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Bodyweight · Chest

How to Do a Push-Up With Perfect Form

The push-up looks simple until your hips sag or your elbows flare. Here is the step-by-step form, sets and reps, and the three mistakes that quietly wreck it.

· 2 min read

Push-up demonstration

The push-up is the most accessible chest and pressing exercise there is — no equipment, no gym, no excuse. But "doing push-ups" and "doing push-ups well" are two different things, and the gap between them is usually your hips, not your arms.

How to do it

  1. 1Set your hands — slightly wider than shoulder-width, fingers pointing forward, directly under your shoulders.
  2. 2Build a straight line — squeeze your glutes and brace your core so your body forms one straight line from head to heels.
  3. 3Lower under control — bend your elbows to roughly 45° from your torso, not flared to 90°, and lower your chest to just above the floor.
  4. 4Drive back up — push the floor away rather than just straightening your arms — think about spreading the ground apart.
  5. 5Reset between reps — keep the brace; don't let your hips sag or pike up between reps.

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Sets and reps

New to push-ups? Start with 3 sets of as many clean reps as you can hold form for, resting 60–90 seconds between sets. Once you can do 3 sets of 12–15 with strict form, add difficulty — feet elevated, a weight vest — rather than just cranking out sloppy reps.

Common mistakes

  • Sagging hips. Losing your core brace lets your lower back arch and take load meant for your chest. If your hips dip, regress to an incline push-up until your plank holds.
  • Flared elbows. Elbows flaring straight out to the sides overloads the shoulder joint. Keep them closer to a 45° angle from your body.
  • Partial range. Stopping halfway down trains half a push-up. Go until your chest is just above the floor, or use an elevated surface until you can.

Safety note

If you feel pinching in the front of your shoulder, check your elbow angle and hand position before adding volume.

The push-up rewards patience with form over rushing the rep count. Nail the plank position first, and the strength follows.

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