The push-up is the best upper-body exercise you can do without equipment. Chest, shoulders, triceps and core, all at once. And pushing yourself up off the floor is a skill you will very much want at 80, the day you need to get up after falling.
The good news: everybody can do some version of a push-up. If the floor is too hard, use a wall. If the wall is too easy, use a table. The only bad push-up is the one you skip.
How to progress: do 3 sets of the hardest version you can do for at least 8 clean reps. When you can do 3 sets of 15, move one step down this page.
Form rules for every push-up: body in one straight line from head to heels, hands a bit wider than shoulders, elbows at roughly 45 degrees from your body (not flared out like a T), chest goes all the way down, all the way up.
Easier than the floor
Wall push-up Beginner
Hands on the wall at chest height, walk your feet back, lower your chest to the wall. Further from the wall = harder.
Reps: 10–20.
Incline push-up Beginner
Hands on a kitchen counter, sturdy table or the edge of a sofa that won't slide. The lower the surface, the harder it gets. This is the bridge between the wall and the floor.
Reps: 8–15.
Knee push-up Beginner
Same straight line, but from the knees to the head. Don't let your hips stay up in the air. Put a folded towel under your knees.
Reps: 8–15.
The real thing
Push-up Intermediate
The standard. Squeeze your glutes and stomach so your hips don't sag, lower until your chest almost touches the floor, push up. Ten clean ones beat thirty half reps every day of the week.
Reps: 8–20.
Push-up plus Intermediate
At the top of the push-up, push the floor away a bit further so your upper back rounds slightly and your shoulder blades spread apart. That extra bit trains the muscle that keeps your shoulder blades healthy.
Reps: 8–12.
Wide push-up Intermediate
Hands wider than normal puts a bit more work on the chest. Don't go so wide that your shoulders complain.
Reps: 8–15.
Harder
Diamond push-up Hard
Hands close together under your chest, index fingers and thumbs forming a diamond. This one loads the triceps hard. If your wrists hurt, bring the hands slightly apart.
Reps: 6–12.
Decline push-up Hard
Feet on a chair or sofa, hands on the floor. More weight on your arms, more work for the upper chest and shoulders. The higher the feet, the harder it is.
Reps: 6–12.
Push-up with shoulder tap Hard
A push-up, then tap one shoulder, push-up, tap the other. The tap turns it into a core exercise as well: your hips are not allowed to swing.
Reps: 6–10 per side.
Triceps finisher
Chair dip Intermediate
Hands on the edge of a solid chair or bench behind you, knees bent, lower yourself until the elbows are at about 90 degrees, push back up. Do not go deeper than that and stop if the front of your shoulders hurts. Dips are hard on shoulders that are not used to them.
Reps: 8–15.
A ready-made home chest workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Your hardest push-up for 8+ reps | 3 | 8–15 |
| One step easier push-up | 2 | as many as you can, stop 2 reps before failure |
| Push-up plus | 2 | 10 |
| Chair dip | 2 | 8–12 |
Do it twice a week and pair it with the home back exercises. Push and pull, always both.