Push-Ups With Feet Elevated

Also called decline push-up, feet elevated push-up and decline pushup.

Works

Chest, plus shoulders and triceps

Equipment

Bodyweight

Level

Beginner

Type

Compound

How to do it

Setup. Lie on the floor face down and place your hands about 36 inches apart from each other holding your torso up at arms length.

1. Place your toes on top of a flat bench. This will allow your body to be elevated. Note: The higher the elevation of the flat bench, the higher the resistance of the exercise is.
2. Lower yourself until your chest almost touches the floor as you inhale.
3. Using your pectoral muscles, press your upper body back up to the starting position and squeeze your chest. Breathe out as you perform this step.
4. After a second pause at the contracted position, repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.

Cues

• Toes on a bench, hands down.
• Body in one straight line.
• Lower until the chest nearly touches.
• Higher bench, harder rep.

Common mistakes

• Hips piking up.
• Neck reaching for the floor.

Where to start

A starting point, not a law. Pick a weight you could lift two or three more times than the top of the range. Tempo is seconds down, pause, up. When every set hits the top of the range, add a little weight.

Go easy, or pick an alternative, if you have a sore shoulder. Pain that's sharp or gets worse set to set means stop.

Harder

Easier

Swap for