How far should you do the plate floor push when you are new to the exercise?

Start with 4 sets of 10 to 15 yards on a smooth, slick surface, resting until your breathing settles between pushes. Add distance or a set before you add plate weight, since more weight mostly changes how hard the legs have to drive, not how far you should go.

What can you do instead of the plate floor push without a plate?

A sled push trains the identical low, driving push pattern if a sled is available. Without a plate or sled, a bear crawl or a set of walking lunges targets similar leg drive and trunk bracing.

What is the plate floor push good for?

It delivers sled-style leg-driving conditioning using only a plate and a slick floor, which makes it a practical option anywhere you do not have access to a sled. It is a poor choice on a carpeted or high-friction floor, since the plate will catch instead of glide and the drill turns into a stall rather than a push.

Intermediate

Plate Floor Push

With hands on a plate and the body in a low crawl, you push the plate across the floor by driving with the legs while the chest, shoulders, and triceps stabilize. It mimics a sled push and delivers hard conditioning anywhere with a slick surface. Stay low and drive through the legs.

Equipment: Plate
Body part: Quads, Shoulder
Type: Cardio, Functional
Browse by muscle: Deltoid Anterior, Pectoralis Major Sternocostal
Browse by movement: Carry

How to do it

1
Place a plate flat on a smooth floor and set both hands on top of it.
2
Extend your legs behind you into a low bear or plank-like push position.
3
Brace the core and drive the plate forward by pushing hard through the legs.
4
Keep the arms firm and the hips low so the plate glides in a straight line.
5
Take quick, powerful steps and keep the plate moving for the set distance.
6
Breathe in rhythm with your steps and keep the back flat.

Tips

Stay low; a high hip position turns the drive into a stall.
Keep the arms braced rather than pressing so the legs supply the power.
Use a slick surface such as gym turf, or put a towel under the plate on a smooth hard floor, so it slides without catching.

Variations

Common mistakes

The hands sit off-center on the plate instead of directly on top, so it veers to one side instead of gliding in a straight line.
The low back sags toward the floor as fatigue sets in, turning a braced plank-like position into one that stresses the spine instead of the legs.
Letting one leg do most of the driving while the other trails along sends the plate curving off its line over the length of a push.
The breath gets held through the whole push instead of matching the rhythm of the steps, which saps effort right when a long push needs steady oxygen.

Frequently asked

How far should you do the plate floor push when you are new to the exercise?: Start with 4 sets of 10 to 15 yards on a smooth, slick surface, resting until your breathing settles between pushes. Add distance or a set before you add plate weight, since more weight mostly changes how hard the legs have to drive, not how far you should go.
What can you do instead of the plate floor push without a plate?: A sled push trains the identical low, driving push pattern if a sled is available. Without a plate or sled, a bear crawl or a set of walking lunges targets similar leg drive and trunk bracing.
What is the plate floor push good for?: It delivers sled-style leg-driving conditioning using only a plate and a slick floor, which makes it a practical option anywhere you do not have access to a sled. It is a poor choice on a carpeted or high-friction floor, since the plate will catch instead of glide and the drill turns into a stall rather than a push.

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