Front delts exercise
Pike Push-UpHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Front delts
- Also works
- Triceps, Upper chest
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Pike Push-Up?
- Start in a plank, then walk your feet in and lift your hips high.
- Keep your head between your arms, hands slightly wider than shoulders.
- Bend your elbows to lower your head towards the floor.
- Press back up until your arms are straight, hips staying high.
Cues
- Hips high, inverted V
- Elbows at about 45°
- Head lands ahead of hands
Common mistakes
- Hips sinking into a push-up: keep the inverted V throughout.
- Elbows flaring wide: tuck them to about 45°.
- Craning the neck: keep your head between your arms.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
From a high plank, the feet walk towards the hands and the hips rise into an inverted V (downward-dog shape). Hands flat on the floor, shoulder-width to slightly wider (about 1.0–1.2× shoulder width), fingers forward. Feet hip-width on the balls of the feet, heels raised. Legs straight or nearly so (knees 0–15°). Hip included angle about 80° between torso and legs (accept 60–100°), so the torso is steep and the arms press close to vertical. Abdominals braced, back long (not rounded), head between the arms with the neck neutral.
The movement
The head travels down and slightly forward, the shoulders bending at the elbows like an upside-down shoulder press. The hip angle and leg position stay the same through the rep; the hips do not drop towards a normal push-up line. Hands and feet stay planted. Press back up along the same path to full extension, pushing the shoulders up at the top.
End position
(turnaround point): Elbows bent until the top of the head is about 3 cm above the floor (accept 0–5 cm; a light touch is allowed, never a bump), slightly in front of the line of the hands, so head and hands form a small triangle. Upper arms about 45° out from the torso (accept 30–60°). Hips still high; the shoulders have moved slightly forward of the hands.
Tempo
2.5 s lowering, about 0.5 s at the bottom, 1.5 s pressing, about 0.5 s at the top.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand width | 1.1× shoulder width | 1.0–1.2× | |
| Hip included angle (torso to legs) | 80° | 60–100° | |
| Knee flexion | 5° | 0–15° | |
| Elbow at top | 175° | 170–180° | |
| Head-to-floor gap at bottom | 3 cm | 0–5 cm | |
| Head position at bottom | 10 cm in front of hand line | 5–15 cm | |
| Upper arm from torso at bottom | 45° | 30–60° | |
| 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 Pike 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
