Pike Push-Up

How to perform the Pike Push-Up

1. Start in a downward-dog position with the hips piked high, hands slightly wider than shoulders and feet walked in toward the hands.
2. Set the head to point at the floor between the hands so the pressing angle targets the shoulders rather than the chest.
3. This is a bodyweight vertical press, so the steeper the hip pike, the more the load shifts onto the delts.
4. Bend the elbows to lower the crown of the head toward the floor just in front of or between the hands.
5. Descend under control until the head lightly nears the floor, keeping the hips high and the elbows tracking at a moderate angle.
6. Press back up by extending the elbows and driving the floor away, keeping the piked hip position stable throughout.

Suggested working range: 8–15 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Common mistakes

• •Letting the hips drop toward a flat plank, which turns the movement back into a chest push-up.
• •Only lowering a few inches instead of bringing the head near the floor.
• •Flaring the elbows straight out to the sides rather than at a moderate angle.
• •Letting the neck collapse and the head jut forward instead of tracking down between the hands.

Variations & alternatives

Swap in a related movement if equipment, recovery, or progression demands it.