Push-ups: how to do it
Main muscles: Middle chest. Helpers: Lower chest, Front delts (anterior deltoid), Triceps lateral head, Triceps medial head, Upper abs. Below: step-by-step form, common mistakes, a muscle map, reps and rest, and what to swap it for.
Equipment
Bodyweight
Reps
10–20
Rest
90 s
Muscle group
Chest
How to do it
- Hands slightly wider than the shoulders, body in one line from the heels to the head.
- Lower until the chest is a couple of centimetres from the floor, elbows back at 45°.
- Press up without letting the hips sag or pike.
Common mistakes
Arching the lower back, elbows straight out, half range of motion.
Muscles worked
primary·secondary
- Primary
- Middle chest
- Secondary
- Lower chest, Front delts (anterior deltoid), Triceps lateral head, Triceps medial head, Upper abs
A secondary muscle gets roughly half the stimulus of a set — that is also how the log’s stats count it.
Programs that use it
- Home, 3 days3 × 10–20
- Circuit, 3 days3 × 10–20
Alternatives: similar exercises
Dips
Bodyweight · Lower chest, Triceps lateral head, Triceps medial head
Close-grip push-ups
Bodyweight · Triceps lateral head, Triceps medial head
Bench press
Barbell · Middle chest, Lower chest
Bench dips
Bodyweight · Triceps lateral head, Triceps medial head
Dumbbell fly
Dumbbells · Middle chest
Cable pushdown
Cable · Triceps lateral head, Triceps medial head
Log your sets — the app suggests the next weight
GymAssist tracks the load on each of 40 muscles, paints it on a body map and uses double progression to tell you when to add weight.
Free forever for the first 500