 × 8 to 15 reps
- Barbell Shrug 3 × 8 to 20 reps
Alternatives and swaps
The same main muscle with other equipment: a swap never changes the muscle a workout trains.
Home or dumbbell swap
Dumbbell Bench Press
Dumbbell
Gym or cable swap
Machine Chest Press
Machine
Less load on the wrist
Machine Chest Press
From the app's workaround table: keeps the wrist closer to neutral.
A swap describes the movement, not your body: if a joint hurts, ask a professional before you train it.
Variations and preparation
Its variations: Incline Push-Up, Deficit Push-Up, Pike Push-Up, Knee Push-Up, Diamond Push-Up and Archer Push-Up.
Do before it: Scapular Push-Up (shoulder blades), Knee Push-Up (same movement, lighter) and Incline Push-Up (same movement, lighter).
Track it in StatBlockFit
In the StatBlockFit app the Push-Up is logged set by set: the app suggests your next weight after each session, times your rests, keeps your records and shows the 72-hour recovery of every muscle on its training map. The training guide explains how.
Questions
How do you do the Push-Up?
Set up: Place your hands on the floor slightly wider than your shoulders and step your feet back so your body forms a straight line from head to heels. Steps: 1. Brace your stomach and squeeze your glutes. 2. Bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the floor, elbows angled back at about forty-five degrees. 3. Go down until your chest is just above the floor. 4. Push the floor away to straighten your arms, keeping the body in one line. Form cues: Keep your body rigid like a plank. Keep your hands under your shoulders. Lower the chest, not the head. Common mistakes: Letting the hips sag or pike up. Doing half reps that stop well above the floor.
What muscles does the Push-Up work?
It trains the chest as its main target and works the triceps and abs on the way.
What can I do instead of the Push-Up?
At home: Dumbbell Bench Press. In a gym: Machine Chest Press. With less load on the wrist: Machine Chest Press. Each trains the same main muscle.
What should I pair the Push-Up with?
Good partners in the same workout are Inverted Row, Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Upright Row and Barbell Shrug.