Push Ups: How to Do Them Right

You hold a high plank, lower your chest to the floor and press back up, and your body stays in one straight line the whole time. They need no equipment, so you can do push ups at home, in the gym or on the road. Below you will find how to do a push up step by step, the muscles worked, easier and harder versions, and the mistakes that turn a push up into a sloppy half rep.

Push ups mainly work the pectoralis major, the big chest muscle, both its upper and lower part. The triceps straighten the elbows at the top of every rep. The front delts help press the body up. Your core, from the abs to the glutes, holds the straight line, so push ups also train your trunk more than a bench press does.

For chest and triceps growth, do 3 to 4 sets with 1 or 2 good reps left, two or three times a week. Count your reps and try to add one rep per set each week. Once you can do 20 clean reps in a set, make the move harder instead of adding more reps. Cannot do a full push up yet? Start with incline push ups, hands on a bench, a table or a wall. Lower the surface every week until you reach the floor. Knee push ups also work, as long as the body stays straight from head to knees.

Incline push ups, with your hands raised, are the easiest version. Knee push ups are next. Regular push ups from the floor are the standard. Decline push ups, with your feet on a bench, put more work on the upper chest and shoulders. Diamond push ups, with your hands close together, hit the triceps harder. To keep progressing on the floor, add a pause at the bottom, slow the lowering to 3 seconds, or wear a backpack with a few books or a plate inside.

Both press with the chest, triceps and front delts. The bench press lets you add weight in small steps for years, so it is the better strength builder. Push ups need nothing, train the core at the same time and are easier on the shoulders for many people. If you train in a gym, use the bench press as your main lift and finish with push ups. At home, push ups can be your main chest exercise for a long time, if you keep making them harder.

In the gym, the bench press and the incline dumbbell press train the same muscles with more weight. If your wrists do not like the floor, do push ups on your fists or on push up handles, or use the dumbbell press on a bench. The moves below cover the chest, front delts and triceps from other angles.

Push ups open Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3 of Dumbbell Home Essentials, the 3 day home plan with one pair of dumbbells. The app sets your rep target from your own max, so every set counts. They are also the second move in the no equipment home workout and the dumbbell full body workout. Log every set in GymDroid. On iPhone and Android.

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Mostly the chest. The triceps and front delts help you press up, and the core holds your body straight. With the elbows tucked, the chest does most of the work.

You do not need them every day. Two or three sessions a week with 3 to 4 sets close to failure build more than a few easy reps daily. Rest at least one day between hard sessions.

For beginners, yes. Once you can do 20 clean reps in a row, make them harder: raise your feet, slow the reps or add a backpack. Pair them with a dumbbell press when you have one.

Start with your hands on a wall or a table. Lower the surface every week until you reach the floor. Keep your body straight at every height.

No. They are a good step toward full push ups. Keep the body straight from head to knees and lower your chest to the floor, the same as the full version.

Usually the wrists are bent too far or the hands are too far forward. Turn your fingers out a little, set the wrists under the shoulders, or do push ups on your fists or on handles. If the pain stays, stop and see a professional.