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1.11

Doing 10 full push-ups

Build up to full push-ups in stages, and never trade a straight body for an extra rep.

A man holds a straight-body push-up position on a gym floor.
Photo: Ketut Subiyanto / Pexels
Area: BodyFrom age 14Time to learn: Correct form in one session. Reaching 10 can take from a few weeks to a few months.

You will be able to do a correct push-up and follow a plan to reach 10 in a row.

SafetyStop if you feel sharp pain in a shoulder, elbow or wrist. If you have heart disease, high blood pressure or a shoulder injury, check with a doctor or physiotherapist first. If your shoulders ache, keep your elbows closer to your sides, which the American Council on Exercise notes may reduce stress on the shoulder joint.

Why it matters

Push-ups train your chest, shoulders, arms and core with no equipment. CDC and Canada's guidelines both call for muscle-strengthening activity at least 2 days a week. In a 10-year study of 1,104 male firefighters, those who could do more than 40 push-ups had a 96% lower rate of heart disease events than those who could do fewer than 10. The study shows a link, not proof of cause, and included only men.

How to do it

  1. Start position: hands flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart, fingers pointing forward, shoulders directly over your hands.
  2. Stretch your legs straight behind you on your toes. Tighten your stomach and squeeze your buttocks so your body is a straight line from head to heels.
  3. Lower yourself slowly until your chest is close to the floor. Keep your head in line with your spine.
  4. Push the floor away until your arms are straight. That is one rep. Do not let your hips sag or rise.
  5. Test yourself: count how many you can do with good form.
  6. If you cannot do 10, start at an easier stage: wall press-ups (hands flat on a wall at chest level, standing at arm's length), then hands on a kitchen counter, then on a sturdy bench, then knees on the floor.
  7. Train at least 2 days a week, with a rest day in between. Do 3 sets of as many good reps as you can, stopping before your form breaks.
  8. When you can do 3 sets of 10 at one stage, move to the next, harder stage.
  9. Retest your full push-ups every 2 weeks.

Common mistakes

  • Letting the hips sag or pushing them up into a peak.
  • Doing half reps that stop far above the floor.
  • Dropping the head toward the floor.
  • Training hard every day with no rest.
You can do this when …you can do 10 push-ups in a row, chest close to the floor and body straight, without stopping.

Sources

  1. American Council on Exercise – Push-up
  2. NHS – Strength exercises
  3. CDC – Adult Activity: An Overview
  4. Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults 18–64

Sources and numbers last checked . How we check

Topic: Getting up and moving

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