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Push up progression
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Overview: Push ups target the muscles in your chest (pectorals), in the back of your arm
(triceps), and in your shoulders (anterior deltoids). Different variations and hand
placements will affect to what degree these muscles come into play.

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Form: To perform a standard push up with good form, place your weight on your hands and
feet, with your spine and head in alignement with your legs, and your hands just slightly
wider than shoulder-width apart (palm flat on the floor). Lower your upper body to the
floor, flexing the elbows, then rise back to the start position. Keep your head still, and
keep your eyes looking down. Breathe in on the way down, and out on the way up, and pull
the abdominal muscles tight throughout the exercise.
Notes: Push-ups which are performed with your elbows in (closer to your body) put more
emphasis on the triceps. Wide arm push ups with arms at a 90 degrees angle to your body
focus more on your chest. To avoid shoulder problems, it is recommended your perform
push ups with your upper arms at a 45 degree angle with your torso.
Choose one of the following variations as a starting point and perform 3 sets of between 4
and 8 repetitions with periods of between 1 and 2 min of rest between each set. When you
can do 3 sets of 8, move on to the next exercise in the progression.

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1. Wall push ups. Performed against a wall. To find the

starting position, stand away from the wall and extend your
arms in front of you till the tips of your fingers come in
contact with the wall. If you find the exercise too hard,
come a little closer to the wall.

2. Box push ups. Performed on your knees, with your

spine and upper legs at a 90 degrees angle.

3. Three quarter push ups. On your knees, with your

spine and thighs in line.

4. Three quarters push ups + 5s eccentric push up. 3/4 push ups on the way up, then get
on the balls of your feet and perform the lowering phase of a standard push up to the
count of 5 seconds.

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5. Push ups. Your upper arms should form a 45

degree angle with your torso, hands shoulder-width
apart. Lower yourself with good form through the
whole range of motion untill your chest and your
nose almost come into contact with the floor.

6. Elbows in push ups. Same as a push up, but with

your elbows remaining in contact with your sides.

Here's a great looking spreadsheet to track

your progress, produced by Jesse, one of
our users. Hopefully, some of you will find
this really helpful: http://www.reddit.com/
/startbodyweightcom_spreadsheet_for
/
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2,781 people like Start Bodyweight.

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7. Diamond push ups. Thumb touching thumb, and

index to index. Your elbows should brush against
your sides. These put proportionally more of an
emphasis on your triceps.

8. Uneven push ups. One hand resting on an object

such as a bench, a basket ball, etc. The higher the
object, the more the other arm will have to work,
and the harder the exercise.

9. Decline push ups. Feet on a raised platform.

10. Decline elbows in push ups.

11. Decline diamond push ups.

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12. Wall one arm push ups (the wall should be one
arm's length away from you). Just stand facing the
wall and reach forward, until you can touch it with
your fingertips, then rest your hand against the wall
by leaning forward, and perform a push up).

13. Incline one arm push ups. Place one hand under
your breastbone, and lower yourself until your chest
comes into contact with the bench.

14. One arm push ups.

15. Decline one arm push ups.

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24 comments:
Mick Gall 29 January 2014 at 06:21
Hey, Army Reservist here.
For the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT), one has two minutes to do as many pushups as
possible. For me (male, 36 years old), I have to get a minimum of 36, and a max of 75.
This is clearly getting into muscular endurance territory.
How would I adjust my sets? Instead of 3 x 8, do maybe 3 X 12 or 3 X 15?
Reply
Replies
El Diablo 29 January 2014 at 06:55
You'd be better off with a program such as one hundred push ups (
http://hundredpushups.com/ ) for this purpose.
Reply

Andrew Lebrun 9 February 2014 at 12:29

For the one-arm progressions, what counts as one set of 8 reps? Is it 4 on each hand? 8 on
each hand?
Reply
Replies
El Diablo 9 February 2014 at 12:32
8 on each hand
Reply

Anonymous 25 February 2014 at 10:44

sir, what are your thoughts on single bar/straight bar dips? i'm currently doing them,
about 6-7 reps for 3 sets. very challenging yet rewarding and fun to do! is it something
that can be incorporated in the newbie program?
Reply
Replies
El Diablo 25 February 2014 at 12:58
Yea, these are fine, and a good way to train for muscle ups. I would suggest
you include them before the 'modified russian dips', in the dips progression.

Anonymous 26 February 2014 at 13:44

does the pushup help you transition towards the planche/planche pushup or
the tucked in planche/tucked in planche pushup? is the elbows in push up the
same as the lean-forward pushup? sorry, i'm a newbie in terms of bodyweight
training...appreciate any reply thanks.

El Diablo 26 February 2014 at 23:15

Yes and no... Push ups have no direct carry over towards the planche, but they
are however part of the progression towards planche push ups. I suspect what
you call 'lean forward push ups' are actually what are generally known as
pseudo planche push ups (it would help if you found me a video ; a google
search returns nothing for 'lean forward push ups'). In which case, elbows in
push ups are quite different.

Anonymous 2 March 2014 at 11:42

sorry for the late reply. i meant the hip pushup. can the hip pushup be
accommodated in the push up progression?
Reply

Anonymous 20 March 2014 at 14:29

Hey, what foot placement should be used for the one-armed variants? Awesome site,
thanks!
Reply
Replies
El Diablo 20 March 2014 at 14:32
Just slightly wider than shoulder-wirth apart. Whatever feels stable. Once you
feel comfortable, you can increase the difficulty of the exercise by reducing
the distance between your feet.
Reply

A.J. endo 22 March 2014 at 13:45

When doing any of the one armed push-ups if my torso isn't parallel to the floor/surface
should I regress a progression?
Reply
Replies
El Diablo 22 March 2014 at 23:30

yes
Reply

Anonymous 31 March 2014 at 22:40

I'm having trouble transitioning between wall one arm pushups (I can do them all day) and
incline one arm pushups (I can't even do one). Is there an intermediate exercise you can
recommend?
Reply
Replies
El Diablo 31 March 2014 at 23:18
Try using the reddit Start Bodyweight group for your questions:
http://www.reddit.com/r/startbodyweight/
Perform your one arm push ups on a staircase: get gradually lower and lower
by moving down one step at a time.
Reply

Anonymous 4 May 2014 at 05:23

Hey El Diablo, thanks to your progression I finally managed the one arm push up
yesterday! It took me quite a while but that off course made the accomplishment only
sweeter. Now Im wondering what your thought are on proper technique for the one arm
push up. For example, Ive read that foot placement can influence the strength required.
This article off course already has a great introduction regarding good form, but are there
specific pointers for the one arm variant to take into consideration?
Again thanks for your efforts on this!
Kind regards, Albert
Reply
Replies
Nick Janvier

4 May 2014 at 05:33

Try using the reddit Start Bodyweight

http://www.reddit.com/r/startbodyweight/

group

for

your

questions:

Reply

Anonymous 7 May 2014 at 13:37

Hi there great website I am 14 years old and trying to stick to calisthenics I struggle with
normal push ups. I am trying 3/4 push Ups and doing okay (not making much process) how
many reps and sets do you recommend for the 3/4 push ups?
Reply
Replies
Nick Janvier

7 May 2014 at 21:51

Try using the reddit Start Bodyweight

http://www.reddit.com/r/startbodyweight/

group

for

your

questions:

Reply

Anonymous 20 June 2014 at 09:34

Thanks. I have a goal of being able to do 10 push ups by the end of this summer. I wasn't
really clear on how to progress up to it, and now I am. This was very helpful!
Reply

Anonymous 14 July 2014 at 01:40

Thanks for this article! It was really helpful!
Reply

Anonymous 10 August 2014 at 09:27

Do the decline push ups really work?

Reply

Anonymous 29 August 2014 at 12:23

Question about uneven push-ups if you have the time:
When doing them, should I be using my elevated arm arm be used only as a
guide/balance, or should that arm be used to "push" some of the weight?

Hope that makes sense.

Reply

Anonymous 25 October 2014 at 14:09

Are the uneven push ups considered a one handed exercised and therefore should be
performed 8 on each side?
Reply

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StartBodyweight.com be held liable for any injuries or problems that may result from the use of this website or the advice contained within. Always consult
with a doctor before starting an exercise program, and seek qualified instruction for all the exercises described here. Nick Janvier

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