Wall push-ups
Muscles worked : Chest, triceps · Shoulders
How to do it
- Place your hands on a wall, slightly wider than your shoulders, at chest height.
- Step your feet back to lean the body, straight from ankles to head.
- Bend the elbows and bring your chest towards the wall under control.
- Push back to the starting position.
Common mistakes
- Feet too close to the wall: reduces the intensity of the exercise.
- The back arching during the descent.
- Moving too fast, with no controlled moment at the bottom.
Where you should feel it
A light but clear effort in the chest and triceps. If you feel almost nothing, step the feet further back: the lean, and only the lean, sets the intensity.
Range of motion
Bring the chest to within a few centimetres of the wall, then push back to straight arms without snapping them. A full range is easy to reach here — which is precisely the point of this version.
Tempo and breathing
Two seconds in each direction. The low intensity makes slowness all the more useful: it is what makes the exercise demanding enough to produce an effect.
What works, precisely
Pectoralis major, triceps brachii and anterior deltoid, exactly as in the other push-up variants. The core does little here, the body being close to vertical.
Movement mechanics
A horizontal push at a very shallow lean: the closer the body is to vertical, the smaller the fraction of bodyweight to move. This is the most accessible end of the same continuum as the incline push-up and then the floor push-up.
Benefits
- Makes the push-up pattern practicable from day one, whatever the starting level.
- Lets you learn elbow placement and body alignment without being limited by strength.
- Works anywhere, with no equipment and no need for a clean floor, which suits a gradual return.
Adapt and progress
- Easier : Bring the feet closer to the wall, until you are almost upright.
- Harder : Step the feet back, then move to a lower support: a counter, then a chair.
- Move on when : When three sets of fifteen feel easy, move to a lower support rather than adding repetitions.