How to Do a Push Up: From Your First Rep to 20

The push up is one of the best upper body exercises you can do anywhere, with no equipment. If you can’t do one yet, you’re not alone, and you can get there with the right steps. Here’s how to do a push-up properly, how to progress to your first full rep, and how to build from there.

A good push up trains your chest, shoulders and triceps, and makes your core work hard to hold a straight line. It’s a staple of any home workout with no equipment and a useful test of upper body strength. The key is doing it well, at a level that suits you, and progressing steadily.

How to do a push-up with good technique

1. Set your hands on the floor slightly wider than your shoulders, fingers spread, roughly in line with your chest.
2. Straighten your legs behind you, feet together or slightly apart, on the balls of your feet.
3. Make a straight line from head to heels. Squeeze your glutes and brace your core so your hips don’t sag or pike up.
4. Lower your chest towards the floor with your elbows at roughly 45 degrees to your body, not flared straight out like a T.
5. Go down until your chest is a fist’s height from the floor, or as low as you can control.
6. Push the floor away to return to the start, keeping the straight line all the way up. Breathe out as you push.

Common push-up mistakes

• Sagging hips, which puts strain on the lower back and turns the movement into a half rep.
• Head dropping towards the floor first. Keep your neck in line with your spine and look slightly ahead of your hands.
• Elbows flared wide, which many people find hard on the shoulders.
• Tiny range of motion. Fewer, deeper reps beat lots of shallow ones, and they build strength through the hardest part of the movement.
• Rushing. Control the way down for about two seconds.

Progressions to your first full push-up

If a full push-up isn’t possible yet, use these steps. Move on when you can do 3 sets of 10 to 12 good reps at a level.

1. Wall push-up. Hands on a wall at chest height, feet a step or two back. Perfect for learning the movement.
2. Incline push-up. Hands on a kitchen worktop, a sturdy table, a bench or a bar in a rack. The lower the surface, the harder it gets, so you can progress gradually.
3. Knee push-up. On the floor with your knees down, still keeping a straight line from head to knees.
4. Negatives. Start at the top of a full push-up and lower yourself as slowly as you can, taking 3 to 5 seconds. Drop your knees to get back up. This builds strength for the hardest part of the movement.
5. Full push-up. Start with singles: one good rep, rest, repeat for a few sets.

Incline push-ups are often a better step than knee push-ups because your body position matches a full push-up more closely. Many people use both.

A simple programme to build push-up reps

Train push-ups two or three times a week, with at least a day between sessions. Each session:

• Do 3 to 5 sets at your current level, stopping each set one or two reps before your form breaks.
• Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets.
• Try to add one rep to a set, or one set, each week.
• When you reach 3 sets of 10 to 12, move to the next progression or a lower incline.

Once you can do full push-ups, slow the lowering phase, pause at the bottom, or add more sets to keep improving. Push-ups fit neatly into a full-body routine like our 3-day beginner gym workout plan, and our gym workout for beginner women shows how to build upper body strength alongside the rest.

Why push-ups are worth the effort

Push-ups build pushing strength, but they also teach you to hold your body as one solid unit, which carries over to lifting, carrying and many sports. They need no kit, take up a few square feet of floor, and are easy to measure: if you can do more good reps this month than last month, you’re getting stronger. They also make a useful counterpart to rows and other pulling exercises, which keep the back of your shoulders strong.

Because the movement is so easy to track, push-ups are a great confidence builder. Going from wall push-ups to your first full rep is a clear, visible sign of progress, often within a couple of months of steady practice.

Making push-ups harder

• Tempo push-ups: three or four seconds down.
• Paused push-ups: a one or two second hold just above the floor.
• Feet-elevated push-ups: feet on a step or bench to shift more load to the shoulders.
• Close-grip push-ups: hands closer together for more triceps work.

Take care if push-ups cause sharp pain in your wrists, shoulders or elbows. Try holding dumbbells or push-up handles to keep your wrists straight, or use a higher incline. If pain continues or you have a past shoulder or wrist injury, see your GP or a physio. In our 1-to-1 training we adjust the exercise around you.

Want this coached 1-to-1? We’ll find your starting point and build your push-ups week by week. Book a free consultation at our Archway studio.

Frequently asked questions

How do you do a push up properly?

Hands slightly wider than shoulders, body in a straight line from head to heels, elbows at about 45 degrees, lower until your chest is near the floor, then push back up with your core braced.

Why can’t I do a single push-up?

Usually it’s a mix of upper body and core strength that hasn’t been trained yet. Wall, incline and knee push-ups plus slow negatives will build it up over a few weeks.

Are knee push-ups or incline push-ups better?

Both help. Incline push-ups keep your body position closer to a full push-up, so they often carry over better. Many people use both.

How many push-ups should I do a day?

You don’t need to do them every day. Two or three sessions a week of 3 to 5 good-quality sets, adding a rep or set each week, works well for most people.

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