You’ve probably been doing them since second-grade gym class. Back then, it was all about cranking out as many as possible before the whistle blew, usually with a rounded back and elbows flailing out like chicken wings. Fast forward to adulthood, and most people are still using that same middle-school form. It's a shame. The push up is basically the gold standard of bodyweight exercises, but honestly, most people do them so poorly they might as well be doing nothing at all—or worse, they're just grinding their rotator cuffs into dust.
If you want to know how to correctly do a push up, you have to stop thinking of it as just a chest exercise. It’s a moving plank. It's a full-body integration challenge. When you get it right, your glutes are screaming, your core is tight, and your shoulders feel stable. When you get it wrong? Well, that's how you end up with nagging anterior shoulder pain and a "plateau" that lasts for three years.
The setup is where 90% of people fail
Don't just drop and give me twenty. Stop. Look at your hands. Most people plant their palms flat and forget about them. That’s a mistake. You want to actually "screw" your hands into the floor. Think about grabbing the ground with your fingers and rotating your right hand clockwise and your left hand counter-clockwise. You aren't actually moving your hands, but that internal tension creates external rotation in the humerus. This sets your shoulder blades into a packed, safe position.
Your feet matter too. Keep them together if you want a real core challenge. If you're struggling with balance, zip them out a bit wider. The key is the "hollow body" position. Dr. Stuart McGill, a leading expert in spine biomechanics, often emphasizes the importance of core stiffness. You aren't a wet noodle. Squeeze your glutes like you’re trying to hold a quarter between them. Tilt your pelvis posteriorly—tuck your tailbone. If your lower back is sagging toward the floor, you aren't doing a push up; you're just doing a weird, upright version of a cobra stretch that’s killing your lumbar spine.
The "Arrow" vs. the "T"
This is the big one. If I look at you from a bird's-eye view, your body should look like an arrow, not a capital T. When your elbows flare out at 90 degrees, you’re putting an enormous amount of stress on the subacromial space in your shoulder. That’s the "impingement zone." Instead, tuck those elbows in to about a 45-degree angle. This engages the triceps more and allows the scapula to move naturally. It feels harder at first because you can’t "cheat" using joint friction, but it’s the only way to build real, sustainable strength.
Deep range of motion is non-negotiable
Half-reps are the junk food of the fitness world. They look like progress, but they have zero nutritional value for your muscles. Unless you have a specific injury, your chest should get within an inch of the floor. Better yet, let it lightly graze the ground.
- The Descent: Control it. Don't just gravity-drop. Take two seconds to go down.
- The Bottom: Pause for a millisecond. No bouncing.
- The Ascent: Drive through the base of your palms. Imagine pushing the floor away from you rather than pushing yourself up.
There's this concept called "active insufficiency." If you only work the middle range of the movement, you never get the full benefit of the muscle fibers at their longest length. Scientific literature, including studies published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, consistently shows that a full range of motion leads to superior hypertrophy compared to partial reps. If you can't go all the way down and back up with perfect form, you shouldn't be doing standard push ups yet. Period. Drop to your knees or, better yet, elevate your hands on a bench or a sturdy table to reduce the load while keeping the full range.
Why your neck is probably hurting
Stop looking at the wall in front of you. Seriously. When you crane your neck up to see what’s happening in the room, you’re breaking the alignment of your spine. Your neck is part of your back. You want a "neutral" spine. Pick a spot on the floor about six inches in front of your fingertips and stare at it.
Think about pulling your chin back—not tucking it into your chest, but making a "double chin." This keeps the cervical spine aligned with the thoracic spine. If your head starts drooping toward the floor before your chest does, your nervous system is trying to trick you into thinking you’re lower than you actually are. It's a common compensation pattern. Stay honest.
Breaking the "push up plateau"
Eventually, bodyweight isn't enough. Your body is an adaptation machine. If you keep doing 3 sets of 10 every morning, you'll get good at 3 sets of 10, but you won't get much stronger. You have to introduce progressive overload.
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You could throw a weight plate on your back, sure. But that's risky if you don't have a partner to balance it. A better way? Change the leverage. Deficit push ups—where your hands are on blocks or handles—allow your chest to go even deeper, increasing the stretch. Or try "archer" push ups, where one arm stays straight while the other does the heavy lifting. This shifts more of your body weight onto a single limb.
Actually, one of the most underrated ways to master how to correctly do a push up is the eccentric-only version. Spend 5 to 10 seconds lowering yourself down as slowly as possible. Once you hit the bottom, just flop down, reset, and do it again. This builds the neurological pathways and connective tissue strength needed for the full movement without the fatigue of the "up" phase.
Common Myths and Mistakes
People love to argue about hand placement. "Diamonds are for triceps!" "Wide is for chest!" Sorta. While a narrower grip does increase tricep activation, going too wide often just limits your range of motion and puts your shoulders in a compromised position. Stick to slightly wider than shoulder-width for your "bread and butter" reps.
Another thing: breathing. Don't hold your breath. That's a great way to spike your blood pressure and get a headache. Inhale on the way down, exhale forcefully as you push away from the floor. Use that exhale to "brace" your core. It’s called the Valsalva maneuver in powerlifting, but for a simple push up, just think of it as using your breath to create a rigid pillar through your midsection.
The Path Forward
If you’ve realized your form is a mess, don't beat yourself up. Most people’s form is a mess. The fix is simple but requires an ego check.
- Record yourself. Put your phone on the floor and film a set from the side. You'll probably be shocked to see your hips sagging or your head poking forward like a turtle.
- Regress to progress. If your form breaks down after 5 reps, stop at 4. Or move your hands to an elevated surface. There is no shame in doing incline push ups if they allow you to move perfectly.
- Frequency over intensity. Instead of doing 100 bad push ups once a week, do 10 perfect ones every single day. Greasing the groove, a term coined by strength coach Pavel Tsatsouline, is the fastest way to master a bodyweight movement.
Mastering the mechanics of the push up is a foundational skill that carries over to the bench press, the overhead press, and even your posture while sitting at a desk. Focus on the tension, keep the "arrow" shape, and stop chasing reps at the expense of your joints. High-quality movement is the only thing that actually produces long-term results.
Next Steps for Mastery:
- Audit Your Elbows: On your next set, consciously tuck your elbows to 45 degrees. If it feels significantly harder, you've found your weakness—embrace it.
- Implement the 3-Second Rule: Spend 3 full seconds on the lowering phase of every rep for your next workout. This eliminates momentum and forces the muscles to do the work.
- Check Your Hips: Have someone place a PVC pipe or a broomstick along your back while you're in the plank position. It should touch your head, your upper back, and your sacrum (tailbone) simultaneously. If there’s a gap at your lower back, tilt your pelvis until it's gone.