Push-up Plus

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 push-up position or an elevated regression and define whether the plus is added at the top of every repetition.
2. 2Starting position. Set the hands and feet in the prescribed relationship, extend the elbows, and stack the ribcage over the pelvis. Begin with the elbows extended and the trunk controlled.
3. 3Eccentric phase. Lower the body as one coordinated unit through the defined elbow and shoulder path. Lower through the push-up while allowing the scapulae to move naturally rather than pinning them back.
4. 4Bottom position. Reach the fixed depth marker without bouncing, twisting, or losing hand contact. Reach the chosen depth without losing the body line.
5. 5Concentric phase / lockout. Press the support away and return to the prescribed lockout or top position. Press to the top and then actively protract the scapulae without shrugging the shoulders toward the ears.
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 press and the separate controlled plus phase are both present and repeatable.

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.

• Shrugging instead of protracting

  Fix: Keep the neck long and move the shoulder blades around the ribcage without elevating the shoulders.

Safety

• The plus targets scapular movement and can increase scapular-stabilizer activity, but acute EMG changes do not establish long-term muscle-growth superiority.
• 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

• regressionElevated Push-up— Reduce relative load while learning the plus phase.
• progressionPush-up— Use the full push-up-plus standard when the elevated version is stable.
• alternativePike Push-up— Use a shoulder-dominant press when pressing strength is the primary goal.
• prerequisiteArcher Push-up— Scapular control is useful general preparation but not a unilateral prerequisite.