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Push Up

Overall chest
Push Up gif
CompoundTargets: Middle chest

About

It's a most famous, and at the same time highly effective, body weight exercise. If you put your hands further apart, you can target the outside of your pecs.

How to Push Up

Starting Position

1. Please lie down with your arms slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.

2. Engage your core to keep your body in a straight line.

Proper Form

1. Please lower yourself until your chest is just about to touch the floor.

2. At this time, your forearms should be perpendicular to the floor.

3. Engage your chest and return to the starting position.

Breathing Technique

Inhale when bending your arms, and exhale when pushing your arms.

Precautions

1. Please go down only as much as you can without straining your shoulders.

2. Keep your core engaged to prevent your hips from dropping.

From the Community

Push Up Community

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Push Up Related Reading

  • 3 days a week is enough — and a J Strength Cond Res RCT of 32 athletes proves it works
    Numbers Don't Lie

    3 days a week is enough — and a J Strength Cond Res RCT of 32 athletes proves it works

    Wondering how many days a week to work out? 3 sessions gets the job done — per an RCT in J Strength Cond Res and exercise guideline reviews.

  • Sets per workout is the only training variable that reliably predicts muscle growth.
    Numbers Don't Lie

    Sets per workout is the only training variable that reliably predicts muscle growth.

    Wondering how many sets per workout you actually need? The answer is simpler than you think — according to a 2020 meta-analysis of 111 studies.

  • Workout duration doesn't predict muscle growth — sets do, per a 2020 meta-analysis of 111 studies
    Numbers Don't Lie

    Workout duration doesn't predict muscle growth — sets do, per a 2020 meta-analysis of 111 studies

    Stop watching the clock. Muscle growth comes down to sets per workout, not minutes on the floor — according to a 2020 meta-analysis of 111 studies.

  • Mechanical tension is the primary driver of muscle growth — and 5 peer-reviewed reviews in Sports Med explain exactly why
    What Actually Matters

    Mechanical tension is the primary driver of muscle growth — and 5 peer-reviewed reviews in Sports Med explain exactly why

    Mechanical tension isn't just one factor in muscle growth — it's the main one. Here's what the science actually says, across 5 reviews in top sports-science journals.

  • Time under tension does matter — just not the way you think
    What Actually Matters

    Time under tension does matter — just not the way you think

    TUT isn't the main driver of muscle size — but it unlocks real aerobic and tendon adaptations. Here's what the research actually shows, per a 2022 review and RCT.

  • Squat vs. leg press: the muscle gains are the same when volume matches, per a 2025 RCT of 70 women
    What Actually Matters

    Squat vs. leg press: the muscle gains are the same when volume matches, per a 2025 RCT of 70 women

    Squat vs. leg press: which builds more muscle? When sets and reps are matched, growth is virtually identical — according to a 2025 RCT of 70 trained women.

Curious about a Chest workout plan that includes the Push Up

Push Up Alternatives

Bench Press

Bench Press

Chest Press Machine

Chest Press Machine

More

Push Up vs

  • Push Up vs Bench Press
  • Push Up vs Dumbbell Bench Press
  • Push Up vs Dumbbell Pullover

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