The Push-Up Mistake That Kills Your Gains and Your Joints

The dreaded push-up hunch is the single most common push-up mistake I see in the gym. It reduces the forces on the muscle while increasing the force on the joints, particularly the wrist and shoulder.
Resources mentioned in this video:
NOSSK Affordable Suspension Trainers: bit.ly/33nlhKq
WORLDFIT Isometric equipment: bit.ly/3mJfbvS
RDP Books on Amazon:
Grind Style Calisthenics: amzn.to/32TQhQh
Grind Style Calisthenics workout program (Month 1): cutt.ly/xzQE1Rh
Micro Workouts: amzn.to/37YrzEi
Overcoming Isometrics: amzn.to/2ZiC5lP
Smart Bodyweight Training: goo.gl/pnJd2b
Fitness Independence: goo.gl/MTUzDZ
Bodyweight Training for Cycling:amzn.to/2QFlAZm
Bodyweight Training for Martial Arts: www.amazon.com/dp/B07RFHS1NB
#reddeltaproject #calisthenics #mobility
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. These links help support the Red Delta Project at no extra cost to you.

[@Greg_Chock]

Mastery is when you begin to understand how much you don't know.

[@wesleyangel777]

One of my favorite quotes, Greg! Thanks for reminding us all!

[@RedDeltaProject]

So well said Greg. The more I learn the more I understand the depth of my own ignorance.

[@smokey9063]

@@RedDeltaProject great video.. I started doing 100 push ups each day as a new year resolution..BUT found after a month my right rotator cuff was so sore it hurt the lateral raise my arm so had to stop.. any advice would be amazing as I'd love to pick it back up again.. also strange as being ex military I'd never had a problem in the past doing them

[@lunarious87]

Thank You Teacher

[@lightworker4512]

You don’t know what you don’t know.

[@TheDwightMamba]

Once your head looks way too small for your body, you have mastered push-ups.

[@user-zg4bk6rv1q]

Depends on which head are we taking about 😏

[@Ty-J_250]

😂😂

[@Meloysky82]

Hahaha

[@reginaldshivmangal2416]

@@user-zg4bk6rv1q lol underrated

[@thevaliant6791]

🤣🤣

[@StevenTheAristolianNerd]

To sum up the video - When in the down position the scapula must be retracted not forward - Be careful with your wrists - Align your back - Using some form of band that puts pressure on your form makes you correct your form

[@Johnywang1]

thank you so much. watched 2 mins of it and 2 sentences of value were said.

[@spuddsalli8559]

What's a scapula

[@StevenTheAristolianNerd]

@@spuddsalli8559 Shoulder blades, the part of your back shaped like wings.

[@spuddsalli8559]

@@StevenTheAristolianNerd sank u buddy

[@javad834]

Thank you

[@JohnDoe-qq8et]

Don't forget to try and pull the ground together like you're trying to slide your hands together so you really hone in on the chest.

[@wesleyangel777]

That's a great tip! It definitely drops the rep count but lifts the intensity and quality of each one.

[@RedDeltaProject]

For sure, this is especially important for learning progressive unilateral techniques as well ,like archer push-ups. It's super hard to do those without that adduction.

[@MyCommentsRMaturelol]

Shit I always forget that, well played.

[@MyCommentsRMaturelol]

I just tried putting my shoulders back like a bench press and suddenly I couldnt do shit lol

[@LastBastian]

But if I "try" to pull my hands together, ...I *will* pull my hands together.

[@jeremiaha5167]

I was doing thousands and thousands of push ups from my teens through my 20's. I was obliterating my shoulders without knowing it. Hopefully this video helps a lot of people.

[@19grand]

Yeah same here.

[@piccolo5346]

Damn I recently started doing them and this is useful info

[@jacobsvetich8735]

How are your shoulders now?

[@19grand]

@@jacobsvetich8735 most pushing movements are out. Some rotary cuff exercises help. Arm bar with a kettlebell for a few minutes is helpful too.

[@jeremiaha5167]

@@jacobsvetich8735 - Much better. It took adressing the diet, some body work and other practices.

[@jesiahwahl6089]

i love this guys vibe. straight forward, highly technical, somewhat warm cadence in his voice. very easy to follow and understand

[@RedDeltaProject]

Thanks Jesiah!

[@yussepig6629]

Yeah he’s huggable

[@Pudknuckle]

He reminds me of Alton Brown

[@timfanning9299]

He must be Canadian

[@Qwerty8790]

I think he would be a great leader in combat.

[@jpturner171]

Thanks for the advice Jeremy! I’m a 65 year old retired Marine and do 40 pushups/day. After watching you I realized I HAVE BEEN DOING THEM WRONG all these years! 😤 Thanks for the education! Semper Fi 👍🏽🇺🇸

[@ShArK33E]

I really do love this mans humble and down to earth attitude. I wish you the all the best

[@RedDeltaProject]

Much thanks ShArk33E, I would love to have a big inflated ego, but I was never that good at anything to acquire one.

[@mocachoco4752]

Well, can’t really do push ups without getting down to the ground now can’t we?

[@danluiz2857]

Down to earth.... Good one😂👍🏾

[@HoneyPastry]

Same. A lot of others I've watched seem like they have very little patience or superficial (or maybe it's just me idk)? He made it so easy to understand, and he's easy to listen to. Great teacher.

[@HoneyPastry]

Honey the fact that you can talk so calmly while doing push-ups while teaching made me subscribe lol. Nah but honestly, this is what I needed thank you 👍👍👍

[@dard4642]

For years, I could never get my strength to translate into good sets of push-ups. I learned how to do them correctly by accident in a yoga class that I didn't even want to attend (girl..). I suspect that I was physically stronger than everyone in that class (considerably even) but all of their push-ups look so much better than mine. I copied their technique (what you're teaching) and instantly doubled the amount of push-ups I could do AND without pain.

[@RedDeltaProject]

Best push-up story right here. Thanks very much for sharing. you never know when that next game-changing lesson will come along and in the most unlikely of places.

[@dard4642]

@jai yen yen literally. Both of my shoulders are damaged and the way I used to hold my elbows out during pushups caused a painful rotation in my shoulder socket. Strength or stamina was not what was limiting me before, pain was.

[@kennyjean1992]

Same! Ever since I started yoga, my push up form and understanding of the push up has definitely upgraded and helped my rep count. I should’ve started yoga sooner haha

[@laurenbennett7674]

I appreciate this comment albeit for the several backhanded complements to yogis...

[@dard4642]

@@laurenbennett7674 there weren't any backhanded comments. I just wasn't interested in yoga in the same way you might not be interested in powerlifting. A girl I was very interested in wanted me to go. I went (and it worked 😘).

[@DoubleJabSlipRightHand]

Use to watch your videos 5+ years ago. Glad to see you're still at it.

[@Brandon-os3qr]

I really admire the combo of the calm/measured instruction from someone who seems really high energy. Goals.

[@kenoath5717]

A great video Matt! I am slowly starting to realise that there is always scope to improve the 'simple' exercises.

[@godfreecanadian4185]

Thanks, you are the first one to talk about the shoulder placement. Made a big difference 😃

[@athinafasili4385]

I am extremely grateful for this video! I had started doing pushups but I suffered from extreme shoulder pain. Thanks to you I can continue my fitness journey! Cheers from Greece

[@lilcrisjan]

Im really glad you're blowing up now. You deserve this! Thank you for helping me get through my injuries and in solidifying my form. You are one the reasons why im still working out.

[@RedDeltaProject]

Thanks Vince! Really happy to hear you're making progress as well!

[@infiniteaaron]

Earned my subscription! Thank you. I hadn't ever thought of how stressful it is to have the wrists doing a lot of the work due to an incorrect pushup.

[@mick-tl5ui]

some things in life are so simple when pointed out, never stop learning.

[@93ksj]

Solid advice can’t believe I just found this channel, I love push-ups every single day 👌🏼

[@zionsandeep788]

If you've seen Impractical Jokers, my man looks like Murr on steroids!

[@teddybruckshut3533]

He does

[@rudi_xie6139]

Ikr I was thinking this the whole time

[@thebrownbaldy]

😅😅😅😅

[@desmondharvey1176]

Facts😂😂

[@detroitboy52289]

I'm glad you made a video with no bs. Factual and concise. Thank you.

[@danielrueda7498]

You never stop learning. Great video Matt!

[@Gojiradogzillagodzilla]

A quick yet very informative video. I was getting shoulder pain every now and then, but now that i fixed my form, a simple set of 10 push ups already makes my chest feel A LOT more worked than my older 3x10, you're A BEAST!

[@Odinfang]

Thank you for the insight. Proper push-ups have been a pain for me but the motions I’ve seen here look helpful.

[@allanpedro2483]

4 years doing wrong push ups and not being able to do 10 +, not forgetting the pain on my neck and shoulders, ty for this video!

[@RedDeltaProject]

You're welcome and thanks for watching, hope this helps with that pain in the neck.

[@MarlonKingShow]

some nice subtle tips there, thanks. trying to sort my wrists out so I can continue to do push-ups. got to 62 in a row at one point. Will look forward to checking my position is correct.

[@sovereignboss1841]

On point. No time wasted like other youtubers.

[@curiousgee5513]

I love how you explain this concept. Thank you I needed to hear and see this example. Love you Matt!!

[@FlatlandMando]

Worst part is when we take our private moments to knock off a few pushups...we can't see our alignment & can't critique our own alignment

[@bluedreamdevil8242]

Get a big mirror ?

[@stevanivanovski8898]

Film yourself from a few angles until you find the proper technique, then try sticking to it

[@fighttofitness8343]

Always more to learn... Great advice. Thank you

[@peterrobertson1250]

Nice and Clear, instead of over-complicated like some make it sound. Thank you.

[@Sam-hw4kj]

This is a VERY good tip that works. I remember checking KZbin long ago due to elbow pain and a tip of yours also fixed it. You're concise, to the point, no bullshit, no marketing. You're one of the little few I've subscribed to, amongst Athlean and Jeremy Ethier. You're wise.

[@RedDeltaProject]

Super appreciate that Adrian! Very glad I can help you along your journey and sincerely hope to continue doing so for years to come.

[@EL-ERIC]

Good information brotha🤜🏻🤛🏽

[@qqqmyes4509]

Great stuff, good production too

[@the54block]

I understand. You have shown the slight difference. Once you started talking about the back pinch I was like ohhhh

[@somdobydyslexic4735]

Great vid! I took a bit of a break working out and upon getting back into the swing of things and doing push ups I found I wasn’t hitting my chest the same and began getting a lot of wrist pain. Ofc this was the problem Thanks a lot! Glad this popped up on my recommended.

[@mjolninja9358]

Thank you so much, you saved me from getting a possible injury in the future!

[@EeEe00Ee]

Great delivery...and content. THANKS!!

[@thenebraskan6977]

Great video! Thanks for the information.

[@IAmTheAidan]

Love the editing

[@malcolmtheyeti2871]

This is incredibly thoughtful and very helpful. Your rather peculiar in an authentic way.

[@RedDeltaProject]

I tried not being peculiar once. Worst 10 minutes ever!

[@lollipopgoon7361]

Thx so much for this I’ve always loved pushups and I feel it’s a very underrated excersise especially when people don’t realize how hard it gets when you do 50-100+ reps or weighted pushups the burn is real!!!

[@josephmartinez8166]

Thank you for this video. I have been doing my push ups the wrong way and will start doing them correctly to prevent injury!

[@0wninguplz]

underrated video, this technique and realignment I just recently discovered when I looked at myself in the mirror sideways. Now I know why my shoulders are so weak and underdeveloped. I always protracted so I could stress my chest, now there is no more stretch reflex and I can do way fewer push ups. Better gains though.

[@mikemarkus7339]

great video very informative and clear, thanks i have been having shoulder issues for a while whilst training. Thanks alot! looking at your other videos now

[@omejiam.2301]

BRO, YOU ARE RIGHT ON TIME FOR ME, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH! 👏🏾🔥👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🔥👏🏾

[@bruced648]

thanks for the clear explanation for the proper body position.

[@francescodelisi4553]

You just revolutioned my workout

[@enzoarmaniable]

you don't know how much i needed this !

[@RedDeltaProject]

Happy to help! happy pushing!

[@dtrainw]

Great information. Now it's just remembering the advice

[@jdblake22]

Great video, man. Excellent audio, lighting and content!

[@RedDeltaProject]

Much appreciated! And thanks for the props, I'm doing a lot these days to improve the quality of my vids and it's really hot or miss sometimes. big thanks

[@geoffreynelson6413]

Thank you, Matt. I always appreciate your content.

[@RedDeltaProject]

And I appreciate the support Geoffrey, thanks for the comment too.

[@KD-mz5xv]

best push up video i seen. im guilty of this. thank you thank you thank you

[@tubuler69]

Love the video...AND you get the added bonus of John Malkovich's narration! :)

[@derrickrose4232]

This pops up as I’m feeling shoulder pain from I think push-ups, my spirit guides are helping me

[@Predator23321]

Or the Google gods are reading your mind lmao

[@tasso1443]

Or demons

[@jordiecomm4423]

Same man, altough I been watching some videos related to the push-ups topics in spanish so I guess it's normal :D

[@Papagiorgio153]

Dude wtf, i was just thinking that before I saw this comment.

[@djzrobzombie2813]

I also googled shoulder pain ... I got it from my workout too

[@jameshansen801]

Another awesome video...as usual ;) Love the shirt btw!

[@KeithBlade]

Thanks, love the details you explained.

[@trainyourselffit6829]

Hi Matt. Definitely agree that push-ups need a LOT of exploration. Like every workout. For a time I actually started doing them by lying belly down on the floor and going through a kind of checklist of shoulders back, down, hands screwing outwards etc. before even starting them. It makes such a difference. But then you have to hold this throughout, and think about tensing the chest and on and on. Push-ups are definitely overlooked as an exercise since few of us do them truly right. Nice video that I'm sure will save many shoulders.

[@youngfella6052]

Great job bro appreciate your videos

[@01sevensix]

What a great channel!

[@eespinosa64]

Great video. Thanks for sharing. Can you recommend resources for helping to scale push-ups? I want my son to work towards executing great, safe push-ups. They have always been easy for me. I never had to struggle.

[@jakariwright1170]

Great vid bro

[@ericcox4448]

Great info. Thanks

[@delarin9276]

Nice vid. Just made me subscribed to the channel, and to be honest, I was expecting some common tips (from other videos I watched before) but dang, it's noice.

[@godfreydrawsart]

I appreciate this video, I'm just shaking the rust off of exercising after getting 2020'd, and definitely needed the push up tips.

[@wellardme]

You are a genius! You are an amazing teacher! All so true. I've been exercising for years and did my shoulder joints in. All because i was hunched literally doing every exercise. My new trainer pointed that out. Now I'm doing far less weight, proper technique and my gains are surprisingly 10-fold.

[@RedDeltaProject]

Wonderful to hear! Keep on that gain train!

[@ballsofzeus2035]

I'm glad I found your channel, new sub!!

[@RMate-bu7se]

You look like Murray from Impractical Jokers had a really sick transformation! Nice video man! :)

[@jackeylovalux1887]

nice thanks ill try these techniques to try to get the best push up

[@jonathanjefferies3594]

Amazing as always thank you very much for this crucial top tip I will certainly reevaluate my press ups from now on thank you very much

[@darianglendenning1252]

For years I always got a pain in my rotor cuff when doing pushups and could never find the solution online. Even had coaches and whatnot check out my form, they said it was good. But it always felt like i was just working my rotor cuff and nothing else. What fixed it was me doing pushups in front of a mirror, and breaking down every little thing until the form was absolutely perfect. I had to start again at single reps , then work my way up. Took a while but now my pushups are pain free

[@trashatgaming2969]

Actually really helpful vid. Recently started bodyweight workouts. Very hard to learn all of this even besides the actual working out part. These kinda videos really help

[@RedDeltaProject]

happy to help Trash, and welcome to the world of calisthencis training.

[@mikhailk86]

This is so good ..my shoulders are rotated forward I feel and I get zero pec activation when I do pushups or even bench press, etc ... I think I'm gonna try these methods.

[@Innawoods7614]

My first vid from you. Excellence. Subscribed

[@beginnercalisthenics]

Great, great tip

[@TruthBeTold.]

Amazing tip, thank you!

[@RedDeltaProject]

Glad it was helpful!

[@JayBenedictBrown]

This one tip has made a huge difference in my form and ability. Thank you very much.

[@RedDeltaProject]

You're very welcome!

[@janetpasciak6419]

This has made all the difference for me!! Thank you 😊

[@RedDeltaProject]

You're so welcome!

[@WindGodMoves]

Bruh you that alignment straighten up thing is perfect. It makes each push up feel good I feel my chest contracting opening and closing and it feels good I feel each push up is stretching and breaking down each muscle fiber you dig

[@RedDeltaProject]

Hell yea! The better you do an exercise, the better it should feel.

[@zaq9187]

Thank you so much. This is really helpful.

[@RedDeltaProject]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kennethbedwell4183]

Fantastic information

[@eastongee8039]

Great video! I actually have that shoulder problem on my right side. 😓

[@Dtsun16]

Super helpful thank you!

[@kerrywoolley9633]

A wise man knows how little he knows .

[@SamuelRodrigues-jy2qs]

This channel is so good. Thanks for the amazing information.

[@RedDeltaProject]

You're more than welcome, and thanks for watching!

[@FredrickGichuhihawaii]

Just what I need or rather been looking for

[@judyreyjumamoy]

ai is getting unbelievably smart (or invasive of our privacy) that it knows I have a problem with my shoulder when doing push-ups and chest presses and flies that I don't care about but get a video recommendation about it

[@ak4939]

Thank you very much. Excellent tips !

[@RedDeltaProject]

Glad it was helpful, and thank you for watching!

[@alejandrofernandez4529]

great video

[@23chicco]

great advisor

[@xCorvus7x]

Daaamn, it's insane how this has blown up. You seem to have struck a real nerve with the viewers of fitness KZbin.

[@faithful360]

Good video, thanks for the walk through!

[@RedDeltaProject]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kevin71x]

This video is underrated. I always wondered if it matters if my shoulders are shrugged or not, in the past. But there's really no video talking about this, except this one here.

[@RedDeltaProject]

Glad I could help!

[@nigelpendrick5281]

Awesome, awesome, video, thank you.

[@alexandercrush]

Wow this actually really helped.

[@Tonino_O]

Wow such a great video.. thank you very much sir

[@sethheaddress2651]

Man I needed this video to get me back on workout and being a healthy person, 2020 made me a lazy person and I would do push-ups with all the bad forms you showcased and it pushed me away from doing them. Thanks a lot!

[@RedDeltaProject]

happy to help and welcome back to the grind Seth!

[@PETERSIEKLIK]

Great simple explanation!Very educative,love that shirt ,link?Thank you

[@RedDeltaProject]

More than welcome Peter and thanks for watching

[@budekins542]

Very good advice.

[@shopnwoods9901]

Great video I wish they would teach this stuff to the elementary age kids in gym class to get them started off right at the beginning

[@MyCommentsRMaturelol]

THIS. until a couple years ago I was running without ankle dorsiflexion. Because they said to run on my toes but never taught me. Sigh.

[@b4nkai]

My p.e teacher just shamed the kids who couldn't do a push up off the bat. It made me not want to try at all and now I'm here, senior in high-school and trying to start from the beginning

[@MyCommentsRMaturelol]

@@b4nkai you got this. GO BEYOND

[@Supermoneygang12]

lmao they probably did and you just weren’t paying attention

[@adriankingdon3055]

Thanks. As an old boy who likes to do push-ups ups from time to time, this video was helpful. I’ve found that my wrists are in a lot of pain to the degree that I have to do push-ups on clenched fists rather than open palms. I shall try this method,.