Overhead pressing
Elevated pike push-ups
- Kit
- Bench or chair
- Works
- front delts · triceps
- Also
- upper chest · upper back · core
Elevated pike push-ups put your feet on a bench or chair so your hips stack higher over your hands, shifting more load onto your shoulders than a floor pike. It is the closest you get to an overhead press without weights, and it builds pressing strength through a deep range. Best once standard pike push-ups feel controlled and your wrists and shoulders handle load comfortably.
Form
How to do elevated pike push-ups
- 1Set your hands on the floor slightly wider than your shoulders and place your feet on a bench or sturdy chair, then walk your hands back until your hips are high and your body makes a sharp inverted V.
- 2Look back between your hands and set your shoulders so your arms point roughly in line with your torso, not out in front of you.
- 3Bend your elbows and lower under control until the top of your head is just above the floor, breathing in as you descend.
- 4Press the floor away and drive back to the start, breathing out through the effort, and keep your hips high rather than letting them sag toward the floor.
- 5Keep the pace steady for the whole set, and if your form breaks, drop your feet to the floor and continue from a standard pike position.
Watch for
Common mistakes
Hips drift back and low so the movement turns into a flat push-up.
Fix: Walk your hands closer to the bench and actively push your hips up and over your hands before the first descent.
Elbows flare straight out to the sides, which crowds the shoulder.
Fix: Angle your elbows forward at around 45 degrees so they track over your hands as you lower.
Head crashes into the floor at the bottom.
Fix: Slow the lowering phase and stop with the crown of your head a couple of inches short of the ground.
Variations
Easier and harder
Sessions
Put it in a workout
None of the fixed workouts uses it. Pick a workout for your kit, or start today's session on /gym.