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By the end of this guide, you will know the correct sequence for performing adult CPR based on current American Heart Association guidelines, so you can act with confidence in an emergency. You do not need any equipment to start, though having access to an AED greatly improves survival odds. Hands-on practice in a certified course is still the best way to build real muscle memory, but knowing the steps cold is what lets you move without hesitation when someone’s life is on the line.
Step 1: Check the Scene and the Person’s Responsiveness
Before you touch anyone, take three seconds to scan your surroundings. Look for traffic if you are on a road, flames or smoke if you are indoors, downed power lines, unstable structures, or anything that could hurt you the moment you kneel down. A rescuer who gets injured stops being a rescuer, so this quick hazard check is not optional, even when adrenaline is pushing you to move fast.
Once the scene is safe, approach the person and check for responsiveness. Tap both shoulders firmly and shout, “Are you okay?” Use a loud, clear voice, since a mumbled question will not cut through someone’s confusion if they are semi-conscious or through your own nerves in the moment. If there is no response, no movement, and no sound, treat this as an emergency requiring immediate action.
Next, check breathing. Look at the chest and abdomen for rise and fall for no more than 10 seconds. This is a firm limit, not a suggestion. Ten seconds feels long when you are counting under stress, but going much beyond it delays the next steps unnecessarily.
Pay close attention to what you are actually seeing. Gasping, snorting, or irregular gulping sounds are not normal breathing. This pattern, known as agonal breathing, is common in the first minutes of cardiac arrest and is often mistaken for a sign that the person is fine. It is not. If you see gasping instead of steady, even breaths, treat the person as if they are not breathing at all and move immediately to the next step.
Step 2: Call 911 and Get an AED
If you are with other people, do not shout a generic request into the crowd. A vague “someone call 911” often goes unanswered because everyone assumes someone else will handle it, a well-documented phenomenon known as the bystander effect. Instead, point directly at one specific person and give a direct instruction: “You, in the blue shirt, call 911 now and tell me when you’re connected.” Assigning the task to one individual removes the ambiguity that causes people to freeze.
While that person is calling, send a second bystander to locate an AED. As of 2026, automated external defibrillators are commonly found in workplaces, gyms, schools, airports, and many public buildings, though availability still varies by location and building type, so do not assume one is nearby without checking. If you know your own workplace layout, this is a good moment to recall where your AED is mounted, which is exactly the kind of preparation covered in workplace AED management programs.
If you are alone with the person and have a phone, call 911 yourself and put it on speaker mode. This lets you talk to the dispatcher while starting compressions rather than choosing between the two. Dispatchers are trained to walk callers through CPR step by step, so staying on the line is genuinely useful, not just a formality. Set the phone down near the person’s head, confirm the dispatcher can hear you, and begin compressions immediately rather than waiting for further instructions if you already know the sequence.
Step 3: Position the Person and Yourself Correctly
Effective compressions depend on a stable surface. Lay the person flat on their back on the floor or ground, never on a couch, mattress, or other surface that will absorb the force of your compressions instead of transferring it to the chest. If the person is on a bed, and moving them is safe and quick, get them onto the floor first.
Kneel beside the person’s chest, positioned so you have room to lean directly over them. Place the heel of one hand on the lower half of the sternum, roughly in the center of the chest between the nipples. This is not a spot you need to measure precisely, but it should be on the bony center of the chest, not off to one side over the ribs.
Place your other hand on top of the first and interlock your fingers, keeping them lifted off the chest so the pressure stays concentrated through the heel of your hand. Straighten your arms and lock your elbows. Position your shoulders directly over your hands so that when you push, the force comes from your upper body weight, not just your arm strength. This posture matters because compressions performed with bent arms tire you out fast and lose depth within the first minute, exactly when consistency matters most.
Step 4: Perform Chest Compressions
With your position set, begin pushing straight down into the chest. Current AHA guidelines call for a compression depth of at least 2 inches and a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute. That pace is faster than most people expect, roughly the tempo of the song “Stayin’ Alive,” which is often used in training because it happens to land in that exact range.
Depth matters as much as speed. A compression that is too shallow does not generate enough pressure to circulate blood to the brain and heart, even if you are technically pushing at the right rate. Push with enough force to compress the chest fully each time, using your body weight rather than just your arms.
Just as important is what happens between compressions: full chest recoil. After each push, let the chest rise back to its natural position before pushing again. This recoil is what allows the heart’s chambers to refill with blood, setting up the next compression to actually move that blood forward. If you lean on the chest or fail to release pressure completely between pushes, you are cutting the heart’s refill time short, which reduces the effectiveness of every subsequent compression even if your depth and rate look correct.
Two mistakes account for most of the ineffective CPR performed by well-meaning bystanders. The first is compressing too shallow, often out of fear of hurting the person, cracking a rib is a known and acceptable risk compared to the alternative. The second is resting body weight on the chest between compressions instead of allowing full recoil, which quietly undermines blood flow even when the rhythm sounds right. If you are performing compressions alone for more than a minute or two, expect fatigue to set in, your depth will likely decrease without you noticing, which is one more reason to call for a second rescuer to rotate in if anyone else is present.
Step 5: Give Rescue Breaths (If Trained and Willing)
After 30 compressions, if you are trained in rescue breathing and willing to perform it, tilt the person’s head back slightly and lift their chin to open the airway. Pinch the nose shut, seal your mouth over theirs, and give two breaths, each lasting about one second, with just enough air to make the chest visibly rise.
Watch the chest with each breath. If it rises, you have a good seal and the airway is open. If it does not rise, reposition the head, adjusting the tilt and chin lift, and try again before returning to compressions. Do not spend more than a few seconds troubleshooting airway position; getting back to compressions quickly matters more than achieving a perfect breath every time.
A common error here is over-tilting or under-tilting the head, either of which can block the airway rather than open it. The correct position lifts the chin and extends the neck just enough to straighten the airway, not so far that it strains the neck unnaturally.
If you are untrained, uncomfortable performing mouth-to-mouth breaths, or unsure about proper technique, hands-only CPR is a fully acceptable alternative endorsed by the AHA for bystanders in this situation. This means continuous chest compressions without pauses for breaths, delivered at the same rate and depth described in Step 4. Hands-only CPR keeps blood moving to vital organs and is far better than hesitating or doing nothing while you debate whether you remember the breathing steps correctly. If you choose this path, simply continue compressions without stopping until an AED arrives or emergency responders take over.
Step 6: Use an AED as Soon as It Arrives
The moment an AED reaches you, turn it on. Most units begin speaking prompts immediately, and those voice instructions are designed to walk even a first-time user through the entire process, so trust them over your own uncertainty.
Follow these steps as the device guides you:
- Expose the person’s bare chest and wipe away sweat or moisture, since pads need dry, bare skin to read the heart’s rhythm accurately.
- Peel the backing off each pad and place them exactly where the diagrams on the pads show, typically one below the right collarbone and one on the lower left side of the ribs.
- Once pads are attached, step back and make sure no one is touching the person while the device analyzes the heart rhythm.
- If a shock is advised, confirm again that everyone is clear before pressing the shock button or allowing the device to deliver it automatically.
- Resume chest compressions immediately after the shock is delivered, or immediately if the AED advises that no shock is needed.
Do not remove the pads or turn off the device once it is attached. Many AEDs will continue to prompt you through repeated analysis cycles every two minutes, and you should follow each prompt as it comes rather than assuming one shock or one “no shock advised” reading means you are finished. Compressions and AED use work together, not as a choice between one or the other.
Step 7: Continue Cycles Until Help Arrives or the Person Responds
CPR is not a one-time action but a sustained cycle. Continue alternating 30 compressions with 2 rescue breaths, or continuous hands-only compressions, until one of three things happens: the person starts breathing normally on their own, EMS personnel arrive and take over, or the scene becomes unsafe and you need to stop for your own protection.
If other trained bystanders are present, swap the person performing compressions every two minutes. Compression quality drops noticeably after about two minutes of continuous effort, even for people who are physically fit, so rotating rescuers keeps depth and rate consistent rather than letting fatigue quietly erode the compressions. Make the swap quick, aim for less than five seconds of interruption, since every pause reduces blood flow to the brain and heart.
If you can, note the time CPR began, either by checking a clock, your phone, or asking a bystander to track it. Paramedics and EMTs will ask for this information when they arrive, and it helps them make decisions about ongoing treatment. It is a small detail, but one that is easy to forget in the middle of an emergency and genuinely useful to the professionals taking over.
Stay with the person and keep working the cycle even if it feels like a long time has passed. A few minutes of sustained, correct CPR can make the difference in outcomes, and stopping early because you assume help is close, or because you are tired, is one of the most common and costly mistakes bystanders make.
Building Confidence Beyond This Guide
Reading through these steps is a solid start, but real confidence comes from repetition on a manikin, feedback on your compression depth and rate, and practice making quick decisions under simulated pressure. Review this sequence regularly so it stays fresh, and consider enrolling in a hands-on CPR and AED certification course, like those offered through Respond and Rescue, where you can practice the full sequence with an instructor correcting your technique in real time.
When a real emergency hits, there’s no pause button and no second chances. Get hands-on CPR, First Aid, and AED training that prepares you to act fast and with confidence when it matters most. Find a local class or schedule your on-site training now and leave certified, prepared, and ready to save a life.
