🤸 Push-Up Form Guide
Master the most fundamental pushing movement.
The push-up is the most accessible upper-body exercise — but most people perform it with sagging hips, flared elbows, and incomplete range of motion. SportsReflector's AI analyzes your body alignment, elbow angle, depth, and symmetry to help you get more from every rep.
Primary Muscles
Pectoralis major, anterior deltoid, triceps brachii
Equipment
None (bodyweight)
AI Score Categories
6 metrics tracked
What AI Analyzes in Your Push-Up
SportsReflector tracks 6 key metrics to generate your 0–100 form score.
AI Form Score
Every Push-Up session gets an overall form score plus category-level scoring for each metric above.
4 Push-Up Mistakes AI Catches
These are the most common Push-Up form errors — and the ones most likely to cause injury or limit your progress.
Allowing the hips to sag reduces core engagement and places stress on the lower back.
Fix: Maintain a rigid plank position throughout. Squeeze the glutes and brace the core before each rep.
Flaring the elbows perpendicular to the torso increases shoulder stress and reduces chest activation.
Fix: Keep elbows at 45° from the torso. This protects the shoulder and maximizes chest activation.
Not lowering the chest to the floor eliminates the stretch reflex and reduces muscle activation.
Fix: Lower until the chest touches or nearly touches the floor. If you can't achieve full depth with good form, use incline push-ups to build strength.
Allowing the head to drop forward breaks the neutral spine alignment.
Fix: Maintain a neutral neck (eyes looking at the floor 1–2 feet in front of your hands). Think of the head as an extension of the spine.
Muscles Worked
Get Your Push-Up Form Score
Record your Push-Up on your iPhone and get an instant 0–100 AI form score with specific corrections for every mistake above.
Push-Up Guides & Deep Dives
7 Push-Up Form Mistakes Beginners Make (And How to Fix Every One)
Most beginners do push-ups wrong from day one — and the mistakes compound over time into injury. Here are the 7 most common push-up form errors, why they happen, and the exact fix for each.
Push-up Technique for Beginners — What Sports Science Actually Reveals (2026 Guide)
Mastering the push-up is crucial for effective upper body and core development. This guide breaks down the biomechanics, identifies common beginner errors, and provides a structured 4-week training plan to perfect your push-up technique.
Complete Gym Exercise Form Guide: AI Analysis for Machines, Cables, Free Weights & Bodyweight
The definitive guide to perfect gym exercise form, powered by AI analysis. Covers every exercise category: gym machines, cable exercises, free weights, and bodyweight movements with AI form scoring tips.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about SportsReflector
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