PIKE PUSH UP
Bodyweight Shoulder Builder
Primary Muscles
Exercise Description
The pike push-up is a bodyweight shoulder exercise that mimics overhead pressing. By elevating your hips, you shift more load onto your shoulders compared to regular push-ups.
How To Perform
Start in a downward dog position with hips high and body forming an inverted V.
Place hands slightly wider than shoulder-width, fingers pointing forward.
Keep your legs relatively straight with weight on the balls of your feet.
Bend your elbows and lower the top of your head toward the ground.
Lower until your head nearly touches the floor or as far as flexibility allows.
Press through your palms to extend arms back to starting position.
Expert Tips
Elevate feet for progression - Put feet on a box or bench to increase shoulder load and work toward handstand push-ups.
Keep hips high - The higher your hips, the more vertical the press and greater shoulder emphasis.
Control the descent - Lower slowly over 2-3 seconds. The eccentric builds serious shoulder strength.
Full range when possible - Try to get your head close to the ground, but respect your flexibility limits.
Common Mistakes
Hips dropping - Maintain the pike position. Don't let it become a regular push-up.
Elbows flaring out - Keep elbows at roughly 45 degrees to protect shoulders.
Incomplete range - Lower your head close to the ground for full shoulder development.
Using momentum - No bouncing. Control the movement in both directions.
Video Guide – Pike Push Up
Pike push-ups are the most effective bodyweight exercise for building shoulder strength and size. By positioning your body in a pike (inverted V) position, you create a pressing angle similar to an overhead press. This shifts significant load onto your anterior deltoids while still engaging triceps and upper chest. For anyone training at home without weights, or for athletes progressing toward handstand push-ups, pike push-ups are an essential movement that delivers real shoulder development.
What makes pike push-ups particularly valuable is their scalability. Beginners can start with a modified range of motion or hands elevated on a platform. Intermediate lifters can perform full-range pike push-ups with feet on the ground. Advanced athletes can elevate their feet on a box or bench, which increases the pressing angle toward vertical and dramatically increases difficulty. Eventually, this progression leads to wall-assisted handstand push-ups and full handstand push-ups—the ultimate bodyweight shoulder exercise.
Watch the demonstration video carefully. Notice the high hip position creating that inverted V shape. As the lifter descends, elbows bend at approximately 45 degrees (not flared straight out) while the top of the head lowers toward the ground between the hands. The movement is controlled and deliberate—no bouncing or momentum. At the bottom, there's a brief pause before pressing back up powerfully to full arm extension. Throughout, the pike position is maintained; it doesn't collapse into a regular push-up.
Program pike push-ups 2-3 times per week as your main shoulder exercise in home workouts (4 sets of 8-12 reps) or as an accessory in gym programs after overhead pressing (2-3 sets to failure). Progress by increasing reps, elevating feet gradually (start with 6 inches, work up to 24+ inches), or slowing down tempo. Once you can perform 15+ pike push-ups with feet elevated 18-24 inches, you're ready to start working on handstand push-ups against a wall.
Equipment Required
None (optional: box or bench for feet elevation)