Decline push-up

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A push-up with the feet raised, loading the upper chest and shoulders harder.

What it is

A push-up with the feet on a bench or box, which shifts more bodyweight over the hands and tilts the emphasis toward the upper chest and front deltoids.

Muscles worked

Primary: Chest (pectorals), Front deltoids. Secondary: Triceps, Core.

How to perform it

  1. Place the feet on a bench and the hands on the floor slightly wider than the shoulders.
  2. Set the body in one line, ribs down, glutes tight.
  3. Lower the chest toward the floor with the elbows at about forty-five degrees.
  4. Press back up without letting the hips pike or sag.

Common form faults

  • Hips piking up, shortening the range. Squeeze the glutes and think of pushing the floor away with a flat body.
  • Feet so high that it becomes a shoulder press with poor position. Knee height is plenty for most. Higher is a different exercise, not a better one.

Programming

8 to 15 reps. A simple way to keep progressing when floor push-ups have become easy and no weights are available.

Plan your training

Variations & substitutions

Frequently asked questions

How much harder is it than a normal push-up?
Feet on a knee-high bench adds roughly a tenth of your bodyweight to the hands, and it grows as the feet go higher.
Does it hit the upper chest?
It biases the upper chest and front deltoids, in the way an incline bench press does with a barbell.