How to do push-ups

Push-ups train...

Push-ups mostly train chest muscles, triceps and slightly abs. Exercises like hindu push-ups also train lower back and front deltoids.

Basic guidelines

1. Inhale on your way down and exhale on your way up. Always remember that you have to exhale when performing the hardest part of an exercise. In this case it’s the part where you push your body up.

2. Keep your body straight. Tighten your abs and don’t let your belly drop. When doing pushups the whole body has to go down not just the upper body. If you don’t keep your body straight you will probably just push your shoulders up and down.

3. Perform full range of motion. Go as low as you can so that you almost touch the ground with your nose. Don’t drop your head trying to reach the ground faster. Your head and neck should be on the same horizontal axis as your spine and legs. Performing triangle and diamond push-ups try to touch your chest with your palms. If you have shoulder problems or feel any pain or discomfort, don’t push yourself too far. Work in the range that feels comfortable for you.

Beginner push-up exercises

• Knee push-up. Start on the ground with your knees bent. Your feet should be lifted up. Put your hands a bit wider than shoulder width. Slowly go down, keep your torso straight and tight throughout the repetition. Push yourself up and repeat.

• Incline push-up. Place your hands on an elevated surface shoulder width apart so that your body is at around 45 degrees to the ground. Keep your body straight and abs tight. When you are going down keep your elbows tucked in so that they are almost rubbing against your torso. Keep your body straight, push yourself up and repeat.

In the video below you can take a look at different beginner push-up variations.

Intermediate push-up exercises

Military (regular) push-up is the most common push-up variation. If you can perform at least 20 repetitions of regular push-ups there are other intermediate push-up variations that will prepare you for more advanced exercises.

• Military (regular) push-up. Place your hands on the ground a bit wider than shoulder width apart. Make sure your body is completely straight. Do not drop your belly or raise your buttocks. Keep your elbows tucked in. They should be at a 45 degree angle to your body when bent. Slowly bend your arms and bring yourself down until you can almost touch the ground with your nose, pause and slowly push yourself up.

In the video below you can take a look at different intermediate push-up variations.

Advanced push-ups exercises

I always say that you shouldn’t use only one exercise to train certain muscles or a muscle group. While the regular (military) push-up is a great exercise you will get far better results by mixing many different pushing exercises together.

• Hindu push-up. In my opinion the best push-up exercise is the hindu push-up. This exercise has been used for hundreds or possibly thousands of years by Indian wrestlers. Hindu push-up trains more muscles than a regular push-up. The movement starts in front and side deltoids and is further transferred to triceps, chest, abdominals, lower back and hips. It is a great conditioning exercise. If you want to see this exercise in action in the video below you can see me performing the dive bomber push-up wich is a harder variation of the hindu push-up. It will give you the basic idea how this exercise works.

In the video below you can take a look at different advanced push-up variations.

Push-up mistakes

• Bent body. Your body should be perfectly straight while performing a push-up exercise. Never let your belly and lower back drop down. Don’t lift your buttocks up. Push-ups performed with a good technique not only train your chest, shoulders and triceps but also strengthen your abdominals and inner muscles that surround the spine.

• Locked elbows. Between repetitions your arms should be slightly bent. This is the perfect push-up form. It not only reduces the pressure on your elbows but also gives a far better workout because muscles are kept under tension all the time. Don’t panic if you don’t get it right all the time. I often catch myself doing this mistake. In reality your bodyweight alone can’t harm your elbow joints. It’s a different story if you do this mistake while bench pressing heavy weights. In this case you can cause permanent damage to your elbow joints.

• Dropped head. Don’t drop your head. Many people have the tendency to lean their heads forward trying to reach the ground faster while doing push-ups. You should keep your spine and body absolutely straight and that includes straight neck too. By dropping your head, you may tighten your neck muscles or even bump your head against the ground and get an injury.