• Sagging Hips/Arched Lower Back: Your hips drop towards the floor, or your lower back excessively arches, creating a 'U' shape with your body. This disengages the core and puts strain on the lumbar spine. Fix: Engage your glutes and abs tightly, as if bracing for a punch, to keep your body in a straight line from head to heels.
• Flared Elbows: Your elbows point straight out to the sides, forming a 'T' shape with your body. This puts unnecessary stress on the shoulder joints and reduces chest engagement. Fix: Tuck your elbows back at about a 45-degree angle to your body.
• Partial Reps: Only lowering halfway or a quarter of the way down. This limits the range of motion and the effectiveness of the exercise. Fix: Aim to bring your chest within an inch or two of the floor, or as low as your current strength allows with good form.
• Craning Neck: Looking too far forward or letting your head drop. This can strain your neck. Fix: Keep your neck in line with your spine, looking slightly ahead of your hands to maintain a neutral position.

• Straight Line: Your body should form a straight line from your head to your heels throughout the entire movement. There should be no sagging hips or elevated glutes.
• Core Engaged: You should feel your abs and glutes working to stabilize your body and maintain the plank position.
• Elbow Angle: Your elbows should tuck back at roughly a 45-degree angle to your torso, not flaring out wide.
• Full Range of Motion: Your chest should come close to the floor at the bottom, and your arms should fully extend (without locking elbows) at the top.
• Controlled Movement: Each rep should be controlled, both on the way down and up, without jerking or using momentum.

• Shoulder Impingement/Pain: Flaring elbows out too wide places excessive stress on the rotator cuff and shoulder joint, increasing the risk of impingement or tendinitis.
• Lower Back Pain: Sagging hips or an excessively arched lower back puts undue strain on the lumbar spine, which can lead to discomfort or injury.
• Wrist Strain: Incorrect hand placement (e.g., hands too far forward or back) or too much weight shifting onto the wrists can lead to discomfort or strain in the wrist joint.
• Neck Strain: Dropping your head or craning your neck can cause discomfort and tension in the cervical spine.

Absolutely. For push-ups, 'reducing weight' means modifying the exercise to make it easier, such as performing them on your knees, with hands elevated on a bench or wall, or using a resistance band assist. It's always better to perform fewer repetitions with perfect form than many repetitions with poor form. Prioritizing form ensures you target the correct muscles, build foundational strength, and prevent injury. As your strength improves, you can gradually progress to standard push-ups and then more challenging variations.

• Practice Plank Holds: A push-up is essentially a dynamic plank. Master a solid plank (holding a straight body line) to build the necessary core stability.
• Elevated Push-ups: Start with your hands on an elevated surface (like a sturdy table, chair, or wall). The higher the elevation, the easier the push-up. Gradually lower the surface as you get stronger.
• Knee Push-ups: If standard push-ups are too difficult, perform them on your knees, ensuring your body still forms a straight line from your head to your knees.
• Negative Push-ups: Start in the top plank position, slowly lower yourself to the floor with good form (this is the eccentric phase), then reset at the top. Focus purely on the controlled lowering.
• Video Yourself: Record your push-ups from the side to identify any form breakdowns. This provides invaluable visual feedback for self-correction.