The Ultimate Guide on How to Execute Perfect Push Ups

You ask any gym-goer what their first introductory exercise was before strength training, and you’d likely hear the same answer – pushups.

Pushups are almost synonymous with bodyweight exercises, and can be seen as a gauge of strength, endurance and physical fitness.

But why are push ups so popular? Surely pushing yourself up against the earth does not require much skill or strength?

In reality, pushups are one of the most effective exercises for building muscle mass to sculpt your body and endurance. And when done correctly, they can provide a comprehensive upper-body workout that will have you sore for days. They can be done anywhere, at any time and are a fantastic intro to weight training!

This guide will correct all common pushup mistakes, explain how to do a perfect pushup, and show you several variations to spice up your training. Lastly, we’ll outline a realistic and completely doable plan to get better and stronger at push ups.

Let’s get started!

1. How to properly position yourself for the push up
2. How to execute the perfect push up
3. Easier push up variations to try if you can’t do a single push up
4. Other push up variations to make your workouts more challenging
5. How to improve your push up performance

Setting Yourself Up for a Proper Push up

When performing the pushup, it doesn’t matter if you can bust out 50 reps or 2 – proper form always comes first. You should do each pushup with a full range of motion and control.

If you did ten perfect pushups on day one, you’d get much better results in the long run than if you cranked out 20 sloppy reps. Furthermore, by staying consistent with your push up form, you’ll know whether or not you’re making progress.

Here’s how to set up for a perfect pushup:

1) Set your position by having your hands slightly outside of shoulder-width apart

Once set, your nipple area should be directly above your thumbs – this is the perfect position to start a push up. When your chest area is lower than your hands, it’s harder for your core to stay engaged and it just feels awkward.

You also want to use your intuition and make subtle adjustments, whether it’d be moving your hands until you find the sweet spot. Your hands, wrists and elbows should feel secure and ready to execute.

2) Adjusting your wrists to minimise wrist pain

Some people, whether doing push ups or other exercises like planks, always experience discomfort in their wrists. Wrist pain is primarily due to poor wrist positioning and a lack of flexibility.

By adjusting the wrist position slightly, you can add a lot of comfort and minimise strain. If you’re still feeling pain, use pushup handles. You can even try doing the push up on your knuckles – just be sure to do it on a softer surface.

3) Feet positioning

Feet positioning is a bit more personal than hands position. You can have your legs close together or wide apart. Wide apart works better for beginners, as it’s easier to keep the body straight and maintain proper form and balance throughout the entire exercise.

If you want to add some challenge later on, bring your feet closer together. 

4) Engage your core

Before starting any pushups, always remember to brace your midsection – this is especially true for beginners still learning. Engaging the core helps you keep a solid plank during the exercise and also helps to prevent lower back pain.

Doing this will also transfer more of the work from your arms to your chest, shoulders, and core, making push ups a comprehensive upper-body workout.

5) Squeeze your glutes together

Make sure to squeeze your glutes as you begin to descend into the pushup. Doing this will help keep a straight line throughout your body, while also helping to engage your core and stabilise the hips.

The glutes play an important role in stabilising the hips during any exercise but are especially important during a pushup. Make sure to squeeze your glutes together and keep them engaged throughout the entire set.

6) Imagine your body as a straight line

Your whole body should be in a straight line, from your heels to the back of your head. This means no sagging in the hips or lifting your butt too high (you’re not a cat about to pounce).

Whenever you perform a pushup, imagine your body as one single straight line from head to toe, like a plank. If you start to sag or collapse in the middle, bring it back up by squeezing your glutes and engaging your core.

6) Don’t look straight to the floor

The first part of your body that hits the floor should be your chest, not your chin. When you look straight down at the floor, it’s easy to collapse into the bottom and bang your face on the ground.

Looking straight ahead helps to avoid this and keeps your neck in a better, more secure position. 

Once you execute all six points above, you’re ready to smash out some perfect pushups!

How to Execute a Pushup After Correctly Positioning Yourself

1. With your core engaged, glutes squeezed and arms straight, slowly lower yourself down towards the floor. At the bottom of the movement, your elbows should be at a 90-degree angle or slightly less.

If you’re unable to touch your chest to the floor (whether it’d be due to a lack of strength or flexibility), stop when your elbows reach the 90-degree angle. As you become stronger and more experienced, your chest will get closer and closer to the floor. And once you are strong enough to do so, stick with it.

2. With the elbows at a 90-degree angle, press through your hands and extend the arms fully to return back up. Your elbow shouldn’t flare out too much, but rather stay close to the body.
3. On the way up, make sure to squeeze your glutes and engage your core to keep the body in a straight line.
4. Once you’re back up, pause for a second and get ready for the next repetition. If you’re tired but want to crank out a few extra reps, remember to breathe and take a few moments to reset your body before you continue.

Once you’ve established your routine, remember to keep these tips in mind:

• Quarter-rep push ups with you shaking and barely making it back up won’t do much for your progress. If you find your form breaking down, take a break and come back to it later.
• Aim to progress in your workouts. If you can do ten today, aim to do eleven the next workout. And if you can’t, aim to do the same number with better form.
• Take your time with your pushups. The slower and more controlled you go, the better they’ll be – quantity over quality!

What to do if you can't do a Push Up yet

Don’t sweat if you can’t crank out a single pushup yet. Notice I said the word ‘yet,’ because it’ll come soon enough. However, it won’t happen by just lying down and wishing upon a star (getting serious Pinocchio vibes here!).

The key is to first incorporate easier push up variations into your workout regime. These include (in order of difficulty):

• Wall push ups
• Elevated push ups
• Push ups in the knee position
• Full push ups

Optional extras:

• Push up holds
• Negative push ups
• Band-assisted push ups

Wall Push Ups - Stage One

Wall push ups help greatly develop your push up strength. They also help you work on the mechanics of the movement without carrying your full body weight.

Start by standing about a foot away from the wall, feet shoulder-width apart and arms straight out in front of you. Clench your glutes and core and slowly lower yourself towards the wall, maintaining a straight line throughout the motion.

Now repeat for the desired amount of reps, and remember to breathe! Once you’re capable of doing at least three sets of 15 reps, you can move on to elevated pushups.

Elevated Push Ups - Your Second Step Towards Perfect Push Ups

Now that you’ve mastered wall pushups, it’s time to take things up a notch! The elevated push up, like the wall push up, keeps you in an upward position so you get used to the motion.

To perform an elevated push up, find a stable surface that you can place your hands on. This can be anything from a chair, kitchen counter or even stairs! Place your palms down about shoulder-width apart, feet together and start to lower your body towards the surface.

Your elbows should be slightly tucked in once you press through your palms to go back up. Like with the wall push up, try to hit 3-4 sets of 15 reps before progressing to the next step.

Push Ups In The Knee Position - You're Nearly there!

The knee pushup closely resembles your standard push up as you’re closely mimicking the mechanics of the full push up. With this variation, you’re also carrying a lot of your body weight, so it helps bridge the gap between elevated and full pushups.

Start by positioning yourself on the floor with your knees bent and arms extended at slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Now start to lower yourself towards the floor, aiming for 4 sets of 15 reps or until you can no longer maintain good form.

Again, remember to press through your palms at the end of the motion and keep your elbows close to your body during the exercise.

What other Push Up variations can I try?

Variety is the spice of life, and while push ups are great, you want to add other exercises to your repertoire. If push ups have got stale, here are a few modifications that you can try and add to your workouts:

Push-Up holds: A great way to increase your strength and stability. Start off by doing a regular push up and hold your body in the bottom position for 3-5 seconds, then return to starting position.

Slow pushups: This is precisely like your regular pushup, except that you’ll need to move slowly and with control. Aim for three sets or fifteen reps, but make sure you maintain good form throughout.

One-arm pushups: The one-arm push always brings a feeling of nostalgia for the old Rocky movies, but it’s not for the faint of heart! Start by getting into the push up position, move one of your arms off to the side and perform it as you usually would. 

If you cannot perform one, spreading your feet apart will help you to maintain balance while you push. Additionally, you can also place your non-working hand on a bench or box to provide extra support.

Diamond pushups: These hammer your triceps and are often used after the bench press. Position your hands slightly closer together than shoulder-width and form a diamond shape with them.

Handstand pushups: Some people hate handstand push ups (me), but some people love them. Handstand pushups are great for developing your shoulders, and increase core strength and stability. Just be careful not to bump your head on the way down.

Clapping pushups: Looking to build your explosive power from the ground up? These bad boys require you to move super fast in order to clap your hands and return to the starting position before you hit the ground.

Start by getting into a regular push up position, lower your body towards the ground and then quickly push up, clap your hands together, and return to the start position.

Push up with a weighted vest: Unlike every other push up variation, there is no limit to the amount of weight you can add. This is particularly effective if you can’t access a gym and have no free weights.

Start with a light vest and work your way up.

How to Get Better at Push Ups

If you’ve hit a pushup plateau or you’re unsure on how to progress, we’ve got you covered. Let’s go through a few ways you can significantly improve your push up performance.

Increase the frequency of your workouts: This is self-explanatory, but consistency matters in any exercise. Aim for 3-5 times a week and you’ll see drastic improvements in no time.

Change your body composition: As you lose weight, it’ll feel like gravity itself is helping you to push up from the ground. Increasing your muscle mass also helps you perform more push ups. Just try to put too much weight on as you’ll have more body weight to carry throughout the movement. 

Periodize your workouts: If you’re training three times a week, make sure you alternate between specific push up variations. This will maximise your gains and strengthen your muscles in different ways.

Include different variations: Incorporating different push up variations in your workouts will help target all muscle fibres and prevent overuse injuries. You’d be surprised how a few nagging muscles can limit your performance.

Stretch and foam roll: We know you’re busy, but make sure to include a few minutes of stretching before and after your workout. Also try to foam roll after your workout to reduce muscle soreness and keep your body feeling fresh.

Consume enough protein: The push up, like any resistance-based exercise, breaks down your muscles. To ensure you are able to build and repair your muscles, try to hit at least 0.7 grams per pound of body weight.

Don’t get pedantic about your form: We want to make sure your form is correct, but don’t get too carried away. If you obsess over every little detail of your form, you’ll get frustrated and probably stop doing them. Plus, you need to be able to move freely and not think about every little detail.

Conclusion

Pushups are tremendous and can complement a weight-lifting program or done exclusively to build upper-body strength. If you’re doing the former, just ensure it doesn’t conflict with your lifting program. And if you’re solely focusing on pushups, don’t be afraid to push the boat a bit and ramp up the intensity.

Make sure to keep track of your progress and adjust your diet accordingly. By losing bodyweight, and gaining strength through our push up suggestions, you’ll be able to execute perfect pushups in no time.

And as always, enjoy yourself and have fun! That’s the most important thing. Good luck and happy pushing! 😉