Learn the right push-ups in 6 weeks

Push-ups seem unattainable? With our 6-week training plan, the impossible becomes possible. Discover how you can train your muscles effectively.

Do you feel overwhelmed just thinking about doing a push-up? Weak arms that you can barely push up, sore shoulders and wrists, a sagging back – all of this can quickly demotivate you. But there is an encouraging message: with the right preparation, anyone can master the right push-up. We’ll show you what’s important and offer you a 6-week training plan as a PDF download.

Full body workout with push-ups

Even if you can’t imagine ever being able to do a push-up, you shouldn’t lose sight of this goal. The push-up is an extremely effective exercise using your own body weight that uses all the muscles in the body – provided the technique is correct. It is therefore important to avoid typical mistakes when doing push-ups.

These muscles are particularly stressed:

• Breast (Pectoralis major and minor muscles)
• Shoulder (M. deltoid pars clavicularis)
• poor (M. triceps brachii)
• Belly
• Back
• hull

This is often the crux of the matter that prevents fitness enthusiasts from performing a correct push-up. Therefore, the training plan for beginners focuses on strengthening these muscle groups through targeted preparatory exercises.

After registering for free, you can download the 6-week training plan “Learn Push-ups” for beginners here!

Exercises to prepare for push-ups

• Plank (forearm support): Support your body on your toes and forearms, elbows under your shoulders; raise your hips and build body tension, look down, neck straight; head, shoulders, hips and feet form a straight line. Did you know? How long you can plank
• High plank: Like the plank, only you support yourself on your hands instead of your forearms; variations of the high plank: shoulder taps (alternately tapping the opposite shoulder); turn your feet and lift off.
• Four-legged stance, elbows/knees diagonally together: Stand on all fours, place your hands on the floor under your shoulders, knees under your hips, stretch your left arm straight out in front of you and your right leg back to a horizontal position;
• Leg raises: Lie on your back, arms close to your body, hands next to your hips; raise your legs straight up until you have a 90-degree angle in your hip joint; lower them again in a controlled manner until you are just about to touch the floor; feet do not touch the floor!
• Shoulder press with dumbbell (Alternatively: water bottles): Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart; hold the dumbbells at shoulder height, palms of the hands and elbows facing forward; build up body tension; from this position, push the dumbbells up until they touch above your head, exhaling; lower back down in a controlled manner and inhaling
• Triceps dips (e.g. on the edge of the bed): Turn your back to the edge of the bed and place your hands on the edge; place your feet far enough apart that your legs are stretched and your bottom is close to the edge; in the starting position, your elbows are stretched; bend in a controlled manner and lower your bottom to the floor with your back straight; do not put it down, but push it back up again as you exhale
• Push-ups on the knees: Knees on the floor, hands shoulder-width apart at chest height, elbows extended. Head, back, hips and knees form a straight line. Lower the upper body in a controlled manner, elbows and arms close to the body. Chest touches the floor in the final position. Push upwards as you exhale.
• Push-ups on the wall: Stand about an arm’s length in front of a wall, place your hands on the wall at shoulder height; build up body tension, weight on the balls of your feet/toes; head, shoulders, hips and feet form a line; bend your arms and push your chest as far towards the wall as possible; keep your elbows and arms as close to your body as possible; push back
• Push-ups on the incline bench: Place your hands shoulder-width apart on a higher level than your feet, e.g. on the edge of the bed or railing; from the support position, bend your arms with your elbows straight and lower your chest; body forms a straight line from head to toe, do not “sag”; push back up as you exhale

Please also note the instructions for the correct execution of the beginner variations.

Free PDF: Learn push-ups with the 6-week training plan for beginners

For those who can’t do a single push-up, it may seem like an unattainable challenge. But if you stick to the prescribed training plan, you will make progress and be able to perform extremely clean push-ups.

If you need additional motivation, you can find guidelines here on how many push-ups men and women should be able to do depending on their age group.

Training plan for beginners: Download the PDF for free here

Are you ready? Then download the free training plan from our PDF library! To do this, you must register once with our media login USER.ID.

The training plan extends over a period of six weeks. Three training sessions are planned per week, each lasting 10 to 20 minutes. Rest days are just as important, because alternating between periods of exertion and recovery, as well as a steady increase in exertion, are essential for training success. Before the actual training, a short warm-up should definitely take place to prevent pain and injuries. A short stretch of the chest, arm and shoulder muscles after training can promote regeneration.

Important NOTE: We particularly recommend that beginners and those returning to sport, but also everyone else, have their fitness checked by a doctor before starting the training program. If you experience sudden pain during training or feel ill, you should stop training immediately and seek medical advice.

Anyone who already knows how to do proper push-ups will find training plans for advanced and professional users in the PDF library.

The author is a former competitive athlete and certified fitness trainer.