the Decline Push-Up

The  Decline Push-Upis a great bodyweight exercise for targeting the upper chest and shoulders.  This  lower body elevated push-up progression strengthens the chest, shoulders and triceps to a larger degree by manipulating the angle of the body. The word decline can be misleading due the association with the decline press which isolates more of the lower chest. By changing the angle of the body, the foot elevated push-up loads a higher percentage of bodyweight to the upper chest, shoulders, triceps and serratus muscles making it much more difficult than a regular push-up.

how to perform a Decline Push-Up

Initiate the exercise on the floor. Extend each leg back and elevated your feet onto a bench behind you and assume the push-up position. Hand placement should be shoulder-width apart with your hands slightly angled away from each other. This should create roughly a 45 degree angle between your elbows and your sides. Maintaining a neutral spine by forming a straight line from ear to ankle. Begin by slowly lowering towards the ground until you’ve reached a full range of motion, then push away from the ground as you push the ground away from you. Return to the starting position and repeat for the designated repetitions.  If you cannot maintain neutral alignment, end the exercise.