Supinated 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 stable handles or a hand position that permits the forearms and wrists to remain controlled; do not force the palms flat if the setup is not secure.
2. 2Starting position. Set the hands and feet in the prescribed relationship, extend the elbows, and stack the ribcage over the pelvis. Set the supinated or reverse-grip hands with the elbows and shoulders in a tolerable line.
3. 3Eccentric phase. Lower the body as one coordinated unit through the defined elbow and shoulder path. Allow normal scapular movement without collapsing or creating depth through the lower back.
4. 4Bottom position. Reach the fixed depth marker without bouncing, twisting, or losing hand contact. Use only the range that can be reversed under control.
5. 5Concentric phase / lockout. Press the support away and return to the prescribed lockout or top position. Press while keeping the hands fixed and avoiding a sudden shoulder roll or wrist collapse.
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 reverse grip is maintained from start to finish and the same range is used on every rep.

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 wrist extension

  Fix: Use parallettes or a modified hand angle; the reverse grip is optional, not a test of pain tolerance.

Safety

• Supination changes wrist and shoulder demands and may be poorly tolerated; there is no basis for presenting it as universally superior for chest or triceps growth.
• 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 testing the reverse-grip setup.
• progressionWeighted Push-up— Add load only after the hand, wrist, and shoulder standard is stable.
• alternativePush-up— Use a conventional hand position with a more familiar wrist demand.
• prerequisiteOne-arm Push-up— No automatic unilateral progression is implied; progress only after the bilateral form is robust.