Push-Up

Now drop and give me 50! No, I'm joking... just drop...

1. Start with your hands on the ground SHOULDER-WIDTH apart, elbows flexed. (You can also start with elbows extended! Your preference!)

2. Feet should be at least HIP-WIDTH apart. Not too wide! We want to focus on the upper body!

3. Make sure your back is FLAT. (In other words, keep that spine aligned! From head to toe!)

4. Prepare for lift off! Push your HANDS into the ground as you extend your elbows!

5. CONTROL your shoulders and elbows to carefully come back down.

LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW TO PUSH-UP. The push-up is an  incredible exercise for the UPPER BODY. Just like the squat works plenty of the lower body, the push-up works a lot of the upper body!

Your HUGE chest muscle called your PECTORALIS MAJOR (Your "Pecs") causes  SHOULDER FLEXION when you push up off the ground. By consequence, your  TRICEPS also activate to extend your elbow joint. Your triceps aren't the prime mover, but it's important to mention them because they are contracting here (unless you can figure out how to push up without extending elbows).

As you carefully come down after a Push-Up,  your SHOULDER EXTENDS and multiple different muscles in your back activate! Many of these muscles contract in various different ways, so there is no ONE type of muscle movement! This makes the Push-Up a great workout for strengthening your back and correcting your posture! Some of the muscles in your back that feel AMAZINGGGGG to work are your LATISSIMUS DORSI muscle and your large ERECTOR SPINAE group.

By consequence, your BRACHIALIS muscle also activates to flex your elbow.  One might assume that the BICEPS would be flexing, but because the hand is PRONATED (face down) on the ground, our BRACHIALIS is actually activating more strongly than the BICEPS.