Uneven 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. Place one hand on a stable low platform and the other on the floor; use a height that creates a manageable loading difference.
2. 2Starting position. Set the hands and feet in the prescribed relationship, extend the elbows, and stack the ribcage over the pelvis. Keep both shoulders and the pelvis controlled despite the different hand heights.
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 through both hands while allowing the lower hand to accept more of the declared load.
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 hand heights, side, and range remain constant across the set.

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.

• Using a rotating trunk to avoid load

  Fix: Lower the platform or widen the feet until the shoulders and pelvis stay controlled.

Safety

• Hand position, range, elevation, instability, asymmetry, and landing mechanics can materially change loading; a standard push-up is not a universal substitute for every variant.
• 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— Use symmetrical hand height before adding asymmetry.
• progressionArcher Push-up— Increase the loading difference only when the offset version is stable.
• alternativeRing Push-up— Use instability without a fixed side-to-side hand height.
• prerequisiteOne-arm Push-up— Offset pressing is one possible preparation route, not a guarantee of one-arm readiness.