Push Up
Overall chestAbout
It's a most famous, and at the same time highly effective, body weight exercise. If you put your hands further apart, you can target the outside of your pecs.
How to Push Up
Starting Position
1. Please lie down with your arms slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
2. Engage your core to keep your body in a straight line.
Proper Form
1. Please lower yourself until your chest is just about to touch the floor.
2. At this time, your forearms should be perpendicular to the floor.
3. Engage your chest and return to the starting position.
Breathing Technique
Inhale when bending your arms, and exhale when pushing your arms.
Muscles Push Up Works
Main musclePress the floor away with both hands and lift your body as one unit. The main muscle driving this movement is your pecs. Your pecs bring your upper arms toward your body and help press you away from the floor.
Supporting musclesYour triceps help straighten your elbows, your front delts assist the press, and your serratus helps your shoulder blades move and stay stable.
How it should feelAs you lower, your chest should stretch. As you press up, your chest should squeeze inward and your whole body should rise as one solid line.
Signs you're offIf your hips sag or your lower back arches, your core has lost tension. If your shoulders shrug, your neck may be doing too much and your chest tension may drop.
Remember thisKeep a straight line from head to heels and press the floor away with your chest.
Muscles used
- Pecslarge chest muscles covering the front of the chest
- Tricepsback of the upper arms
- Front deltsfront of the shoulders
- Serratus anteriorsaw-shaped muscle along the side of the ribs under the armpit
- Rectus abdoministhe front abs, commonly called the six-pack
Setting Up for Push Up
Setup orderPlace a mat wide enough for your hands and feet if needed
Mat
Set it like thisIf the floor is hard or slippery, place a mat wide enough for your hands and feet.
How to checkMake sure both your hands and toes can stay on the mat, and the mat does not slide.
Watch out forAvoid using a mat that is too small or slippery.
Stance for Push Up
Foot widthPlace your hands a little wider than shoulder-width, with your fingertips pointing comfortably forward.
Where your weight goesPress evenly through both hands and both feet.
Upper body positionPlace your hands under your shoulders and extend both feet back on the floor.
Why it mattersIf your hand or foot position is unstable, your shoulders or lower back may take more stress than your chest.
How to Grip for Push Up
Grip typePoint your fingers forward and place your whole palms on the floor.
Grip widthPlace your hands about shoulder-width apart, with both hands aligned on the same line.
How hard to gripSpread your fingers and keep your whole palms on the floor, with the backs of your hands in line with your forearms.
The Key Point for Push Up
Keep a straight line from head to toe, and slowly lower yourself until your chest is close to the floor.
Think of it like thisThe feeling of keeping the body like a long board
Before the fixMy hips sag or lift up, and only my arms get tired first.
After the fixThe torso does not shake, and the chest and arms stand together.
Common Mistakes in Push Up
Hips sag
Why it's wrongThis stresses the lower back and reduces chest work.
How to fix itBrace your core and keep your body in a straight line.
Hands too far forward
Why it's wrongThis can stress the wrists.
How to fix itPlace your hands under, or slightly in front of, your shoulders.
Elbows flare too wide
Why it's wrongThis can strain the front of your shoulders.
How to fix itKeep your elbows about 45–60° from your torso.
Precautions
1. Please go down only as much as you can without straining your shoulders.
2. Keep your core engaged to prevent your hips from dropping.
From the Community
It's much better than not doing it. Even just doing push-ups is much better than not exercising at all~
View full discussion →I'm doing it in the exercise zone.
View full discussion →wth does this have to do with pushups?
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