How many reps of the pike push-up should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Start with 3 sets of 6-8 reps, resting 60-90 seconds between sets, and keep the hips high and stacked for every rep rather than letting the last couple sag. Add a rep or two per set before you add a set, and move to an elevated pike push-up once 3 sets of 10-12 feel easy.

How do you make the pike push-up easier or harder?

Make it easier by widening the hand position slightly or by not piking the hips as high, which shifts some load back toward a regular push-up. Make it harder by walking the feet in closer to make the torso more vertical, or by raising the feet onto a low box, which is the natural next step once this version feels solid.

What is the pike push-up good for, and who should skip it?

It is the first real strength step toward handstand push-ups and an overhead builder for anyone without a barbell. Skip it if your wrists already hurt in a push-up position, and plan to add real load once it gets easy since it is a stepping stone, not a long-term substitute for loaded overhead pressing.

Intermediate

Pike Push-Up

The pike push-up shifts your bodyweight over the shoulders so the front delts and triceps handle a near-vertical pressing pattern without a wall. It is the first real strength step toward handstand push-ups and a great overhead builder for anyone who cannot load a barbell. Program it once your standard push-ups are strong and stable.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Shoulder, Triceps
Type: Strength
Browse by muscle: Deltoid Anterior
Browse by movement: Vertical Press

How to do it

1
Start in a downward-dog position: hands shoulder-width, hips pushed high, legs as straight as your hamstrings allow.
2
Walk your feet in until your torso is close to vertical and your shoulders sit over your hands.
3
Bend the elbows and lower the crown of your head toward the floor just in front of your hands.
4
Keep the elbows tracking slightly forward, not flaring straight out to the sides.
5
Press back up until the arms lock out, keeping the hips stacked high throughout.
6
Inhale on the way down, exhale as you drive up.

Tips

The higher you pike the hips, the more vertical the load and the harder it gets.
Aim your head to land just forward of your hands to form a stable tripod at the bottom.
Do not let the hips sag toward a regular push-up; that turns it back into a chest exercise.

Variations

Common mistakes

The elbows flare straight out to the sides instead of tracking slightly forward, putting the front of the shoulder in a weaker, more exposed position.
The head crashes into the floor at the bottom instead of arriving under control, jarring the neck on every rep.
The knees bend to fake a taller pike, borrowing from bent legs instead of real hip and shoulder flexibility.
The breathing pattern flips, with a held breath on the way down and a rushed exhale on the way up, instead of inhaling down and exhaling up.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the pike push-up should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Start with 3 sets of 6-8 reps, resting 60-90 seconds between sets, and keep the hips high and stacked for every rep rather than letting the last couple sag. Add a rep or two per set before you add a set, and move to an elevated pike push-up once 3 sets of 10-12 feel easy.
How do you make the pike push-up easier or harder?: Make it easier by widening the hand position slightly or by not piking the hips as high, which shifts some load back toward a regular push-up. Make it harder by walking the feet in closer to make the torso more vertical, or by raising the feet onto a low box, which is the natural next step once this version feels solid.
What is the pike push-up good for, and who should skip it?: It is the first real strength step toward handstand push-ups and an overhead builder for anyone without a barbell. Skip it if your wrists already hurt in a push-up position, and plan to add real load once it gets easy since it is a stepping stone, not a long-term substitute for loaded overhead pressing.

Related exercises

Other movements among FitRay's 2,000+ exercises that load the same target muscle — same equipment and level first.

All Shoulder exercises