Muscles worked
Incline push-ups train your chest, the front of your shoulders and your triceps, but with less of your body weight on your hands than on the floor. The higher the surface, the easier it gets, which makes it an ideal first step. The angle means your arms press slightly downwards relative to your body, a bit like a decline bench press, but the difference in emphasis is small. Your abs and glutes keep you straight, with less to do the higher your hands are.
Common mistakes
- The surface is too low for your level. If you only manage two or three reps, you mostly practise struggling rather than the movement. Pick a height where you can do at least eight reps through the full range, and go lower only once it feels easy.
- Your elbows point straight out to the sides. This puts more on your shoulders and makes the press unsteady. Let your elbows travel back at an angle, roughly 45 degrees from your body, as you lower.
- Your chest sags between your shoulder blades at the top. Push the surface away over the last bit, so your shoulder blades spread slightly, before lowering again.
Variations and alternatives
- Knee push-ups are another easier step, on the floor with nothing to put your hands on.
- Push-ups are the goal once you can do plenty of reps with your hands on a low bench.
- The machine chest press at the gym lets you start with a light weight and add to it in small steps.
Sets and reps
With incline push-ups, the aim is to lower the height over time. Most people do well with two to four sets of 8 to 15 reps. As a beginner you can do them two or three times a week; see the guide on how often to train. You will find what the rep count means for your results in the sets and reps guide.
Build a ladder of heights: kitchen worktop, table, bench, a low step and finally the floor. Once you manage 15 reps on every set, move your hands to the next, lower height and start again with fewer reps. That is progressive overload within one exercise, and easy to track if you note each height.