Push-Up

The first movement every beginner should own. Master a clean push-up before chasing bench numbers — it teaches full-body tension you'll use in every press for the rest of your life.

Tips

• Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs — your body should move as one rigid plank from head to heels.
• Hands just outside shoulder width, fingers spread, and screw them into the floor to lock your shoulders in place.
• Elbows travel back at roughly 45° from your torso, not flared straight out to the sides.
• Lower under control until your chest is a fist's height from the floor — range of motion is the rep.
• Too hard? Elevate your hands on a bench or counter. Too easy? Elevate your feet or slow the descent to 3 seconds.

Common Mistakes

• Sagging hips — the plank breaks, the core stops working, and the lower back takes the stress.
• Half reps — bobbing the head down while the chest stays high. If the chest doesn't move, the rep doesn't count.
• Flared elbows — pressing in a T-shape grinds the shoulders. Keep elbows tucked toward your ribs.
• Speeding through reps — momentum does the work instead of your chest. Control down, drive up.