Push · None
How to do
Push-ups
The baseline upper-body press, and the exercise Alea draws most often. Chest, shoulders and triceps, with the whole torso working to stop you sagging.
| Movement pattern | Push |
| Measured in | reps |
| Equipment | None |
| Effort weight in Alea | 1.2 per rep |
| Appears from | D4 exercise die upward |
How to do it
Setup
Hands flat on the floor a little wider than your shoulders, fingers spread and pointing forward. Walk your feet back until your body makes one straight line from heels to head. Squeeze your glutes and brace your midsection as if about to take a light punch.
The movement
Bend at the elbows and lower until your chest is a fist’s height from the floor, keeping your elbows at roughly 45 degrees to your ribs rather than flared to the sides. Pause without resting, then press back up and lock out. Breathe in on the way down, out as you press.
Common mistakes
- Hips sagging, which turns a full-body movement into a lower-back complaint
- Elbows flared straight out to the sides, which loads the shoulder joint badly
- Half reps: stopping well short of the floor and calling it a rep
- Head craning forward instead of staying in line with the spine
Too hard? Scale it down
Put your hands on a bench, a table or a wall. The higher the surface, the less of your bodyweight you press, and you keep the exact same line and technique. Work down to the floor over weeks rather than dropping to your knees, which changes the movement.
Too easy? Scale it up
Elevate your feet, slow the lowering phase to a count of three, or move to the diamond and archer variations that also live in the Alea pool.
Where this sits in the Alea pool
Alea draws exercises from an ordered pool of twenty, and the die size slices from the top of that list. Push-ups is number 1 of 20, so it enters the draw once your exercise die reaches D4. Below that, you will never roll it.
Its effort weight is 1.2 per rep, which the app uses when it builds 100-rep sessions and tailored workouts, so a session containing push-ups carries fewer total reps than one built from lighter movements.
Roll it now in your browser, or set your dice and let it come up on its own.
General information, not medical or fitness advice. Stop if you feel pain or dizziness, use the easier variation when in doubt, and see the full training disclaimer before starting.
Let the dice pick it for you
Alea draws push-ups at random alongside nineteen other bodyweight movements. Free, no account needed.
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Related
Push-ups FAQ
How many push-ups should I be able to do?
There is no universal number. As a rough marker, twenty unbroken reps with clean form is a solid general-fitness standard for most adults. Alea will draw anywhere from 5 to 75 depending on your rep die.
Are knee push-ups a good regression?
Incline push-ups are usually better. Dropping to your knees changes the body line and removes the midsection work, whereas hands on a bench keeps the movement identical and just reduces the load.
Why do my wrists hurt?
Usually hand placement or a lack of wrist extension. Spread your fingers, grip the floor slightly, and warm the wrists up first. Push-up handles or a fist position take the joint out of extension entirely.