How to do a Push-Up

To start, when you get into push-up position you want to keep your shoulders relaxed and away from your ears. This is one of the most important things to remember when learning how to do a push-up. Next, place your palms on the floor and make sure your shoulders are over your wrists. If you’re doing a modified push-up on your knees, pull your hips down and keep your spine nice and long. Modified push-ups are a great place to start if you feel like regular push-ups are too difficult right now, and they still work your arms, shoulders, and back! If you’re doing a regular push-up, be sure to start on your toes. Keep your spine nice and long and your abs tight. Try not to sag your lower back.

As you drop down, let your elbows go slightly behind you. Make sure you’re not scrunching your neck as you do this! Then, press back up using the strength of your chest and lower all the way down again in a full range of motion. If you’re just getting started on your knees, you still want to make sure you’re getting that full range of motion, which is critical to good push-up form. Now that you’ve learned how to do a push-up, try different push-up variations that target new muscle groups and keep your body challenged.