Conquer Your First Push-Up and Strengthen Your Upper Body With These Easy Expert Tips

Published on 8/7/2019 at 12:25 PM

We haven't taken an official poll yet, but we know push-ups are one of the hardest moves to master. They look easy — kind of — but if you've ever done push-ups, then you know exactly how hard they are. If you're ready to take your push-up game to the next level, you've got to make sure your form is on point.

"Having your elbows at a 45-degree position, like an 'A' shape from an overhead view, is the classic neutral push-up, which aims to put most of the workload on your chest muscles," Thanu Jey, CSCS, the clinic director at Yorkville Sports Medicine, told POPSUGAR.

If you've got the traditional push-up down and want to target your shoulders and chest more, you should have your elbows pointed straight out to the side, creating more of a "T" shape, Jey explained. "This can be a challenging position for someone with pain in the front of their shoulder or a history of unstable shoulders," explained Michael Falk, DPT, CSCS. If you do experience pain in your shoulders, another option is to do a triceps push-up, Michael said.

To work your triceps and chest, keep your elbows tight by your side, pointing backward, Thanu explained. Keeping your elbows close to your sides will engage your lats more and stabilize your shoulders, said William P. Kelley, DPT, CSCS.

You should also remember to keep your wrists in line with your shoulders and ensure that your hands are completely flat on the ground (here's more information on where your hands should be). Think about pushing through both palms with all of your fingers on the ground as you push your body up. Your spine and neck should also be in a neutral position. Finally, don't forget to breathe. "Breathing should be a full breath in on the way down and a forceful exhale on the way up," Dr. Kelley explained.

Now that you know what your form should look like, put it to the test with these strengthening push-up variations.

Basic Push-Up Modification

Start in a plank position with your arms and legs straight, shoulders above your wrists, and two yoga blocks stacked vertically underneath your chest.
Take a breath in, and as you exhale, bend your elbows out to the sides and lower your chest toward the ground. Stop as soon as your chest touches the yoga blocks. Inhale to straighten your arms. This counts as one rep.
If this is too difficult, do this exercise with your knees on the floor.
As you continue to get stronger, remove a yoga block to increase the depth of the push-up. Eventually you'll be able to work your way up to doing a push-up without a yoga block.

Basic Push-Up

Start in a plank position with your arms and legs straight, shoulders above your wrists.
Take a breath in, and as you exhale, bend your elbows out to the sides and lower your chest toward the ground. Stop as soon as your shoulders are in line with your elbows. Inhale to straighten your arms. This counts as one rep.
If this is too difficult, do this exercise with your knees on the floor.

Close-Grip and Wide-Grip Push-Up

Come into a plank position with your wrists underneath your shoulders and your fingertips pointing forward. Be sure to keep your neck and back in a neutral position — you don't want your spine to round or arch. Be sure to engage your core to help you maintain proper form.
To perform the close-grip push-up, move your hands in about two inches and tuck your elbows close to your ribs as you lower down to the ground. Your spine should still be in a neutral position, and your core should be engaged.
Push your hands through the ground to straighten your arms and return to the starting position.
From here, move your hands about two inches outside of your shoulders and let your elbows go wide as you lower down into a push-up, keeping your neck and spine in a neutral position.
Push your hands through the ground to straighten your arms and return to the starting position.
This counts as one rep. Beginners should complete two sets of five reps. If you're more advanced, complete two sets of 10 reps.
To modify this move, feel free to perform the push-up on your knees as you work on developing your strength.

Push-Up With Shoulder Tap

Come into plank position with your arms and legs straight, shoulders above the wrists.
Take a breath in, and as you exhale, bend your elbows out to the sides and lower your chest toward the ground. Stop as soon as your shoulders are in line with your elbows. Inhale to straighten your arms.
Maintaining a plank position, lift your left hand and tap your right shoulder. Place your left hand back on the ground. Repeat with the right hand. Keep your hip bones pointing toward the floor to prevent rotating your torso. This counts as one rep.
If this is too difficult, perform the push-up with your knees on the floor.

One-Arm Med-Ball Push-Up

Start in a plank position with your left hand on a medicine ball.
Keeping your torso square to the floor, perform a push-up by bending and straightening both arms. If a traditional push-up is too challenging, lower your knees to the floor.
Roll the ball to the right hand, and do another push-up. This completes one rep.

Modified Single-Arm Glider Push-Up

Start in a modified push-up position with your knees on the ground and a glider underneath your right hand.
Engage your core as you lower down into a push-up with control. As you lower your body, simultaneously extend your right arm out in front of you. Lower down as far as you can go without losing your form. Be sure to keep your back flat.
With control, push your body up as you simultaneously pull your right arm back in so that it's directly underneath your shoulder.
This counts as one rep.

Single-Arm Glider Push-Up

Start in a plank position with a glider underneath your right hand.
Engage your core as you lower down into a push-up with control. As you lower your body, simultaneously extend your right arm out in front of you. Lower down as far as you can go without losing your form. Be sure to keep your back flat.
With control, push your body up as you simultaneously pull your right arm back in so that it's directly underneath your shoulder.
This counts as one rep.

Glider Knee Tuck With Push-Up

Start in a plank position with a glider underneath each foot. If you don't have gliders, you can use a towel on a hard surface to perform this exercise.
Engage your core and bring both knees in, toward your elbows. With control, return to the starting position. Then, do a push-up. Your core should be engaged and your back should be in a neutral position throughout the entire movement.
This counts as one rep.

Push-Up Rotation

Start in a plank position, with your shoulders over your wrists and legs out behind you with your feet hip distance apart. Pull your navel in, and keep your back straight.
As you lower and exhale, bend your elbows outward to the sides. Hold at the bottom for one breath.
Raise back up to top push-up position. As you reach the top, keep moving in a fluid motion to side plank position: release your right arm and raise it to the ceiling, keeping your body in a long diagonal line. Hold for one breath, then move back into plank position.
Repeat the push-up, twisting in the opposite direction, bringing your left arm toward the ceiling. Return to plank position to complete one rep.

Push-Up Rotation With Dumbbell

Begin balancing in plank position, shoulders stacked over the wrists, with a dumbbell on the floor in each hand.
Lower your body toward the floor and then push through your arms, returning to plank.
Holding the dumbbell, twist to the left, reaching your left arm to the ceiling without letting your pelvis rise or lower.
Return to plank position, bringing the dumbbell back to the floor, and perform another push-up. When returning to plank, twist to the right and reach your right arm to the ceiling.
Return to plank position, returning the dumbbell to the floor. This completes one rep.

Diamond Push-Up

Begin in plank position. Place your hands together, directly under your sternum, with the tips of your index fingers and thumbs touching. Your fingers and thumbs should form a diamond or triangle shape.
After an inhale, exhale to bend your elbows, lowering your chest toward the floor.
Inhale to straighten your arms.
This counts as one rep.
If this is too difficult, try separating your hands a couple inches or widening your feet slightly. Still too hard? Then lower your knees to the ground.