How to Do Push-Ups

The push-up builds both upper-body and core strength. It has many modifications; beginners can start with easier versions, while more advanced exercisers can use a challenging variation. You can do the push-up as part of a body weight exercise session, a circuit training workout, or a strength workout.

STEPS

1. Get down on all fours, placing your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. 

2. Straighten your arms and legs. 

3. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor. 

4. Pause, then push yourself back up. 

5. Repeat.  

Note the following tips also:

1. Contract your abs and tighten your core by pulling your belly button toward your spine. 

2. Inhale as you slowly bend your elbows and lower yourself to the floor, until your elbows are at a 90-degree angle.

3. Exhale while contracting your chest muscles and pushing back up through your hands, returning to the start.

Benefits of Push-Ups

The muscles used to hold the body rigid during the push-up are the rectus abdominis and the internal and external obliques. As the push-up involves multiple joints, it is a compound exercise.

The upper body muscles that come into play in the push-up are the deltoid of the shoulders, the pectoral muscles of the chest, the triceps and biceps of the upper arm, the gluteal or hip muscles, and the erector spine of the back.

In daily life, you often need to push against objects, from doors to shopping carts. The functional fitness you develop with push-ups provides the strength needed to perform these movements. Working the stabilizer muscles around the shoulders can help protect you from rotator cuff injuries.

Safety and Precautions

You should not do push-ups if you have a shoulder, wrist, or elbow injury. Talk to your doctor or physical therapist to see if this is an appropriate exercise for your specific condition.

If you want to protect your wrists, you can place your hands on dumbbells or push-up bars to keep them in a neutral position. If you feel shoulder pain during the push-up or hear a clicking noise in your shoulder, end the exercise.

Repeat for as many repetitions as your workout routine requires. If you have to pass a fitness test (such as the Army Physical Fitness Test), you can use a few simple strategies to build your strength and endurance in order to do more push-ups.

Click below to watch the video on how to do Push-Ups: