The pushup is the first exercise you ever did. Maybe your elementary PE teacher or your parents made you do pushups. Or maybe your favorite athlete did pushups when they were growing up, so you started doing pushups.
It’s a staple in almost every training program I give to my 1-on-1 online coaching clients, and its benefits and variations are endless.
To help you better understand the pushup and how to do it the right way, I wrote this article with the 3 most common mistakes. I’ll explain each mistake and why you’re making it. Then, I’ll show you how to correct the mistake, so you can improve your technique and master the pushup.
Let’s get into it.
Pushup Mistake Number 1 : Sagging Hips
This is by far the most common mistake because most people fail to realize something; the pushup strengthens not only your upper body but also your core.
When your hips sag, you aren’t engaging your core. Consequently, you aren’t strengthening your core.
Also, if you add weight to your pushup and your hips sag, you could hurt your back.
Solution to Mistake #1
To fix your sagging hips, work on your core strength.
The first solution is to elevate your hands on a bar or bench. Elevating your hands decreases the difficulty, or the load, of the pushup, so you can focus on your technique (i.e. engaging your core).
Hands-Elevated Pushup
Pick a height that allows you to do 5 perfect pushups. Don’t pick a height too high that it’s easy to get 12, yet not too low that you can’t do 1 perfect pushup.
As the weeks go by and you build your strength, move closer to the floor. Eventually, you’ll be able to do perfect pushups on the floor without assistance.
The second solution is to build your core strength with the front plank.
Front Plank
To be clear, the only way the front plank will help your pushup is if you do the front plank right. Pay close attention to what I say in the video, especially the part about tucking your belt buckle to your chin.
Pair the front plank with an exercise like the kettlebell swing, goblet squat, or deadlift, and hold for 20-30 seconds for each set. Focus on squeezing your abs and creating as much tension as possible.
Pushup Mistake Number 2: Small Range of Motion
The second most common mistake in the pushup is a small range of motion.
A full range of motion with any exercise is almost always ideal because you might need that range of motion in life and/or sport.
In a full-range-of-motion pushup, you go all the way down to the floor and all the way up with arms fully extended. If you have a small range of motion, then you lack the upper body strength to do a pushup on the floor without assistance.
Solution to Mistake #2
Similar to the solution to mistake number 1, the first solution is to elevate your hands. This works because it decreases the load, so it’s easier to do a pushup with full range of motion. Remember, find a height that allows you to do at least 5 perfect pushups.
The second solution is the dumbbell bench press. This is one of my go-to exercises for building upper body strength. It’s safe on the shoulders, and it’s challenging when you use the right amount of weight.
Dumbbell Bench Press
Pushup Mistake Number 3: Elbows Too Far Out
The third most common mistake in the pushup is elbows flaring out at the bottom position. It’s important to have good elbow position because hundreds of reps with the wrong elbow position will lead to shoulder injury.
The are two potential problems. First, it could be a lack of upper body strength which is fixed with the solutions from mistake number 2. Second, it could be a misunderstanding of proper technique.
Looking from your back down to the floor, good elbow positioning looks like an “A.” Here’s how to get the “A” in your pushup.
Solution to Mistake #3
The solution to mistake #3 is a cue. The cue is, “screw your hands into the floor.”
Screwing your hands will put your elbows in a safe position, and it will activate your lat which is an important shoulder stability muscle.
To screw your hands into the floor, keep your fingers pointed forwards and rotate your hands outwards. You should feel tension in your shoulders.
If you’re still struggling with your elbows, then elevate your hands. As you probably understand by now, you can’t go wrong with elevating your hands. It fixes everything.
Next time you do pushups, take a video and look at the footage. Ask yourself these questions:
- Can I improve my hip position?
- Do I have a full range of motion?
- Can I improve my elbow position?
It should be black and white. If there’s a sliver of a doubt in your technique, fix it. You might have to regress and put your hands on a bench, but that’s okay. Time spent improving your technique in the gym is time well spent. Identify your weaknesses, fix them, and master your pushup.
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