10 Ways to Make Pushups Feel Easier – And Stronger

Pushups are humbling… to say the least.

You can be someone who regularly strength trains, loves Pilates, reaches your step goal, and cares about your VO2 max. Then someone asks you to do 10 pushups, and suddenly you question everything (speaking from experience here).

Pushups are the unofficial bench press for upper body strength, yet they are also one of the exercises that people struggle with the most. That’s because we tend to treat them as aptitude tests rather than skills that can be practiced, developed, and improved over time.

The truth is that most women have never been taught how to do a pushup. We were told to pretend we were off our knees, take on upper body strength that wasn’t our thing, or accept that pushing would always be difficult.

But pushups are not just an arm exercise. They are full body movements that require strength, stability, coordination, and technique. Once you understand that, they become less intimidating and more accessible.

Before you worry about doing a pushup, make sure you can hold a solid plank.

I know that sounds very simple, but a pushup is a moving plank. If your hips are buckling, your arches are low, or your shoulders are slumping during the plank, those same problems will appear during the pushup.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is treating pushups as an arm exercise. In fact, your whole body should work.

The next time you prepare for a pushup, think about squeezing your glutes, tightening your abs, and creating tension in your legs. Imagine trying to make your body as strong as a plank.

Sometimes matter has no power at all. It is set.

Many people put their hands too wide because it feels easy at first. Unfortunately, this position can make pushups less efficient and often less comfortable on the shoulders.

Instead, try to spread your hands wider than shoulder width apart with your wrists tucked under your shoulders. As you lower yourself, keep your elbows at about a 30- to 45-degree angle from your body rather than flaring straight out to the sides.

This one might be controversial, but hear me out.

For decades, knee push-ups have been the default modification for women. The problem is that knee pushups change the mechanics of the movement. They reduce the number of key engagements and do not fully replicate what happens during a normal push.

A better option is usually the incline pushup. (Or you can use a band for support. Here’s how.)

Place your hands on a bench, countertop, sturdy table, or Smith machine bar and do a full push-up at that height. You get to practice an actual movement pattern while reducing the amount of body weight you lift.

One of the most effective ways to build pushup strength is by focusing on the lowering phase. These are called eccentric pushups.

Start at the top position and slowly lower back down for three to five seconds. Once you land, drop your knees and step back, or simply reset and repeat. This allows you to build strength in the movement you’re trying to improve, even if you can’t do a full pushup.

When people think of pushups, they usually think of chest muscles. What they don’t think about is the background.

Your upper back plays a major role in strengthening your shoulders and helping you maintain good posture during movement. The weakness here can make pushups feel more difficult than they need to be.

If you’re trying to improve your pushups, make sure your training program includes exercises like rows, lat pulldowns, band pull-aparts, and pull-ups.

If you’re always stuck in the middle from the bottom of a pushup, your triceps can be the limiting factor. The triceps are responsible for extending the elbow and helping you complete the movement.

Every pushup requires you to move your body through space. As your overall strength improves, pushups often do too, even if you don’t do pushups regularly.

Exercises such as the dumbbell bench press, chest press, shoulder press, and rows can all help build the strength needed to support the movement. If pushups currently feel impossible, sometimes the answer isn’t pushups; it’s getting stronger overall.

One of the fastest ways to improve any skill is to practice it regularly. Pushups are no different. That doesn’t mean you need to do endless sets until your arms give out. In fact, the opposite is often more effective.

This may be the biggest mistake of all. Many people approach pushups as an experiment. Every exercise becomes an attempt to see how many reps they can squeeze out before collapsing.

While that approach sounds productive, it often leads to sloppy form and slow progress. Instead, leave a few reps in the tank. Focus on accumulating high-quality reps and building confidence in the movement. Over time, those high-quality advocates come together, and that’s when real progress happens.

For many women, pushups are one of the most intimidating things in the gym, not because they’re impossible, but because we’ve been taught to view them as something you can’t or can’t do.

In fact, pushups are not. And like any skill, it can be broken down into smaller pieces, practiced consistently, and developed over time.