Skip to content
ascend.
Exercise guide

Pushups

How to do the Pushups with correct form, the muscles it works, and where it fits a training plan you actually stick to.

CompoundBody OnlyBeginnerPush
Primary muscles

Chest

Secondary

Shoulders, Triceps

Equipment

Body Only

Step by step

How to do the Pushups

  1. 1

    Lie on the floor face down and place your hands about 36 inches apart while holding your torso up at arms length.

  2. 2

    Next, lower yourself downward until your chest almost touches the floor as you inhale.

  3. 3

    Now breathe out and press your upper body back up to the starting position while squeezing your chest.

  4. 4

    After a brief pause at the top contracted position, you can begin to lower yourself downward again for as many repetitions as needed.

In Ascend

Log it, see it on your body.

Every Pushups set you log feeds Ascend's anatomy heatmap, so your chest volume is visible at a glance, and counts toward your bodyweight-strength tier.

Train with a goal

Where the Pushups fits

The Pushups shows up in training built around a specific goal. See how it fits:

Related

More chest exercises

FAQ

Pushups: common questions

What muscles does the Pushups work?

The Pushups primarily works the Chest. It also recruits the Shoulders and Triceps as supporting muscles.

Is the Pushups suitable for beginners?

Yes. The Pushups is a beginner-level exercise, so it's a solid choice if you're new to training. Start light and focus on the movement pattern before adding load.

What equipment do I need for the Pushups?

None. The Pushups is a bodyweight exercise, so you can do it without any equipment.

Is the Pushups a compound or isolation exercise?

The Pushups is a compound exercise, it moves multiple joints and works several muscle groups at once, which makes it efficient for building overall strength.

How do I do the Pushups with correct form?

Lie on the floor face down and place your hands about 36 inches apart while holding your torso up at arms length. Follow the full step-by-step above for the complete movement.

Try the climb

Log your Pushups sets, free.

Waitlist members get TestFlight + Play Store internal-track invites and a founder badge on their profile.

Free to join · No card · Founder badge kept
Ascend Club

The app is free. Club adds the coach, leagues and analytics.

Core tracking stays free forever, the climb, streaks, logging and your league tiers. Club is for when you want the full coach, worldwide competition and the depth, at about the price of one coffee a month.

See Club plans

14-day free trial · no card to start

 FreeClub
Tracking, the climb and streaks
Per-set logging, PR detection, wearables
Muscle-league tiers
The AI coachnudgesFull conversation
Worldwide leagues and challenges,
PR projections and deep analytics,
Unlimited crews,
Themes, export and higher AI limits,