Push-Up

Start in a high plank with hands slightly wider than shoulder width, wrists under your shoulders, and body in a straight line from head to heels. Lower your chest to the floor by bending your elbows at roughly 45 degrees to your torso. Press back to the starting position, keeping your core braced and hips level throughout.

Pro Tips

• Keep your body rigid — no sagging hips or raised glutes
• Tuck your elbows slightly rather than flaring them wide; this protects your shoulders
• Touch your chest to the floor on every rep for full range of motion

Muscles worked

Primary: Pectoralis major (horizontal adduction and shoulder flexion — the primary chest loading movement), triceps brachii (elbow extension throughout the press), anterior deltoid (shoulder flexion, particularly through the press).

Supporting: Serratus anterior (scapular protraction at the top — one of the few exercises that loads the serratus significantly, important for shoulder health and scapular mobility), core (anti-extension throughout — the push-up is also a plank), rhomboids and lower trapezius (scapular stability during the controlled descent).

Common mistakes

Sagging hips: Allowing the hips to drop toward the floor collapses the anti-extension core demand and increases lumbar compression. Brace the core and glutes to maintain a rigid plank position throughout every rep.

Flaring elbows wide: Wide elbows place the shoulder in maximal external rotation under load — the same problematic position as a wide-grip bench press. Tuck the elbows to roughly 45 degrees, identical to the bench press recommendation.

Partial range of motion: Stopping short of the chest touching the floor (on the way down) or not reaching full elbow extension (at the top) reduces the mechanical loading significantly. Full range on every rep.

Ignoring progressive difficulty: Many lifters plateau at bodyweight push-ups and stop there. Progression options include elevated feet, weighted push-ups (vest or plate), rings push-ups (unstable surface increases shoulder stabiliser demand), or archer push-ups (single-arm loading). The push-up should be progressively loaded like any other exercise.

Programming notes

The push-up is the most accessible upper-body pushing exercise — it requires no equipment, can be performed anywhere, and scales from beginner (knee push-ups) to advanced (weighted, one-arm). In general fitness programmes it serves as the primary horizontal push for lifters without equipment access.

In strength programmes, push-ups appear as warm-up exercises, movement prep, or high-rep finishers after barbell pressing. The serratus anterior loading makes them particularly valuable for shoulder health — incorporating them even when a barbell programme is the primary training method is a common recommendation.

Frequently asked questions

How many push-ups should I do per session?

Volume depends on your training goal and current capacity. For strength and hypertrophy, work in the 3–5 set range at a challenging rep count — typically 5–15 reps per set with 2–3 reps left in reserve. For muscular endurance, higher rep sets of 20 or more are appropriate. If you can easily exceed 20 clean reps, add difficulty rather than adding more reps — elevate your feet, load a weight vest, or move to ring push-ups to keep mechanical tension high enough to drive adaptation.

Are push-ups as effective as bench press for building chest?

Push-ups and the barbell bench press train the same primary muscles through the same movement pattern, so the key variable is progressive overload, not the tool. Research shows comparable muscle activation when both exercises are performed at equivalent relative intensity. The bench press makes progressive loading straightforward; push-ups require more creative loading strategies (vest, plates, rings, archer variations) to continue driving hypertrophy once bodyweight alone becomes easy. Neither is categorically superior — your access to equipment and ability to overload over time should guide the choice.

Why do my wrists hurt during push-ups?

Wrist pain during push-ups is usually caused by a lack of wrist extension mobility or by loading the wrist in a compromised position. Place your hands so your wrists sit directly under your shoulders rather than ahead of them, and spread your fingers wide to distribute load across the palm. If mobility is limiting, use push-up handles or dumbbells to keep your wrists in a neutral position while you build range of motion over time. Persistent pain warrants assessment from a physiotherapist before continuing.