The Perfect Push-Up Form: A Complete Guide

The push-up is the most fundamental upper-body exercise there is — and also the most commonly butchered. Getting your form right unlocks better chest, shoulder, and triceps development, protects your wrists and lower back, and makes every rep count. This guide walks through the exact cues we use with our own athletes.

1. Hand Placement

Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width, directly under your shoulders when your arms are extended. Fingers point forward or very slightly outward. If you use a push-up board, lock your handles into the standard chest position first — you can experiment with the color-coded angles once your baseline form is solid.

2. Body Alignment

Your body should form one straight line from the crown of your head to your heels. Squeeze your glutes and brace your core as if bracing for a punch. A sagging hip or a piked butt both leak force and shift load away from the muscles you are trying to train.

3. The Descent

Lower yourself under control over 2–3 seconds. Elbows should track back at roughly 45 degrees from your torso — not flared out at 90. Your chest, not your face, leads the way down. Aim to bring your chest within a fist-height of the floor.

4. The Push

Drive through the palms and squeeze your chest to press back up. Keep the same rigid plank position throughout. Exhale on the way up, inhale on the way down. Do not lock out aggressively at the top — a soft lockout keeps constant tension on the working muscles.

5. Common Mistakes to Fix

Sagging hips, flared elbows, half-range reps, and holding your breath are the four most common issues we see. Film yourself from the side for one set — you will spot the fix in seconds.

Master this baseline before adding volume, tempo work, or advanced variations. Perfect form on 10 clean reps beats sloppy form on 30.