Muscles worked
What the push-up trains
Tap a muscle to see just that one and what it does in the lift.
Before the first rep
How to set up
- 01
Hands. Place your hands flat on the floor a little wider than your shoulders, fingers spread and pointing forward or slightly out. At the bottom of the rep they should line up with the lower half of your chest.
- 02
Stack your shoulders. Walk your feet back until your shoulders sit roughly over your hands with your arms straight.
- 03
Feet. Feet together or up to hip width. Wider feet give a more stable base if you wobble side to side.
- 04
Make a plank. Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs so your body forms one straight line from head to heels. Keep your ribs down rather than letting your belly hang.
- 05
Neck neutral. Look at the floor a little ahead of your hands so your head stays in line with your spine.
Step by step
How to do the push-up
- Head, trunk and legs stay in one line
- Elbows angle back as they bend (shorter from the side)
Lower 2s → Press 1s → Top 0.7s
Hatching marks the highlighted muscle groups.
- 01
Lower. Bend your elbows and lower your whole body as one piece, taking about two seconds. Your shoulder blades slide toward each other as you go down.
- 02
Elbow angle. Let your elbows travel back at roughly 30 to 45 degrees from your sides, so from above your body and arms make an arrow, not a T.
- 03
Bottom. Stop when your chest is about a fist's height from the floor, or lightly touches it. Your elbows sit roughly over your wrists, and your hips are still level with your shoulders.
- 04
Press. Push the floor away and straighten your arms, moving chest and hips up together. If your chest rises first and your hips lag, your core has switched off.
- 05
Finish. At the top, keep pushing the floor away until your shoulder blades spread apart and wrap around your rib cage, without shrugging your shoulders toward your ears. Then start the next rep.
Cues to say in your head
- Squeeze your glutes
- Arrow, not a T
- Chest and hips together
- Push the floor away
- Ribs down
- Screw your hands in
Fix these first
Common mistakes
Hips sagging toward the floor
Squeeze your glutes and brace like someone is about to poke your stomach. If you still sag, raise your hands on a bench until you can hold the line.
Hips piked up in the air
Lower your hips until they line up with your shoulders and heels. A pike shortens the rep and moves the work toward your shoulders.
Elbows flared straight out to the sides
Bring them in to about 45 degrees. Flared elbows load the front of the shoulder and usually feel worse over time.
Half reps that stop short of the floor
Lower until your chest is a fist from the floor every rep. If full depth is too hard, use an incline instead of cutting the range.
Head dropping or chin poking forward
Keep your neck long and in line with your back. Your chest, not your face, should reach the floor first.
Hands too far forward
Place them level with your chest so your forearms are close to vertical at the bottom. Hands out near your head strain the shoulders.
Stay safe
Push-ups are one of the safest presses to learn, but stop if you feel sharp pain in the front of your shoulder, your wrist or your elbow rather than working through it. Sore wrists often settle if you grip push-up handles or dumbbells to keep your wrists straight. Use an incline until you can do clean full reps, and add explosive versions like clap push-ups only once regular reps are easy. If pain keeps coming back, see a physical therapist or doctor.
Programming
Sets, reps and how much weight
| Goal | Sets | Reps | Load | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 3 to 5 | 5 to 8 | 80–90% 1RM | 2 to 3 min |
| Muscle | 3 to 4 | 8 to 20 | 60–80% 1RM | 1 to 2 min |
| Endurance | 2 to 3 | 15 to 30 or more | 50–65% 1RM | 45 to 90 sec |
| Technique | 3 to 5 | 5 to 10 | 40–60% 1RM | 1 min |
Plan your next session
Put in a recent set. You get working weights for your goal, a warm-up and the plates to load.
Estimated 1RM 216 lb
Muscle sets
129–173lb
3 to 4 sets of 8 to 20 reps, 1 to 2 min rest. Take sets close to failure with full range. When you pass 20 reps, switch to a harder version.
Estimates use the Epley formula and work best from sets of 3 to 8 reps. Treat them as a starting point and adjust by how the first working set moves.
Questions
Push-Up questions
What muscles do push-ups work?
Mainly the chest, with the front shoulders and triceps as the other prime movers. Your serratus anterior, abs and glutes work to hold your shoulder blades and your body line steady.
Are incline push-ups easier than regular push-ups?
Yes. The higher your hands, the less of your bodyweight you press, so incline push-ups are the standard way to build up to full reps. Lower the surface, from counter to bench to step, as you get stronger.
Are decline push-ups harder, and what do they work?
Yes. Raising your feet puts more of your bodyweight through your arms and angles the press upward, so the upper chest and front shoulders tend to do a bit more of the work. Start with your feet on a low step before using a bench.
What are the best push-up variations?
Incline push-ups to build up, regular push-ups as the base, then decline, deficit or weighted push-ups for strength and clap push-ups for power. Scapular push-ups and the push-up plus, also called press up and out (a push-up with an extra push at the top), train the shoulder blade muscles, and a TRX chest press lets you adjust the difficulty by changing your body angle.
How many push-ups should I do a day?
There is no magic daily number. Most people progress well with 3 to 4 sets taken close to failure, two or three times a week, and switching to a harder version once they can do about 20 clean reps.
Should my chest touch the floor on a push-up?
A full rep brings your chest to about a fist's height from the floor or lightly touching it. Hand-release push-ups make that depth unmistakable if you tend to cut reps short.
Train in Protocol
Log your push-up by voice. Protocol tracks the rest.
Your last session shows up before every set, warm-ups and plates are worked out for you, and your coach sees every lift next to your sleep and recovery.