Hindu 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 enough floor space for the hips to travel back and the chest to travel forward; choose a range compatible with the shoulders and spine.
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 planted and the feet stable.
3. 3Eccentric phase. Lower the body as one coordinated unit through the defined elbow and shoulder path. Bend the elbows and sweep the chest forward and low while the hips descend through the chosen arc.
4. 4Bottom position. Reach the fixed depth marker without bouncing, twisting, or losing hand contact. Pass through the low forward position without forcing lumbar extension or resting on the floor.
5. 5Concentric phase / lockout. Press the support away and return to the prescribed lockout or top position. Press back by reversing the arc toward the pike position rather than performing a straight vertical press.
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 forward-and-back arc is present and controlled; a standard push-up followed by a pike is not automatically the same movement.

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.

• Forcing the spinal arc

  Fix: Reduce the range and keep the motion driven by the shoulders and hips rather than the lumbar spine.

Safety

• The exercise combines pressing with a large shoulder and trunk arc; it should not be prescribed as a universally appropriate mobility drill or as a replacement for a standard press.
• 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

• regressionPush-up— Remove the large arc while keeping the press.
• progressionDive Bomber Push-up— Increase the forward travel only when the Hindu arc is controlled.
• alternativePike Push-up— Use a more stable shoulder-dominant press.
• prerequisiteDive Bomber Push-up— A controlled Hindu arc can prepare the more demanding continuous travel.