Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsMucles WorkedBenefitsProper FormPush-Up VariationsCommon Mistakes to AvoidRisks to Daily Push-Ups
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Mucles Worked
Benefits
Proper Form
Push-Up Variations
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Risks to Daily Push-Ups
Push-ups are one of the best bodyweight exercises for targeting the upper body muscles. They are a common staple in exercise programs for people of all fitness levels—from professional athletes to people recovering from injuries. While push-ups are usually considered a chest exercise, they target several muscles in your shoulders and core.
This article discusses which muscles push-ups work, how to perform them, their benefits, common mistakes, and popular variations.
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What Muscles Do Push-Ups Work?
Push-ups are an exercise that works various muscles in the chest and shoulders.They also activate muscles in the core and hips that help stabilize the body and maintain proper posture during this exercise.Below is a breakdown of which muscles push-ups work and how each contributes to this common resistance exercise.
Pectoralis Major
Thepectoralismajor—often called the “pecs”—are large fan-shaped muscles on the front of the chest.These are some of the primary “pushing” muscles during the push-up.
Pectoralis Minor
Thepectoralis minorare smaller chest muscles underneath the pectoralis major muscles.The pectoralis minor helps keep the shoulders stable during the push-up.
Serratus Anterior
Theserratus anterior musclesrun from your shoulder blades to your rib cage. They appear “serrated” when attaching to the ribs, giving this muscle its name.This muscle helps to maintain body position during the push-up.
Triceps
Thetriceps musclesare the only muscles in the back of the upper arms. While your biceps (muscles on the front of the upper arms) are responsible for curling movements, triceps support elbow extension. They are one of the primary “pushing” muscles used during a push-up.
Anterior Deltoids
Thedeltoid musclesgive the tops of the shoulders their rounded shape. These muscles are comprised of three parts—anterior, middle, and posterior. When the muscles come together, they form a triangle—or delta, named for the Greek letter. Each deltoid muscle performs a slightly different movement.
The anterior deltoids help your shoulders maintain a flexed position during the push-up.
Core Muscles and Gluteus Maximus
Thecore musclesare important in maintaining proper positioning during the push-up.Thegluteus maximus musclesin the buttocks are also active during the push-up, stabilizing the hips.
What Are the Benefits of Push-Ups?
Most people do push-ups to strengthen their upper body. However, this exercise offers additional health benefits.
Builds Upper Body Strength
Most people perform push-ups to strengthen muscles in the chest, shoulders, and upper arms. Push-ups use body weight as resistance, so you can do them virtually anywhere—no fitness equipment is required.
May Reduce Risk of Cardiovascular Events
Your ability to perform push-ups can contribute to your cardiovascular (heart) health. A 2019 study found that men who could perform at least 40 push-ups within 30 seconds had a lower risk of cardiovascular events (such as heart failure or heart attack) over the next 10 years compared to men who could not complete 10 push-ups in the same amount of time.
Helps Protect the Shoulder Joint
Push-ups are classified as aclosed-chain exercisebecause your hands are planted on the ground throughout the movement. Because of this, the muscles you work during a push-up also helpstabilizethe shoulder joint.
May Improve Body Composition
Including resistance exercises like push-ups in a regular exercise routine can help you lose fat and build lean muscle mass.
How to Do a Push-Up With Proper Form
The plank is the starting position for the standard push-up.
Performing a push-up:
Common Push-Up Variations
Push-ups can be modified in many ways, making them appropriate for people of all fitness levels.
Knee Push-Ups
If your upper body isn’t strong enough to perform a standard push-up, try them on your knees. Rather than starting in a full plank position, bend your knees and rest them on the ground, hip-width apart. Keep your torso straight as you lower and raise your upper body.
Wall Push-Ups
Wall push-ups are an excellent option for people who are brand new to push-ups or those recovering from injuries. Place your hands on the wall at shoulder height, slightly more than shoulder-width apart. Step your feet back 12 to 18 inches and position them hip-width apart, then perform your push-up against the wall.
Incline Push-Ups
Decline Push-Ups
Decline push-ups are more advanced than standard push-ups as they increase resistance on the upper body. To perform decline push-ups, elevate your feet on a step, stool, or other sturdy surface, lower your body to the ground, and push up.
Weighted Push-Ups
It’s essential to keep your core tight with weighted push-ups to protect your spine.
Clap Push-Ups
Clap push-ups are an advanced exercise. As you press up, push hard and fast off the ground and clap your hands together before landing back in the plank position.
One-Arm Push-Ups
Performing one-arm push-ups requires significant upper body and core strength. In a plank position, spread your feet apart—slightly wider than hip-width—to help maintain your balance. Then, perform your push-up with one hand on the ground and the other behind your back.
To decrease your risk of injury, avoid these common push-up mistakes:
Are There Risks of Doing Push-Ups Daily?
As with any exercise, it is possible to overdo push-ups. However, it’s not necessarily wrong to do push-ups daily, especially if you aren’t doing many. Ideally, you should allow a day of rest between workouts that target the same muscle groups.
Muscle soreness is often delayed 24 to 72 hours after a workout—a phenomenon called “delayed onset muscle soreness” or DOMS.If you’re new to push-ups, allow yourself a few days to see how youreallyfeel afterward before deciding how frequently to do them.
Summary
Most people think of push-ups as a chest muscle-strengthening exercise, but they also activate other muscles in the shoulders, arms, core, and buttocks. This exercise can also improve bone strength, reduce age-related muscle loss, and improve cardiovascular health. People of all levels of fitness can do push-ups using various modifications.
17 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Alizadeh S, Rayner M, Mahmoud MMI, Behm DG.Push-ups vs. bench press differences in repetitions and muscle activation between sexes.J Sports Sci Med. 2020;19(2):289-297.Borreani S, Calatayud J, Colado JC, Moya-Nájera D, Triplett NT, Martin F.Muscle activation during push-ups performed under stable and unstable conditions.J Exerc Sci Fit. 2015;13(2):94-98. doi:10.1016/j.jesf.2015.07.002Baig MA, Bordoni B.Anatomy, shoulder and upper limb, pectoral muscles. [Updated 2023 Aug 28]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024.Neumann DA, Camargo PR.Kinesiologic considerations for targeting activation of scapulothoracic muscles - part 1: serratus anterior.Braz J Phys Ther. 2019;23(6):459-466. doi:10.1016/j.bjpt.2019.01.008.Tiwana MS, Sinkler MA, Bordoni B.Anatomy, shoulder and upper limb, triceps muscle. [Updated 2023 Aug 28]. In:StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL):StatPearls Publishing;2024.Elzanie A, Varacallo M.Anatomy, shoulder and upper limb, deltoid muscle. [Updated 2024 Jan 30]. In StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing;2024.American Council on Exercise.Core anatomy.Elzanie A, Borger J.Anatomy, bony pelvis and lower limb, gluteus maximus muscle. [Updated 2023 Apr 1]. In:StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL):StatPearls Publishing;2024.National Academy of Sports Medicine.NASM guide to push-ups (part 4): strength and hypertrophy.Yang J, Christophi CA, Farioli A, et al.Association between push-up exercise capacity and future cardiovascular events among active adult men.JAMA Netw Open.2019;2(2):e188341. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.8341Kowalski KL, Connelly DM, Jakobi JM, Sadi J.Shoulder electromyography activity during push-up variations: a scoping review.Shoulder & Elbow. 2022;14(3):325-339. doi:10.1177/17585732211019373Hong AR, Kim SW.Effects of resistance exercise on bone health.Endocrinol Metab (Seoul). 2018;33(4):435-444. doi:10.3803/EnM.2018.33.4.435Johns Hopkins Medicine.Sarcopenia, body mass index and adults age 65-plus.Villareal DT, Aguirre L, Gurney AB, et al.Aerobic or resistance exercise, or both, in dieting obese older adults.N Engl J Med. 2017;376(20):1943-1955. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1616338National Academy of Sports Medicine.The anatomy of a push-up: exploring proper push-up form and technique.National Academy of Sports Medicine.How to get better at push-ups (NASM guide to push-ups part 2).American College of Sports Medicine.Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
17 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Alizadeh S, Rayner M, Mahmoud MMI, Behm DG.Push-ups vs. bench press differences in repetitions and muscle activation between sexes.J Sports Sci Med. 2020;19(2):289-297.Borreani S, Calatayud J, Colado JC, Moya-Nájera D, Triplett NT, Martin F.Muscle activation during push-ups performed under stable and unstable conditions.J Exerc Sci Fit. 2015;13(2):94-98. doi:10.1016/j.jesf.2015.07.002Baig MA, Bordoni B.Anatomy, shoulder and upper limb, pectoral muscles. [Updated 2023 Aug 28]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024.Neumann DA, Camargo PR.Kinesiologic considerations for targeting activation of scapulothoracic muscles - part 1: serratus anterior.Braz J Phys Ther. 2019;23(6):459-466. doi:10.1016/j.bjpt.2019.01.008.Tiwana MS, Sinkler MA, Bordoni B.Anatomy, shoulder and upper limb, triceps muscle. [Updated 2023 Aug 28]. In:StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL):StatPearls Publishing;2024.Elzanie A, Varacallo M.Anatomy, shoulder and upper limb, deltoid muscle. [Updated 2024 Jan 30]. In StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing;2024.American Council on Exercise.Core anatomy.Elzanie A, Borger J.Anatomy, bony pelvis and lower limb, gluteus maximus muscle. [Updated 2023 Apr 1]. In:StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL):StatPearls Publishing;2024.National Academy of Sports Medicine.NASM guide to push-ups (part 4): strength and hypertrophy.Yang J, Christophi CA, Farioli A, et al.Association between push-up exercise capacity and future cardiovascular events among active adult men.JAMA Netw Open.2019;2(2):e188341. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.8341Kowalski KL, Connelly DM, Jakobi JM, Sadi J.Shoulder electromyography activity during push-up variations: a scoping review.Shoulder & Elbow. 2022;14(3):325-339. doi:10.1177/17585732211019373Hong AR, Kim SW.Effects of resistance exercise on bone health.Endocrinol Metab (Seoul). 2018;33(4):435-444. doi:10.3803/EnM.2018.33.4.435Johns Hopkins Medicine.Sarcopenia, body mass index and adults age 65-plus.Villareal DT, Aguirre L, Gurney AB, et al.Aerobic or resistance exercise, or both, in dieting obese older adults.N Engl J Med. 2017;376(20):1943-1955. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1616338National Academy of Sports Medicine.The anatomy of a push-up: exploring proper push-up form and technique.National Academy of Sports Medicine.How to get better at push-ups (NASM guide to push-ups part 2).American College of Sports Medicine.Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Alizadeh S, Rayner M, Mahmoud MMI, Behm DG.Push-ups vs. bench press differences in repetitions and muscle activation between sexes.J Sports Sci Med. 2020;19(2):289-297.Borreani S, Calatayud J, Colado JC, Moya-Nájera D, Triplett NT, Martin F.Muscle activation during push-ups performed under stable and unstable conditions.J Exerc Sci Fit. 2015;13(2):94-98. doi:10.1016/j.jesf.2015.07.002Baig MA, Bordoni B.Anatomy, shoulder and upper limb, pectoral muscles. [Updated 2023 Aug 28]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024.Neumann DA, Camargo PR.Kinesiologic considerations for targeting activation of scapulothoracic muscles - part 1: serratus anterior.Braz J Phys Ther. 2019;23(6):459-466. doi:10.1016/j.bjpt.2019.01.008.Tiwana MS, Sinkler MA, Bordoni B.Anatomy, shoulder and upper limb, triceps muscle. [Updated 2023 Aug 28]. In:StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL):StatPearls Publishing;2024.Elzanie A, Varacallo M.Anatomy, shoulder and upper limb, deltoid muscle. [Updated 2024 Jan 30]. In StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing;2024.American Council on Exercise.Core anatomy.Elzanie A, Borger J.Anatomy, bony pelvis and lower limb, gluteus maximus muscle. [Updated 2023 Apr 1]. In:StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL):StatPearls Publishing;2024.National Academy of Sports Medicine.NASM guide to push-ups (part 4): strength and hypertrophy.Yang J, Christophi CA, Farioli A, et al.Association between push-up exercise capacity and future cardiovascular events among active adult men.JAMA Netw Open.2019;2(2):e188341. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.8341Kowalski KL, Connelly DM, Jakobi JM, Sadi J.Shoulder electromyography activity during push-up variations: a scoping review.Shoulder & Elbow. 2022;14(3):325-339. doi:10.1177/17585732211019373Hong AR, Kim SW.Effects of resistance exercise on bone health.Endocrinol Metab (Seoul). 2018;33(4):435-444. doi:10.3803/EnM.2018.33.4.435Johns Hopkins Medicine.Sarcopenia, body mass index and adults age 65-plus.Villareal DT, Aguirre L, Gurney AB, et al.Aerobic or resistance exercise, or both, in dieting obese older adults.N Engl J Med. 2017;376(20):1943-1955. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1616338National Academy of Sports Medicine.The anatomy of a push-up: exploring proper push-up form and technique.National Academy of Sports Medicine.How to get better at push-ups (NASM guide to push-ups part 2).American College of Sports Medicine.Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
Alizadeh S, Rayner M, Mahmoud MMI, Behm DG.Push-ups vs. bench press differences in repetitions and muscle activation between sexes.J Sports Sci Med. 2020;19(2):289-297.
Borreani S, Calatayud J, Colado JC, Moya-Nájera D, Triplett NT, Martin F.Muscle activation during push-ups performed under stable and unstable conditions.J Exerc Sci Fit. 2015;13(2):94-98. doi:10.1016/j.jesf.2015.07.002
Baig MA, Bordoni B.Anatomy, shoulder and upper limb, pectoral muscles. [Updated 2023 Aug 28]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024.
Neumann DA, Camargo PR.Kinesiologic considerations for targeting activation of scapulothoracic muscles - part 1: serratus anterior.Braz J Phys Ther. 2019;23(6):459-466. doi:10.1016/j.bjpt.2019.01.008.
Tiwana MS, Sinkler MA, Bordoni B.Anatomy, shoulder and upper limb, triceps muscle. [Updated 2023 Aug 28]. In:StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL):StatPearls Publishing;2024.
Elzanie A, Varacallo M.Anatomy, shoulder and upper limb, deltoid muscle. [Updated 2024 Jan 30]. In StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing;2024.
American Council on Exercise.Core anatomy.
Elzanie A, Borger J.Anatomy, bony pelvis and lower limb, gluteus maximus muscle. [Updated 2023 Apr 1]. In:StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL):StatPearls Publishing;2024.
National Academy of Sports Medicine.NASM guide to push-ups (part 4): strength and hypertrophy.
Yang J, Christophi CA, Farioli A, et al.Association between push-up exercise capacity and future cardiovascular events among active adult men.JAMA Netw Open.2019;2(2):e188341. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.8341
Kowalski KL, Connelly DM, Jakobi JM, Sadi J.Shoulder electromyography activity during push-up variations: a scoping review.Shoulder & Elbow. 2022;14(3):325-339. doi:10.1177/17585732211019373
Hong AR, Kim SW.Effects of resistance exercise on bone health.Endocrinol Metab (Seoul). 2018;33(4):435-444. doi:10.3803/EnM.2018.33.4.435
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Sarcopenia, body mass index and adults age 65-plus.
Villareal DT, Aguirre L, Gurney AB, et al.Aerobic or resistance exercise, or both, in dieting obese older adults.N Engl J Med. 2017;376(20):1943-1955. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1616338
National Academy of Sports Medicine.The anatomy of a push-up: exploring proper push-up form and technique.
National Academy of Sports Medicine.How to get better at push-ups (NASM guide to push-ups part 2).
American College of Sports Medicine.Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
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