How to Do a Proper Push-Up

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

Do a Proper Push-Up Do a Proper Push-Up

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Push-ups aren't just for buff army trainees; they are great upper body, low-cost exercise. If you're just looking to tone up or gain strength but not too much mass, push-ups are a great exercise. The best thing is you don't have to go to the gym to do them, you can do them at home! Here's the proper way to do push-ups anywhere.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Step1
Starting push-up position Lie chest-down with your hands at shoulder level, palms flat on the floor and slightly more than shoulder-width apart, your feet together and parallel to each other.
Step2
Look forward rather than down at the floor. The first contact you make with the floor with any part of the face should be your chin, not your nose.
Step3
Keep your legs straight and your toes tucked under your feet.
Step4
Straighten your arms as you push your body up off the floor. Keep your palms fixed at the same position and keep your body straight. Try not to bend or arch your upper or lower back as you push up.
Step5
Exhale as your arms straighten out.
Step6
Pause for a moment.
Step7
Lower your body slowly towards the floor. Bend your arms and keep your palms in fixed position. Keep body straight and feet together.
Step8
Lower body until chest touches the floor. Try not to bend your back. Keep your knees off the floor, and inhale as you bend your arms.
Step9
Pause for a moment. Begin straightening your arms for a second push-up. Exhale as you raise your body.

Tips & Warnings

  • For easier push-ups, have an exercise partner place a closed fist underneath your chest. As you lower your body, touch your chest to the fist, pause, then raise your body. This is a little easier than touching your chest to the floor.
  • For an easier exercise, lower your knees so that they rest on the floor. Keeping your back straight and your toes tucked under your feet, proceed with the exercise normally. This decreases the amount of pressure placed on your arms.
  • Another variation of a push-up is the incline push-up. Leaning on a vertical surface, such as a wall, place your hands shoulder-width apart and slowly proceed with the normal exercise.
  • To isolate your chest more during a push-up, widen the position of your hands a little bit. If you want to work out your triceps more, do the opposite and bring your hands closer together so that they're under your chest.
  • If you have any condition that would impair or limit your ability to engage in physical activity, please consult a physician before attempting this activity. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment.

Comments

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knarf said

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on 6/19/2008 Need more challenge? Few more variations:

- Hands at head level

- Normal pushup setup but keep your elbows close to your body when doing the pushup. This is the plank move in yoga.

- Bring your hands together forming a triangle with your index fingers and thumbs. You really give your triceps a workout and require using other upper body muscles to balance yourself.

- Don't forget the ultimate: One arm pushups!!

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on 6/19/2008 When I went to a gymnastics class the teacher made us do 1 1/2 push up. What you do is go down then go up half way, then back down again and then up on last time. It's very hard but worth a try.

febreze said

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on 3/16/2008 anonymous wrote a lot for a comment

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on 1/17/2008 Instead of doing one long stretch of push-ups, its better to do it in sets. For example, you can try doing 3 sets of 15 each, giving a pause of 60 seconds. This is for a start, and depending upon the stamina you have you can increase it gradually. This way the muscles can relax in between and the contraction action is repeated sufficient times for the metabolism to pick up.

Flag This Comment

on 1/17/2008 Instead of doing one long stretch of push-ups, its better to do it in sets. For example, you can try doing 3 sets of 15 each, giving a pause of 60 seconds. This is for a start, and depending upon the stamina you have you can increase it gradually. This way the muscles can relax in between and the contraction action is repeated sufficient times for the metabolism to pick up.

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eHow Article:  How to Do a Proper Push-Up

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