A good all-round upper body exercise, the push-up works the chest, shoulders, triceps, and abdominals. Muscles in the hips, legs, and back come into play as stabilizers.
Starting Position
1. Place hands under and outside of shoulders. Bring hips up off the ground, contract the abs and maintain a neutral spine.
Technique
2. Keeping the abdominals tight and the body strait, press up, extending the elbows until strait but not locked out.
3. Lower back down until the hips, chest and chin are all 1-2 inches from the ground.
Target Muscle(s)
Chest
Secondary Movers and Stabilizers
Shoulders, Triceps and Abdominals
Tips
- Maintain a neutral spine. Watch the hips do not dip down or arch up.
- Shoulders stay in retracted position. A common tendency is to shrug the shoulders or reach forward with them, which decreases the effectiveness of the exercise and puts the shoulder in a vulnerable position.
- Keep head in line with the body. Avoid forward flexion (reaching forward) of the neck.