Bodyweight upper-body push
Push-Up
The push-up trains pressing strength with bodyweight. It builds the chest, triceps, shoulders, and trunk control with minimal equipment.
- Primary muscles
- Chest, Triceps
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Secondary muscles worked
Front deltoids, Core, Serratus anterior.
Setup
- Place hands slightly wider than shoulder width.
- Step feet back into a strong plank.
- Squeeze glutes and brace the abs.
- Keep head, ribs, hips, and heels in one line.
How to do the Push-Up
- 1
Lower as one unit
Bend elbows and lower chest toward the floor without hips sagging.
- 2
Keep elbows controlled
Let elbows track around 30-60 degrees from the torso.
- 3
Press the floor away
Drive through the hands until elbows lock out.
- 4
Finish with reach
Let shoulder blades move naturally at the top without shrugging.
Common mistakes
- Hips sagging before the chest reaches depth.
- Flaring elbows straight out.
- Half reps that skip the bottom range.
- Craning the neck toward the floor.
Notes by experience level
Beginner
Use incline push-ups if full floor reps break position.
Intermediate
Add reps, tempo, or weighted variations after clean sets.
Advanced
Use deficit or ring push-ups for more range and stability demand.
Program the Push-Up into an adaptive plan and let Kova set your next target.
