Correct push-up form: place your hands slightly wider than shoulder width, brace your body into one straight line, lower your chest between your hands with elbows angled back, then press the floor away without letting your hips sag.
A push-up is simple, but small changes decide whether your chest, shoulders, triceps and core work together efficiently. Good form also creates a reliable baseline: when every repetition looks similar, your rep count actually measures progress.
1. Set your hands and shoulders
Start in a high plank with hands just outside shoulder width. Spread your fingers and press through the whole hand. Your shoulders should sit roughly over your wrists. Rotate the pits of your elbows slightly forward; this helps your upper arms travel at a comfortable angle instead of flaring sideways.
2. Make your body one rigid unit
Brace your stomach as if preparing for a light punch and squeeze your glutes. Keep your head neutral by looking slightly ahead of your hands. A straight line should run from your ears through your shoulders, hips and ankles. If your hips sag, switch to an incline variation and rebuild control.
3. Lower with control
Inhale and bend your elbows, allowing them to track about 30–45 degrees from your torso. Lower your chest toward the space between your hands. Aim for a depth you can control without losing your plank position; over time, work toward bringing your chest close to the floor.
4. Press the floor away
Exhale as you drive through your palms. Keep your chest and hips rising together. Finish with straight arms without aggressively snapping the elbows. Think about pushing the floor away rather than lifting your body.
- Hands stable and slightly wider than shoulders
- Head, hips and heels remain aligned
- Elbows angle back—not directly sideways
- Chest reaches a repeatable depth
- Each rep moves smoothly without bouncing
Let the app handle the count
RepSaga uses your push-ups as attacks, tracks your training and makes clean repetitions part of an RPG battle.
How to check your own technique
Film one set from the side. Look for hips dropping before the chest, a head reaching toward the floor or a shortened range as you tire. Stop the set when your shape changes. Quality practice is more useful than collecting extra partial reps.
Frequently asked
How wide should my hands be?
Slightly wider than shoulder width works for most people. Adjust within a comfortable range if your wrists or shoulders feel restricted.
Should my chest touch the floor?
Use the deepest pain-free range you can control. Chest-to-floor is a useful long-term standard, but alignment matters more than forcing depth.