BIP.

Exercise library · Chest

Wide push-up

Horizontal press for the chest with your bodyweight.

How to do it

1 of 3

Hands clearly wider than your shoulders

  1. Starting position

    Place your hands clearly wider than your shoulders and keep your body straight from head to heels.

  2. The movement

    Lower your chest toward the floor with your elbows angled outward, then press yourself back up.

Most common mistake

Don't place your hands so wide that your shoulders roll forward, keep your shoulders stable and lower with control.

Watch the video larger →

Muscle group
Chest
Equipment
Bodyweight
Where
Home or gym
Logged as
Reps

Muscles worked

With your hands further out than in a standard push-up, your elbows bend less, so your triceps take a smaller share of the work and your chest a larger one. The front of your shoulders still helps to press, and your abs and glutes keep your body straight. The difference is not dramatic, but most people feel it more clearly in the chest. Your shoulders decide how wide you can go: the widest position that still feels stable is the right one for you.

Common mistakes

  • Your fingers point inwards. With wide hands it is easy to turn them in, which puts your wrists and elbows at an awkward angle. Point your fingers straight ahead or slightly out.
  • Your hands are uneven. If one hand sits further out or further forward than the other, that side takes more of the load. Use the edge of the mat or the lines in the floor as a guide.
  • Your chin leads the way down. A nod of the head looks like depth while your chest stays high. Look at the floor a little ahead of your hands and let your chest arrive first.

Variations and alternatives

  • Standard push-ups, with your hands closer to your shoulders, suit you better if the wide position feels uncomfortable.
  • Diamond push-ups are the opposite, with your hands close together and more work for your triceps.
  • Deficit push-ups give your chest a longer movement, as your hands rest on raised supports.
  • Dumbbell flyes train the chest with no help from the triceps, if you have dumbbells and a bench.

Sets and reps

Wide push-ups are best for building muscle and endurance. Three to four sets of 8 to 15 reps build the chest, and for endurance you can go towards 20 or more. End most sets with one or two reps in reserve, so your chest tires before your body line gives way. The sets and reps guide covers how to choose.

Once 15 reps feel easy in every set, put your feet on a bench, wear a rucksack with a little weight or lower yourself more slowly. Each is progressive overload. If your shoulders hurt, rather than just feeling worked, stop the exercise and ask a doctor or physiotherapist to look at it.

Also called

  • wide push up

Swap for

Taken, or missing the equipment? The same movement with something else.

Want it in a programme?

Tell BIP your goal and your equipment, and BIP builds a week with sets, reps and rest worked out. You log your weights as you train and watch yourself get stronger. The first week is free.

Create a programme →