Chest exercise
Archer Push-UpHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Chest
- Also works
- Triceps, Front delts
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Level
- Advanced
How to do it
How do you do the Archer Push-Up?
- Set up in a plank with hands about twice shoulder-width apart.
- Shift towards one hand, bending that elbow, other arm straight.
- Lower your chest close to the floor beside the working hand.
- Press back to the centre and repeat.
Cues
- Straight arm stays locked
- Hips and shoulders level
- Chest travels to the hand
Common mistakes
- Bending the straight arm: keep it long like a bow.
- Hips twisting or sagging: brace your stomach and stay square.
- Dropping straight down: shift your chest towards the working hand.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
A wide plank on the floor. Hands flat, about 2× shoulder width apart (accept 1.8–2.5×), fingers turned out about 15–30°. Feet on the toes, about shoulder-width apart (wider than a normal push-up, for balance). The body is one straight line from head to heels, abdominals and buttocks braced, head in line with the spine.
The movement
The chest travels down and sideways in a diagonal line towards the working hand, then presses back up and across to the centre. Only the working elbow bends; the assisting arm pivots at the shoulder like a straight lever. The hips follow the shoulders sideways a little but stay in the straight body line; the feet stay planted.
End position
(turnaround point): The body has shifted sideways and down towards the working hand. Chest about 5 cm above the floor (accept 3–8 cm), roughly level with the working elbow and just inside the working hand. Assisting arm:
Tempo
2.5 s lowering, about 0.5 s at the bottom, 1.5 s pressing back to centre, about 0.5 s at the top.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand width | 2× shoulder width | 1.8–2.5× | |
| Finger turn-out | 20° | 15–30° | |
| Foot width | shoulder width | hip to 1.5× shoulder width | |
| Body line (hip angle) | 180° | 170–185° | |
| Working upper arm from torso at bottom | 45° | 30–60° | |
| Assisting elbow at bottom | 175° | 170–180° | |
| Chest-to-floor gap at bottom | 5 cm | 3–8 cm | |
| Trunk roll (shoulder line vs floor) | 0° | ±5° | |
| Lowering / pressing time | 2.5 s / 1.5 s | 2–3 s / 1–2 s |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Archer Push-Up is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
