Push-up

The basic horizontal push. Body in one line from heels to head, elbows travel back at roughly 45 degrees.

Level

Basic

Equipment

No equipment

Measure

reps

Tempo

2-1-1-0 (down, pause, up, pause)

Technique

1. Hands under the shoulders, fingers pointing forward, shoulder blades set.
2. Squeeze glutes and abs: hips neither sag nor pike up.
3. Lower until the chest is a few centimeters off the floor, elbows back, not flared.
4. Press to full lockout and spread the shoulder blades at the top.

Common mistakes

• Sagging hips: no core tension. Shorten the set or go back to knee push-ups.
• Elbows flared to 90 degrees: overloads the shoulders.
• Head dropping: look at the floor about 30 cm ahead of your hands.