Bench pike push-up
A pike push-up with your hands elevated on a bench. Shallows the angle to make the overhead press manageable for beginners.
TrainsShoulders
NeedsBenchBodyweight
The movement
2 stages
Top
01 Top
Lock the elbows with the hips high and the arms in line with the torso.
02 Bottom
Keep the hips high and lower the crown toward the bench.
How to do it
Setup
- Place your hands shoulder-width apart on the edge of a bench.
- Walk your feet back until your hips point up and your body forms an inverted V.
- Set your arms and back in one straight line from your hands to your hips.
Execution
- Bend your elbows and lower the top of your head toward the bench just ahead of your hands.
- Stop just before your head touches, then press back up to the start.
- Keep your hips high while your shoulders travel down and slightly forward.
BreathingInhale as you lower, exhale as you press.
Getting it right
Form cues
- Keep your neck in line, eyes toward the bench just ahead of your hands.
- Push tall at the top, with your shoulders reaching away from your ears.
Common mistakes
- Letting the hips drop and sending the chest toward the bench, which turns the movement into an incline push-up.
- Bouncing your head off the bench at the bottom of the rep.
Worth knowing
- Pressing overhead under load is new territory for most shoulders, which makes the bench variant a safe place to start building that strength.
General guidance, not medical advice. See how Setkit works.
Notes
The pike push-up turns a horizontal press into a vertical one by folding you at the hips. Elevating your hands on a bench shallows the angle of that fold, putting less of your bodyweight through your shoulders. That makes it the ideal starting point for overhead strength if you have no equipment.
Range of motion matters more here than in any other push-up. The rep is not over when your arms get tired. It is over when your head reaches the bench and you press back to straight arms. Cut the range short and the shoulders never do the part you came for.
Your hips will want to drop as the set goes on. The moment your body straightens out, you are doing an incline push-up and training your chest instead. Hold the inverted V shape strictly until the set is done.