Five Tips For The Perfect Press-Up

The press-up (or push-up, if you prefer) is one of the most effective, accessible, and underrated exercises in strength training. It builds the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core, requires no equipment, and can be progressed or regressed to suit every level.

But there’s a difference between doing press-ups and doing them well.

At Coopers, we teach hundreds of people every year how to improve their press-up technique — and most people are just a few tweaks away from turning this basic bodyweight movement into a high-quality strength-builder.

Here’s your complete guide to performing the perfect press-up.

1. Hand Placement: Set the Foundation Right

The position of your hands directly affects which muscles you recruit and whether your joints are moving efficiently.

✅ Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apartThis setup allows for a good balance between pec activation and shoulder health.

✅ Fingers should be spread and gripping the groundThink of screwing your hands into the floor — this creates external rotation through the shoulders and sets up tension throughout the upper body.

⛔ Common Mistake: Hands too wide or turned in, leading to poor shoulder mechanics and reduced power output.

2. Body Position: Strong from Head to Toe

The press-up is a full-body movement, not just a chest exercise. Your positioning determines your stability and ability to create force.

✅ Head neutral – not craning up or dropping down✅ Shoulders externally rotated – imagine corkscrewing your hands into the floor✅ Core braced, glutes squeezed, quads tight – your body should move as a single unit✅ Slight forward lean – this helps shift the load to the chest and triceps where you want it

Think of your body as one straight line from head to heels.

3. Elbow Position: Protect Your Shoulders

Elbow position is often the first thing to break down when fatigue hits — and it’s a big contributor to shoulder discomfort or injury when done wrong.

✅ Keep elbows at a 30–45° angle from your sidesThis position ensures your shoulders are stacked and stable throughout the rep.

⛔ Avoid flaring the elbows out wide — this puts unnecessary stress on the shoulder joint and reduces pressing efficiency.

4. Range of Motion: No Half Reps

If you’re not training through full range, you’re not getting the full benefit. Full range means taking your body all the way down until your chest touches the floor, and then pressing all the way back up to full extension.

✅ Full range reps engage more muscle fibres and lead to greater strength and hypertrophy.✅ Partial reps have their place, but shouldn’t be your default unless it’s part of a specific training strategy.

⛔ Half reps are often a compensation for poor technique, fatigue, or ego lifting.

At Coopers Hill, we coach quality first. One full rep is better than five poor ones.

Click the picture to view the video

5. Core Control: The Secret Weapon

This might be the most overlooked aspect of a perfect press-up. Without core control, your hips will sag, your back may arch, and your shoulders will take the brunt of the work.

✅ Brace your core like you're holding a plank✅ Squeeze your glutes✅ Maintain that rigid “plank” posture throughout the entire rep.

If you can’t keep your body in line, regress the movement — incline press-ups or eccentric lowers are excellent alternatives while you build strength.

Bonus: Key Cues We Use at Coopers Hill

• “Screw your hands into the floor” – activates the shoulders

• “Brace like a plank” – keeps the core engaged

• “Lead with the chest, not the chin” – prevents overextension of the neck

• “Move as one piece” – reinforces full-body tension

• “Push the floor away” – helps visualise generating force

How to Use This in Your Training

If you’re just starting out, focus on incline press-ups, eccentric lowers, and core-focused accessory work. Perform these 2–3x per week and track your progress.

If you’re already doing press-ups but want to improve your form or build more reps, film yourself, review your range, and make small corrections using the principles above.

Final Thoughts

The perfect press-up isn’t just about chest development — it’s about mastery of bodyweight strength, discipline, and movement quality. It’s foundational for everything from advanced calisthenics to elite-level performance.

At Coopers Hill Personal Training, we teach real-world strength — and that starts with mastering movements like this.

🧠 Want coaching? Support? Accountability?

📍 Come train with us — we’ll meet you where you’re at and help you go further.