Push-up
The whole upper-body press and a moving plank at the same time — which is why it is harder than it is given credit for.
What to watch
- Straight line from head to heels
- Elbows back, not flared wide
- Chest to the floor, not just the chin
- Pattern
- Horizontal push
- Equipment
- Nothing needed
- Space
- Floor space
- Difficulty
- Developing
- Load
- Leverage
What it is
Hands on the floor a little wider than your shoulders, roughly under them or slightly ahead. Body in a straight line from head to heels, weight on your hands and toes.
Lower your chest towards the floor by bending your elbows, keeping them tracking back at somewhere around forty-five degrees from your body rather than flared straight out to the sides. Go until your chest is close to the floor, then press back up.
The line from head to heels holds the whole time. That part is not optional; it is half the exercise.
What it demands
Pressing strength at roughly two-thirds of your bodyweight, from pectoralis major, the front of the deltoid and triceps brachii.
Trunk control, continuously. A push-up is a plank that moves. The trunk has to resist the hips sagging for the entire set, and for many people that fails before the arms do.
Wrist extension tolerance, since the hands are flat on the floor under load. Push-up handles or a fist position remove that demand if it is the limiter.
Shoulder blade control — serratus anterior holding the scapula against the ribcage rather than letting it wing.
What usually goes wrong
The hips sag. The lower back takes the load and the movement becomes uncomfortable. Almost always a trunk endurance problem rather than a technique one, which means the answer is an easier variation rather than more concentration.
The hips pike up. The reverse: the backside rises and the range shortens.
Elbows flared to ninety degrees. Hard on the shoulder and mechanically poor. Tucking them back somewhat is both stronger and more comfortable.
Partial range. Stopping halfway down is the most common way a push-up count gets inflated.
Head dropping. The chin reaches for the floor and the chest does not follow.
Where it sits
The foundational horizontal press, and the movement most people default to when they have no equipment.
If a full push-up is not available, the incline push-up is the answer — and it is a much better answer than dropping to the knees, because it keeps the trunk demand intact while reducing the load on the arms. Knee push-ups remove both at once.