Muscles worked
With your feet higher than your hands, more of your body weight lands on your arms, so decline push-ups are harder than regular ones. The angle resembles an incline bench press, so your upper chest and the front of your shoulders get more work. The higher your feet, the more the work shifts to your shoulders. Your abs and glutes work hard to keep your hips in line.
Common mistakes
- Starting with your feet too high. A high surface turns it into shoulder work and makes full depth hard. Start with your feet on a low step or stool, and go higher only once your reps come through the full range.
- Your hips fold up. This is the opposite fault to arching: your bum rises into a peak, and even more of the work moves to your shoulders. Aim for a straight line from your shoulders through your hips to your feet.
- Moving to this version too soon. If you cannot do 12 to 15 regular push-ups with good form, the angle will only break your technique. Build your numbers on the floor first.
Variations and alternatives
- Push-ups on the floor are the foundation and the step before.
- The deficit push-up also makes push-ups harder, but through a longer range rather than a steeper angle.
- The incline bench press trains your upper chest with a barbell at the gym.
- The handstand push-up is a much later step if you are after your shoulders.
Sets and reps
To build muscle, three to four sets of 6 to 12 reps work well, and sets of 12 to 20 suit endurance. Do them early in the session while you are fresh, as they are harder than most other push-ups. Pick the height that gives the right reps for your goal; the sets and reps guide shows how to match the two.
Raise your feet a few centimetres at a time, and keep each height for several sessions so you can compare reps. Once your feet are at about knee height and the sets feel easy, put your hands on two push-up handles and go deeper instead of higher. That keeps the work on your chest and is just as much progressive overload as a higher surface.