The push-up remains the most fundamental pushing exercise in bodyweight training—a full-body movement that develops chest, shoulder, and tricep strength while teaching core stability and body alignment. Despite its simplicity, the push-up offers endless variations and progressions, making it valuable from beginner to elite levels. Proper push-up mechanics translate directly to success in advanced skills like handstands and planche work.

Beyond Movement emphasizes perfect form over repetition count, recognizing that quality push-ups build the movement patterns essential for progression. The journey from knee push-ups to advanced variations like archer or one-arm push-ups provides clear milestones while developing comprehensive pushing strength. The skill's accessibility allows immediate practice while its progressions challenge even advanced practitioners.

Push-up training develops more than just upper body strength—the plank position maintained throughout builds core stability, while the closed-chain nature of the exercise creates functional strength patterns. For beginners, push-ups offer an achievable entry point to strength training, while advanced practitioners use variations to address specific weaknesses and build toward skills like planche push-ups.