Advanced

Superman Push-Up

This is one of the most demanding bodyweight plyometrics, projecting the entire body off the ground while the arms extend overhead like a flying superhero. It requires huge pressing power and total-body coordination to land safely, so it belongs only to advanced athletes. Use it sparingly as a peak power expression, never for high-rep fatigue work.

Equipment
Body Weight
Body part
Chest, Triceps
Type
Plyometric
Browse by movement
Horizontal Press
Muscles worked
Target
Pectoralis Major Sternocostal
Secondary
Pectoralis Major Clavicular, Deltoid Anterior, Triceps Brachii Long Head, Triceps Brachii Lateral Head, Triceps Brachii Medial Head
Tertiary
Erector Spinae, Abdominal External Oblique

How to do it

  1. 1

    Set up in a strong push-up with the whole body rigid and braced.

  2. 2

    Lower under control to build tension in the chest and triceps.

  3. 3

    Drive off the floor explosively with the hands and feet leaving the ground at once.

  4. 4

    Reach the arms forward overhead at the peak of the flight.

  5. 5

    Bring the hands back under the shoulders and land softly with bent elbows and a firm core.

  6. 6

    Reset your plank and repeat only while the reps stay powerful.

Tips

  • Build up through box and clap push-ups before attempting full flight.
  • Snap the arms back under you before landing so the hands, not the face, meet the floor.
  • Land the whole plank as a unit with soft joints to spread the impact.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The feet never actually leave the floor, which makes this a clap push-up with a flourish; if the toes stay down, the drill has not started yet.
  • The lower back arches hard to produce the shape seen in photos, so the spine takes the flight and the landing instead of the chest and shoulders. Keep the ribs down and the glutes tight.
  • Hips pike as the arms stretch forward, dropping the chest toward the floor while the legs hang back; the body has to travel as one rigid line.
  • The reach becomes the goal and the drive becomes an afterthought, so the arms extend on a rep that barely left the ground.
  • Hard tile or concrete is the wrong place to learn this, with your face inches from the floor and the hands returning late. Put a mat down and keep the first sessions short.
  • Sets get planned in the same numbers as push-ups; one to three reps is a set here, and it is over when the body stops clearing the floor.

Frequently asked

How many superman push-ups should I do, and what should I be able to do first?
Treat them as singles and doubles: 4 to 6 sets of 1 to 3 reps with two minutes between sets, placed at the start of a session. Before attempting one you should own clean clap push-ups, box push-ups onto a raised surface, and a solid hollow-body plank, since the flight is held together by the brace rather than the arms. Progress from a carpeted floor to a firmer one, and from a short reach to a full overhead reach, before you add reps.
How do I make the superman push-up easier or harder?
Easier: start from the knees, or press off a low incline so the hands have less weight to launch, and keep the reach short with the hands beside the head rather than fully overhead. Training the halves separately also helps: clap push-ups for the hand drive, and a plank jump where only the feet leave the floor. Harder: reach further and hold the extended position a beat longer, or land into a deliberate slow descent before the next rep.
What is the superman push-up good for, and who should skip it?
It is a peak expression of bodyweight pressing power and whole-body coordination, useful as a benchmark for advanced calisthenics athletes. It is not a sensible training tool for most goals: the volume is too low for muscle, a missed landing carries real risk, and nearly every benefit is available from clap and box push-ups. Skip it with any wrist, elbow, shoulder or low-back issue, and skip it on a tired day, since this is not a rep to attempt with slow arms.

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