Pike push-up
Muscles worked : Shoulders · Triceps, core
How to do it
- Start in a push-up position, then walk the feet in and push the hips up into an inverted V.
- Hands slightly wider than the shoulders, head relaxed between the arms.
- Bend the elbows to lower the crown of your head toward the floor, between the hands.
- Push back up to straight arms with the hips still high.
Common mistakes
- Hips dropping mid-set: the movement turns back into a plain push-up and leaves the shoulders.
- Elbows flaring wide instead of staying in line with the movement.
- Lowering to the forehead rather than the crown, which cuts the range short.
Where you should feel it
The work is felt clearly in the shoulders and the back of the arms, not in the chest. If the chest takes over, the hips are not high enough.
Range of motion
Lower until the crown of the head brushes the floor. The closer the feet are to the hands, the more of your weight passes through the shoulders: that is the difficulty dial.
Tempo and breathing
Two seconds down, one up. Exhale pushing.
What works, precisely
The front deltoid and the triceps are the movers, while the upper trapezius and the serratus anterior stabilize the shoulder blade as the arm travels overhead. The core holds the V position, which is what steers the load toward the shoulder rather than the chest.
Movement mechanics
Vertical pressing in a closed chain: the bodyweight equivalent of an overhead press, torso angle standing in for load selection. Elbow flexion and extension combined with overhead shoulder flexion.
Benefits
- The only bodyweight shoulder exercise in this library: without it, filtering by "bodyweight" offered no shoulder work at all.
- Builds overhead pressing without needing dumbbells.
- Adjusts finely by walking the feet in or out, with no equipment.
Adapt and progress
- Easier : Put the hands on a raised surface: less weight passes through the shoulders.
- Harder : Walk the feet closer to the hands, or elevate the feet to make the torso more vertical.
- Move on when : When three sets of twelve go by with the hips high throughout, elevate the feet.
Precautions
This movement takes the arms overhead: if the shoulder hurts there, keep the press to a shorter range rather than forcing the V position.