Push-Ups

The push-up is the most tested exercise in every armed force on the planet, and for good reason: it measures upper-body strength, midsection control and the ability to keep producing effort under fatigue. Master it properly and you build the chest, shoulders, triceps and core in one movement that costs nothing and travels anywhere.

Exact Technique

1. Place your hands flat on the ground slightly wider than shoulder width, fingers pointing forward.
2. Walk your feet back until your body forms one straight line from heels to head. Squeeze your glutes and brace your midsection.
3. Lower under control by bending the elbows, keeping them tracking back at roughly forty-five degrees from your torso, not flared straight out.
4. Descend until your chest is within a fist of the floor. Pause briefly.
5. Drive the floor away until your elbows lock out fully. That is one rep. No lockout, no rep.

Form Cues

• Plank first, push-up second. If your hips sag or pike, the rep does not count.
• Screw your hands into the floor to keep shoulders stable.
• Neck neutral. Look at a spot on the floor just ahead of your fingertips.
• Exhale on the press, inhale on the way down.

Progressions and Regressions

Work the ladder in order. Move up only when you can complete three sets of twelve clean reps at your current level.

1. Incline push-ups with hands on a wall, then a table, then a low bench.
2. Knee push-ups with a rigid line from knees to head.
3. Standard push-ups as described above.
4. Feet-elevated decline push-ups on a step or chair.
5. Tempo and deficit push-ups: three seconds down, one-second pause at the bottom, or hands on books for extra depth.

Programming

Train push-ups three times per week on non-consecutive days. Standard session: four sets, stopping two reps short of failure, with ninety seconds of rest between sets. Once per week, run a two-minute max-rep test and log the score. To break a plateau, use the ladder method: one rep, rest, two reps, rest, three reps, climbing until form degrades, then climb back down.

Safety note: sharp pain in the front of the shoulder or the wrist means stop and regress a level. Wrist discomfort can usually be fixed by pushing through the knuckles on a rolled towel or by turning the hands slightly outward.