Dive Bomber Push-up

How to perform it

1. 1Preparation and positioning. Use a non-slip surface or stable handles. Place the hands and feet so the prescribed body line and range can be repeated without the equipment shifting. Use a stable surface and a range that allows the body to travel forward without forcing the spine or shoulders.
2. 2Starting position. Set the hands and feet in the prescribed relationship, extend the elbows, and stack the ribcage over the pelvis. Begin in a pike-like position with the hands and feet stable.
3. 3Eccentric phase. Lower the body as one coordinated unit through the defined elbow and shoulder path. Bend the elbows and dive the chest forward and low while the hips travel toward the floor.
4. 4Bottom position. Reach the fixed depth marker without bouncing, twisting, or losing hand contact. Pass through the forward low position with controlled shoulders and no bounce.
5. 5Concentric phase / lockout. Press the support away and return to the prescribed lockout or top position. Reverse the arc by pressing and sending the hips back toward the pike position.
6. 6Breathing and bracing. Inhale during the descent as appropriate, maintain moderate trunk and glute tension, and exhale through the press or landing preparation.
7. 7Valid rep. A valid repetition uses the stated hand position, depth, body line, and assistance standard from start to finish. The continuous dive-and-return path is completed without a pause or a separate standard push-up.

Common mistakes

• Sagging or piking

  Fix: Stack the ribcage over the pelvis and reduce the difficulty before the trunk becomes the limiter.

• Elbows escaping

  Fix: Choose a repeatable elbow path that keeps the shoulders controlled rather than forcing a universal angle.

• Bouncing the bottom

  Fix: Lower to a fixed marker and reverse without rebound.

• Dropping the hips and hanging on the spine

  Fix: Shorten the arc and keep the shoulder and hip movement coordinated.

Safety

• Direct exercise-specific evidence is limited; the large arc and wrist loading require an individually tolerated range and controlled exit.
• Choose a setup, load, assistance level, and exit strategy that allow the defined standard to be maintained; do not train through acute, sharp, electric, or worsening symptoms.

Progressions & alternatives

• regressionHindu Push-up— Use a smaller or more controlled arc.
• progressionDeep Dive Bomber Push-up— A deeper variant requires separate review rather than automatic progression.
• alternativePike Push-up— Use a more standard vertical press.
• prerequisiteTiger Bend Push-up— No direct progression is assumed from a dive bomber to a tiger bend.