Pike Push-Up
Hips high, head between the hands. The pike push-up folds you at the hips so bodyweight lands on the shoulders and triceps, which makes it the bodyweight route to overhead pressing strength. Lower the crown of the head toward the floor between the hands. Losing the pike turns it back into a push-up, and it is the honest step toward a handstand push-up.
Setup
- Hands and feet on the floor, hips piked high, body in an upside-down V.
- Walk the feet in until the torso is close to vertical.
How To Do It
- Lower the crown of the head toward the floor between the hands.
- Touch lightly, then press back to the start.
- Elbows track at about 45 degrees, not straight out.
Breathing
Inhale down, exhale up.
Common Mistakes
- Losing the pike and turning it into a push-up.
- Flaring the elbows wide and stressing the shoulder.
Programming It
Three sets of 5-12.
Why This Exercise Works
Piking the hips turns a push-up into a vertical press. It is the bodyweight route to overhead strength, and the closest most people get to a handstand push-up without a wall.
Where You Should Feel It
Shoulders and triceps, with the piked hips turning a push-up into a vertical press. The closer your feet come to your hands, the more it becomes a shoulder exercise.
Where It Fits in a Program
The bodyweight route to overhead pressing strength. This is main-lift work. Put it first, when your technique is still honest.
Progressing and Regressing It
To progress the pike push-up: elevate the feet, or deepen the range with the hands on blocks. To regress it: reduce the pike angle toward a normal push-up.
Who It's For
Anyone building overhead strength without weights. It is the bodyweight route to a handstand push-up.
Equipment and Substitutions
This needs no kit at all, which makes it the one that survives travel, busy gyms and bad weeks.
Related Exercises
- Diamond Push-Up · Triceps, Chest
- Overhead Press · Shoulders, Triceps, Core
- Close-Grip Bench Press · Triceps, Chest, Shoulders
- Machine Shoulder Press · Shoulders, Triceps
- Kettlebell Press · Shoulders, Core
- Cable Rear Delt Fly · Rear Delts
- Decline Push-Up · Upper Chest, Shoulders
- Cable Fly (High-to-Low) · Lower Chest
Common Questions
What muscles does the pike push-up work?
The pike push-up primarily trains the shoulders, triceps.
How many sets and reps should I do?
Three sets of 5-12.
What are the most common pike push-up mistakes?
Most often: losing the pike and turning it into a push-up; flaring the elbows wide and stressing the shoulder.
Can I do this without any equipment?
Yes. This version needs no equipment at all. It trains the shoulders, triceps using bodyweight alone, which is why it travels well and works as a warm-up, a substitute, or a full session on its own.
Is this safe if I have an existing injury?
The pike push-up puts the shoulder and elbow under load through a range many people have lost, so a cranky shoulder usually objects here before anything else does. Pain that pinches at a specific point is worth assessing; ordinary training discomfort is not. Not medical advice.