By ShowMeStepByStepPublished Updated
Based on a video by CHRIS HERIA.
The push-up follows you through your entire fitness journey. The top athletes in the world still use it. Built right, it develops your chest, triceps, abs, and shoulders without any equipment - your body weight is the gym.
This walkthrough from Chris Heria (Thenx) breaks the push-up down into 6 steps starting before you even do one rep. Build the high plank first, then earn your way into the movement. Skip steps 1-2 and your form will be limiting your gains for years.
Before you do a single push-up, build a 1-minute high plank with perfect form. Body completely aligned (no drooping hips, no peaked butt). Hands flat, arms locked out, shoulders stacked directly over fingertips.
Squeeze the floor with your hands, point your toes, engage everything from shoulders to calves as one unit. If you can't hold a minute on the floor, do it on an elevated surface (bench, table) until you can.
From a high plank, drop your hips all the way to the floor (cobra pose). Pause, then bring your hips back up to the perfect plank position.
Reps of 10-20 train the core and lower back to maintain a straight line under load. This is the foundation move - if your hips droop or peak during push-ups, this exercise fixes it.
Get into your high plank with hands shoulder-width apart, directly under your shoulders (slightly wider for chest emphasis, slightly narrower for triceps). Spread your fingers and grip the floor.
Rotate your elbows so they point roughly 45 degrees behind you, not flared straight out to the sides - flared elbows kill your shoulders over time.
Bend your elbows and lower your chest until it's an inch above the floor (or actually touching). Take 2-3 seconds on the way down - controlled, not collapsing.
Keep your body in one straight line the whole way. Elbows stay at that 45-degree angle. If your hips drop or your chin pokes forward, you're losing the line.
Tip
If full push-ups are too hard, do them with knees on the ground OR with hands elevated on a couch or bench. Both let you build strength while protecting form.
From the bottom, push your hands into the floor and drive your body back up. Imagine pushing the floor away from you, not pushing yourself up off the floor - this cue keeps your shoulders set.
Lock your arms out at the top without hyperextending. That's one rep. Reset for a second before going again.
Once you can do 20 strict push-ups in a row, progress: feet elevated on a bench (decline push-ups), hands on parallettes for deeper range, plyometric clap push-ups for explosive power, or one-arm push-ups for unilateral strength.
The push-up is your gym - adding leverage progressively replaces adding weights. You can build serious chest, triceps, and shoulder strength without ever touching a barbell.
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Quick reference
5 questions, answers, and one-line explanations. Tap to expand.
1.Right elbow angle at the bottom?
Answer: About 45° back
Elbows point ~45° behind you, not flared straight out. Flared elbows kill your shoulders over time.
2.Build what FIRST before any push-ups?
Answer: 1-min high plank
Perfect 1-min high plank - no drooping hips, no peaked butt. Build the position before earning the movement.
3.What does cobra-to-plank train?
Answer: Core + lower back
Trains core and lower back to maintain a straight line under load. Fixes drooping/peaking hips during push-ups.
4.Time to lower the body on the descent?
Answer: 2-3 seconds
Controlled, not collapsing. Body in one straight line all the way. Chest stops an inch above floor (or touches).
5.When can you progress to harder variations?
Answer: 20 strict in a row
Decline, parallettes, plyometric clap, one-arm. Push-up is your gym - adding leverage replaces adding weights.
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