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Ring Turned-Out Push-Up

Turning the rings out at the top forces a hard chest contraction and loads the biceps and shoulder stabilizers to fight the rings' constant wobble. It builds the ring support strength and straight-arm control that underpin dips, muscle-ups, and planche work. Earn it with solid standard ring push-ups first, since the instability multiplies the difficulty.

Equipment
Rings
Body part
Chest, Shoulder
Type
Balance, Strength
Browse by movement
Horizontal Press
Muscles worked
Target
Pectoralis Major Sternocostal, Deltoid Anterior
Secondary
Triceps Brachii Long Head, Triceps Brachii Lateral Head, Triceps Brachii Medial Head, Biceps Brachii Long Head
Tertiary
Pectoralis Major Clavicular, Upper Rectus Abdominals, Abdominal External Oblique

How to do it

  1. 1

    Set the rings just off the floor and take a plank position with a ring in each hand, palms neutral.

  2. 2

    Brace the abs and glutes so the body forms one rigid line.

  3. 3

    Lower the chest between the rings, letting the elbows travel back at roughly forty-five degrees.

  4. 4

    Press back up, and as you near lockout rotate the rings so the palms face forward.

  5. 5

    Squeeze the chest hard at the top with the rings turned out and arms straight.

  6. 6

    Rotate back to neutral as you begin the next descent.

Tips

  • Keep the rings pressed lightly into the body to control the shake, especially at the bottom.
  • Do not let the elbows flare straight out; drive them back to protect the shoulders.
  • If the turnout is too much, hold the rings neutral until your support strength catches up.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The rotation starts mid-press with the elbows still bent, which asks the shoulder to resist a twist in its weakest position. Finish the press first, then turn the rings out as the arms straighten.
  • The rings turn but the arms never straighten, so the turnout is a wrist flick with no chest squeeze behind it; the top should be straight arms, palms forward, chest tight.
  • Straps wind up over a set because the rings rotate the same way every rep and never unwind, and a twisted strap pulls the ring off line on the next descent.
  • One hand turns out further than the other, which loads the shoulders unevenly at the very top of the rep. Watch both rings, or film a set from the front.
  • A turned-out support with straight arms pulls hard on the biceps tendon and the inside of the elbow. Add the turnout to the last reps of a set for a few weeks before every rep gets it.
  • The top position gets flicked through at speed, when a half-second hold with the chest squeezed is the whole reason to turn the rings out.

Frequently asked

How many ring turned-out push-ups should I do, and what should I own first?
Three or four sets of 5 to 8 reps with two minutes of rest, adding reps before you lower the rings. Before starting, own 10 to 12 clean ring push-ups at the same ring height and a comfortable turned-out ring support hold of 20 to 30 seconds, since the top of this rep is that hold under fatigue. Build the turnout gradually: turn out on the last two reps of each set for a few weeks, then on every rep.
What can I use instead of rings for the turned-out push-up?
A suspension trainer with rotating handles gets you most of the way, though the handles do not spin as freely. Without either, a push-up with each hand on a furniture slider or a towel, rotating the hands outward as you press to lockout, trains the same chest squeeze with the floor taking the instability. A dumbbell press with a deliberate turn of the wrists at the top trains the rotation with none of the support demand. These keep the pattern alive until you have rings.
What is the ring turned-out push-up good for, and who should skip it?
It builds a hard chest contraction at full lockout plus the straight-arm ring control that dips, muscle-ups and planche work all sit on, so it suits ring and calisthenics trainees. Skip it if a turned-out ring support is still shaky, because the push-up only adds load to that position, and skip it with a sore biceps tendon or inner elbow, which are the tissues the turnout loads most. As a chest builder it is inefficient, since the instability caps the reps long before the chest does.

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