Push-up form check: a live coach on your phone
The push-up is the simplest upper-body exercise and the easiest to rep out badly. A good one keeps the body in one straight line, lowers until the elbows are near 90 degrees and presses all the way back to straight arms.
No equipment needed. Practise at home. Just do the rep properly in front of your phone. Bodyweight squats, push-ups and lunges need nothing at all, and you can check the hinge and press patterns with a very light weight or none: the coach judges your movement, not your kit.
What good looks like
- Place your hands under your shoulders and keep your body in a straight line from head to heels.
- Lower under control until your chest is about a fist from the floor and your elbows are near 90 degrees.
- Keep your elbows at about 45 degrees to your body, not flared out to the sides.
- Press all the way up to straight arms, keeping the body line.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
Sagging hips
The lower back arches. Squeeze the glutes and tighten the core.
Half reps
Partial reps limit strength. Lower to near 90 degrees and lock out at the top.
Flared elbows
It stresses the shoulders. Keep the elbows at about 45 degrees.
What Formanti checks on your push-up
The top of every rep, judged the same way.
- Elbows: 145–186°. press all the way to straight arms
- Body line: 155–186°. the body line holds at the top too
Your bottom
The low point of every rep, judged against the guide ranges.
- Elbows: 40–100°. chest to about a fist from the floor, elbows near 90 degrees
- Body line: 155–186°. one straight line from shoulders to ankles
What you hear and see when you are off
Lower until your elbows reach about 90 degrees
The coach says: “Lower all the way”
On screen: Lower until your elbows reach about 90 degrees.
Drill: Tempo push-ups: 3 seconds down, a 1 second pause just above the floor, then press up. Use an incline (hands on a bench) if you can't reach depth yet.
Keep your body in one straight line
The coach says: “Straight body”
On screen: Keep your body in one straight line.
Drill: Hold a plank for 30 seconds, then do push-ups with the same plank body, and stop the set the moment the line breaks.
Press all the way up to straight arms
The coach says: “Press all the way up”
On screen: Press all the way up to straight arms.
Drill: Push-ups with a 1 second pause at the top, arms locked out, shoulders pushed away from the floor.
Drills you can do alone
- Incline push-ups: put your hands on a bench or table to keep the line straight with a lighter load.
- Tempo push-ups: lower for 3 seconds and press for 1, to check the body line.
- Slow negatives: lower for 5 seconds, then reset on your knees and press back up, to build the strength to reach full depth.
How to set up your phone
Put the phone on the floor 2 metres to your side, so your whole body from head to feet is in view. Film from the side: back and hip angles cannot be judged head-on. It all runs on your phone and nothing is uploaded.
New: ranges from standard coaching references, not yet checked against real lifters.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my push-ups are good?
A straight body line, near-90-degree elbows at the bottom and straight arms at the top.
Can a phone count my push-ups?
Yes. Placed on the floor to your side, it counts the reps from the elbow angle and flags half reps and a sagging body line.
More lifts to check
Deadlift · Squat · Lunge · Overhead press · Bent-over row · Romanian deadlift