Let's train your upper body! Incorporate this effective exercise into your workout plan and you'll quickly see progress. Here's how to do the Pike Push Up correctly, and here's what it's all about.
Especially those who sit a lot and hunched over at a desk develop imbalances and pain in the upper back over time.
To prevent this, the upper body should be strengthened. However, this does not necessarily require equipment or heavy weights.
There are great bodyweight exercises for this. One of them is the Pike Press.
This exercise is a combination of the handstand push-ups and the push-up.
But how is the exercise performed correctly? We'll tell you here.
Table of contents
How to perform the Pike Push Up correctly?
Since this exercise is a type of challenging push-up and is the precursor to the Handstand Push Up, the muscles of your upper body are put under high tension.
Especially the shoulders are stressed.
In order to get the best possible training results out of the Pikes, you should definitely pay attention to a few important things during the execution.
Because of the unfamiliar and demanding movement, mistakes can easily happen. This reduces the effectiveness of the exercise and, in the worst case, even increases the discomfort in the upper back.
Depending on the level of difficulty, you can choose between two different variants.
- Equipment needed: no
- Difficulty: medium
- Suitable for beginners: yes
- Designations: Pike Push Up, Pike Press, Pike Push Up
- Muscle groups used: Deltoid, triceps, hooded muscle
Pike Push Up Tutorial for Beginners
- Get into the position of the dog looking down.
- Your weight is on the palms of your hands and the tops of your feet.
- Your head is held in the extension of the back.
- The arms are close to the chest and firmly fixed to the floor.
- Now slowly bend your arms so that your upper body lowers towards the floor.
- The head should be just above the ground.
- Then return to the starting position in a controlled manner.
- The movement always comes from the shoulders and not from the hips.
As a beginner, do 8 reps and 3 sets.
Pike Push Up Advanced Instruction
Is the exercise too easy for you because you are already so well trained? Then you can of course make it more difficult.
Either lift a foot or use a bench.
The sequence of the exercise remains quite the same. Except that you place your feet on the bench. Lower your upper body by bending your arms.
As you lower, you inhale, and as you push up, you exhale.
What can you do wrong with Pikes?
The movement is not always executed perfectly. Errors also occur frequently. So that you can avoid these, you should definitely pay attention to a few things during the execution.
Only if you perform the exercise cleanly, it is effective. Regardless of whether you choose the light or heavy variant.
The back
During the Pike Push Up, you should have a straight back throughout. Make sure that you do not hunch over.
The arms
Try to perform the movement in a natural way. Your arms should not be overstretched. Also, you should always stretch your arms first.
The angle
In order not to land involuntarily on the nose, feel your way to the pike push-up posture. Choose an angle that is not so steep at the beginning.
Only when you are sure that your shoulders and arms can lift your body, you can choose a steeper angle.
The head
The head should not touch the ground. But try to get as close as possible. If you're not there yet, keep working towards your goal, lowering yourself a little further each time.
Don't overdo it, though.
In addition, the head should not sink at the level of the hands, but a little further forward. Your hands and your head should form a triangle.
What muscles are worked during Pike Push Ups?
The focus of the Pike Push Ups is on the shoulder muscles.
Because unlike the normal pushupsWhere the legs help to carry the weight, additional weight is placed on the upper body. The reason for this is the elevated pelvis.
However, it is not only the muscle strength of your shoulders that is needed, but also that of your arms and back.
The primary muscles used in the Pike Press are
- All three parts of the shoulder delta
- Triceps
- Hooded muscle
How effective are Pike Push Ups?
The pikes strengthen the shoulders in particular. You will feel every single repetition in your upper body.
And although the exercise resembles a traditional push-up, the inverted V shape puts the emphasis more on the shoulders than the chest.
You can through this exercise prepare for the handstand.
In fact, the Pike Push Up works your core and helps you better adjust to overhead weight transfer.
But before you attempt this exercise, you should master the normal push-up.
If this one is no longer a problem for you, then the Pike Press is the ideal transition exercise for someone who needs more strength for a handstand.
What are the alternative exercises to Pike Push Ups?
Pike push ups are not for everyone. But there are alternative exercises with which you can also effectively strengthen your upper body.
Shoulder press with dumbbell
- Starting position: upright stand.
- Take a dumbbell in each hand.
- Keep your arms bent at shoulder height.
- The palms of the hands point forward.
- Stick your arms up.
- Hold briefly and lower again in a controlled manner.
Pikes on the gym ball
- You start in the push-up position, lower legs on the ball, the whole body is tense.
- Then roll forward with the ball and lift your butt until you create a half handstand.
- Be careful and don't roll too far forward so you don't fall down.
Military Plank
- You start in a conventional plank.
- Tighten the abdomen firmly.
- Now straighten up into a full plank by extending your arms. The hands are under the shoulders.
- Once you are in the full plank, you return to the starting position.
- You can do this exercise clockwise or counterclockwise. It is important that you tighten the abdomen and do not fall into a hollow back.
Our conclusion
If you want to effectively strengthen your upper body and possibly prepare for the handstand, then it is worthwhile to include the Pike Push Up in the training plan. This exercise will help you build muscle even faster. However, make sure that you always perform the exercise cleanly. If in doubt, do the exercise in front of a mirror.
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