Chest exercise
Wide-Grip Push-UpHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Chest
- Also works
- Front delts, Triceps
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Wide-Grip Push-Up?
- Set your hands about one and a half shoulder-widths apart.
- Brace into a straight line from head to heels.
- Lower your chest to just above the floor, elbows over wrists.
- Push back up until your arms are straight.
Cues
- Elbows stacked over wrists
- Body stays one straight plank
- Chest down, head neutral
Common mistakes
- Hands far too wide: about one and a half shoulder-widths is enough.
- Hips sagging: squeeze your stomach and buttocks.
- Half reps: lower until your chest is just above the floor.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Plank on the floor. Hands flat, about 1.5× shoulder (biacromial) width apart (accept 1.4–1.8×), fingers forward or turned out up to about 15°. Feet together to hip-width, on the toes. Seen from the side, the shoulders sit directly above the hands. The body is one straight line from head to heels: no sag, no pike. Abdominals and buttocks braced, head in line with the spine, shoulder blades back and down.
The movement
The rigid body lowers and rises as one piece, pivoting at the toes. The elbows travel out and slightly back, staying over the wrists in the front view. Hands and feet stay planted; hips stay in line; the head does not drop.
End position
(turnaround point): Chest about 3 cm above the floor (accept 2–5 cm). Upper arms about 65° out from the torso (accept 55–75°), wider than the standard 45° push-up but never a 90° "T". Body line still straight.
Tempo
2 s lowering, about 0.3 s near the floor (no bounce), 1.5 s pressing, about 0.2 s at the top.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand width | 1.5× biacromial width | 1.4–1.8× | |
| Finger turn-out | 0–15° | 0–20° | |
| Body line (hip angle) | 180° | 170–185° | |
| Upper arm from torso at bottom | 65° | 55–75° | |
| Forearms at bottom, front view | vertical | ±10° | |
| Chest-to-floor gap at bottom | 3 cm | 2–5 cm | |
| Elbow at top | 175° | 170–180° | |
| Lowering / pressing time | 2 s / 1.5 s | 1–3 s each |
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 Wide-Grip 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
