Decline Push-Up: Muscles Worked and How to Do It
TL;DR
The decline push-up works your chest as the prime mover, and elevating your feet shifts more emphasis onto your upper chest than a flat push-up does. Your shoulders help press your body up, and your triceps straighten your elbows to finish each rep.
- Primary muscle:
- Chest
- Secondary muscles:
- Shoulders, Triceps
Muscles worked
Your chest does the majority of the pressing work in the decline push-up. Raising your feet on a box or bench changes the angle of the press, putting more load on the upper portion of your chest compared with a flat push-up.
Your shoulders assist the chest through the whole pressing motion, especially as you lower your chest toward the floor. Your triceps straighten your elbows at the top of each rep, finishing the lockout once your chest has done the initial work of pushing you up.
Log Decline Push-Up in PR Streak
PR Streak's library has 873 exercises, each with photos and step-by-step instructions like this one. Log this move and see what you lifted last time right next to every set, with every PR caught automatically and a chart for every exercise.
How to do it
- Lie on the floor face down and place your hands about 36 inches apart while holding your torso up at arms length. Move your feet up to a box or bench. This will be your starting position.
- Next, lower yourself downward until your chest almost touches the floor as you inhale.
- Now breathe out and press your upper body back up to the starting position while squeezing your chest.
- After a brief pause at the top contracted position, you can begin to lower yourself downward again for as many repetitions as needed.
Form tips
- Set your feet on a stable box or bench, and keep your body in a straight line from head to heels.
- Lower your chest until it's almost touching the floor before pressing back up.
- Keep your elbows at roughly a 45 degree angle from your torso, not flared straight out.
- Don't let your hips sag or pike up as you fatigue.
Exercise details
| Equipment | Other |
|---|---|
| Level | Beginner |
| Mechanic | Compound |
Used by lifters following PPL, 5x5, upper/lower, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a decline push-up harder than a regular push-up?
Yes. Raising your feet shifts more of your body weight onto your arms and upper chest, making each rep tougher than a flat push-up. It's a natural progression once standard push-ups feel too easy for 12 or more reps.
Which muscles does elevating your feet target more?
It shifts emphasis toward your upper chest and shoulders compared with a flat push-up, while your triceps still finish the lockout on every rep. Try the wide push-up as another variation that changes which part of your chest works hardest.
More chest exercises
Exercise instructions and photos come from the free-exercise-db library, public domain, the same library used inside the PR Streak app.
