Wide Push-Up
Trains the Pecs.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Push
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Set up on the floor with your hands well wider than your shoulders, fingers pointing forward or slightly out.
- Extend your legs behind you so the body forms a straight line from head to heels, and brace the stomach.
- Lower the chest towards the floor by bending the elbows, letting them travel out to the sides.
- Stop when the chest is just above the floor or the shoulders reach the height of the elbows.
- Press back up until the arms are straight, keeping the body in one line.
- Repeat without letting the hips sag or rise.
Common mistakes
- Going so wide the elbows point straight out. Wider than the shoulders is enough; hands out near the edge of the mat leave the shoulders taking the load in a bad position at the bottom.
- Dropping the head to reach the floor. The chest goes down, not the chin; the neck stays in line with the rest of the spine.
- Letting the hips sag. A wide hand position makes the bottom feel deeper, and the lower back drops to fill the gap; the stomach stays braced and the body stays straight.
- Cutting the range short. The wide hand position shortens the arm's travel, so the chest still has to get close to the floor for the movement to be complete.