Exercise

Push-Up

The classic no-excuses chest builder you can do beside the crib or between meetings. It builds pressing strength for everything from moving furniture to wrestling with the kids, and it costs you zero equipment and zero commute.

BeginnerNo equipment~4 min

Demonstration

Sets

3

Reps

8-15

Rest

60-90s

Lower for 2 seconds, press up in 1.

How to do it

  1. 1

    Set your hands on the floor slightly wider than shoulder-width, fingers pointing forward.

  2. 2

    Walk your feet back until your body forms a straight line from head to heels.

  3. 3

    Brace your core and squeeze your glutes so your hips don't sag.

  4. 4

    Lower your chest toward the floor by bending your elbows at roughly 45 degrees from your torso.

  5. 5

    Stop when your chest is an inch or two off the floor, then press back up to full arm extension.

  6. 6

    Keep your neck neutral - look at the floor just ahead of your hands, not up.

Common mistakes

  • Letting the hips sag or pike up instead of holding a rigid plank
  • Flaring the elbows straight out to the sides, which strains the shoulders
  • Cutting the range short and only doing half reps
  • Craning the neck to look forward

Dad tips

  • Too hard? Elevate your hands on a counter or bench and work down over time.
  • Think about pushing the floor away rather than lifting your body.

Common questions

›How many push-ups should I be able to do?

For most men in their 30s and 40s, 15-20 clean reps is a solid benchmark and 30+ is strong. Quality beats count: 10 full-range push-ups with a straight body line build more than 25 sagging ones.

›Are push-ups every day OK?

Daily push-ups are fine if you keep most sets a few reps shy of failure. If your shoulders or elbows start complaining, drop to 3-4 days a week - muscles adapt fast but tendons need longer.

›My wrists hurt during push-ups. What can I do?

Try push-up handles or dumbbells as handles to keep the wrists neutral, or do them on fists on a mat. Also warm up the wrists first - two minutes of circles and gentle stretches makes a real difference.

Same muscles, new angle

Incline Dumbbell Press

Pressing on an incline shifts the work to your upper chest and shoulders - the area that makes a shirt fit better. Dumbbells also let each arm work independently, so your stronger side can't quietly carry the weaker one.

IntermediateDumbbells~5 min

Banded Chest Fly

A joint-friendly way to isolate the chest with nothing but a band anchored to a door or post. The band's tension peaks right where your chest squeezes hardest, and it packs into a work bag for travel weeks.

BeginnerBands~3 min

Dumbbell Floor Press

A chest press variation done lying on the floor where the dumbbells can only drop so far, reducing shoulder stress while maintaining chest and triceps activation. It's ideal when you don't have a bench or want to reduce shoulder impingement risk.

BeginnerDumbbells~4 min