# Push up shoulder position **URL:** \ **Category:** Training Q&A\ **Created:** [February 1, 2025, 8:18am UTC](https://forum.freeletics.com/t/push-up-shoulder-position/20242 "2025-02-01T08:18:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![palroysoumyajit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@palroysoumyajit](https://forum.freeletics.com/u/palroysoumyajit)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 8:18am UTC](https://forum.freeletics.com/t/push-up-shoulder-position/20242/1 "2025-02-01T08:18:01Z")
I am a skinny guy so i started calisthenics to gain muscle.i wanted to ask why during knee pushup my shoulder tends to go near 90 degree(some people said it is dangerous for shoulder).does not matter how much I try to keep my shoulder closer to body but it does not work.am i doing something wrong? ---
**Author:** ![melaLetics](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex013/user_avatar/forum.freeletics.com/melaletics/32/1821_2.png) [@melaLetics](https://forum.freeletics.com/u/melaLetics)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 11:36am UTC](https://forum.freeletics.com/t/push-up-shoulder-position/20242/2 "2025-02-01T11:36:32Z")
Hi @palroysoumyajit Where do your elbows point at doing pushups? ---
**Author:** ![palroysoumyajit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@palroysoumyajit](https://forum.freeletics.com/u/palroysoumyajit)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 1:50pm UTC](https://forum.freeletics.com/t/push-up-shoulder-position/20242/3 "2025-02-01T13:50:41Z")
Elbows point to the side more like nearly perpendicular with body during pushing down in pushup ---
**Author:** ![melaLetics](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex013/user_avatar/forum.freeletics.com/melaletics/32/1821_2.png) [@melaLetics](https://forum.freeletics.com/u/melaLetics)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://forum.freeletics.com/t/push-up-shoulder-position/20242/4 "2025-02-01T15:43:06Z")
Try the position with elbow pointing towards your back, your hands exactly under your shoulder. There is less pressure on the shoulder and the triceps do most of the work. Then it’s no healthy problem when doing pushups with chest to ground and hands released (the Freeletics range of motion standard). I hold my arms so close to my body that when I do a Venus I have rubbed my arms and the side of my chest together until they were raw. 🙈 ---
**Author:** ![palroysoumyajit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@palroysoumyajit](https://forum.freeletics.com/u/palroysoumyajit)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 4:44pm UTC](https://forum.freeletics.com/t/push-up-shoulder-position/20242/5 "2025-02-01T16:44:51Z")
Yes I always try to do that but when I am pushing down then my elbow tends to move side to hold the upper body weight.its not exactly 90 degree but close to it I don’t know why? ---
**Author:** ![Yanne](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex013/user_avatar/forum.freeletics.com/yanne/32/3703_2.png) [@Yanne](https://forum.freeletics.com/u/Yanne)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 5:06pm UTC](https://forum.freeletics.com/t/push-up-shoulder-position/20242/6 "2025-02-01T17:06:26Z")
Excuse the questions, but where are your fingers pointing towards? In front of you (parallel to the body), or with an angle? ---
**Author:** ![palroysoumyajit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@palroysoumyajit](https://forum.freeletics.com/u/palroysoumyajit)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 5:48pm UTC](https://forum.freeletics.com/t/push-up-shoulder-position/20242/7 "2025-02-01T17:48:53Z")
Infront of me ---
**Author:** ![Yanne](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex013/user_avatar/forum.freeletics.com/yanne/32/3703_2.png) [@Yanne](https://forum.freeletics.com/u/Yanne)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 6:36pm UTC](https://forum.freeletics.com/t/push-up-shoulder-position/20242/8 "2025-02-01T18:36:14Z")
OK, @melaLetics knows certainly better in this regard and will correct me, but what you could try is to first lie flat on the ground, on your belly, face, legs fully extended etc. Put your hands flat under your shoulders, your elbows tucked on the sides of your body. Shoulders, hands (fingers) and elbows must be in line. Then you push from there. During the whole movement, your elbows should not leave the sides of your body, either pushing up or lowering down. If they are moving when lowering _only_, then it may indicate compensation for muscle weakness. Then I would be very cautious: for the elbows to leave the body (if I’m not wrong with the problem you describe), your arms need to rotate internally and it may cause a severe injury of the shoulders. It would be better to work out the shoulder muscles without the constraint of your body weight before performing pushups.