Incline Push-Up Guide: Form, Benefits, and Variations
Master the incline push-up with our expert guide. Learn proper form, common mistakes to avoid, and how to use a bench to build chest strength.
How to Perform
- Place your hands firmly on the edge of a stable bench or elevated surface slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Walk your feet back until your body forms a straight line from your head to your heels, engaging your core and glutes.
- Lower your chest toward the bench by bending your elbows at a forty-five degree angle from your torso.
- Continue the descent until your chest nearly touches the surface, maintaining a neutral neck position.
- Press through your palms to extend your arms and return to the starting position without locking your elbows.
- Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions while keeping your hips from sagging.
Common Mistakes
- Flaring elbows out to ninety degrees which puts excessive stress on the shoulder joints.
- Allowing the hips to sag or the lower back to arch, breaking the rigid line of the torso.
- Utilizing a partial range of motion by not lowering the chest close enough to the bench.
- Placing the hands too high on the bench, causing the bar or edge to align with the throat rather than the mid-chest.
Muscles Worked
Primary movers
- Chest
Stabilizers
- Triceps
- Anterior Deltoids
- Core
Related Guides
- Bench Press — Chest
- Benchpress Dumbbells — Chest
- Bent over Cable Flye — Chest
Chest · Chest