Vertical Push · Intermediate
Pike Push-Up
- Movement pattern
- Vertical Push
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Mechanics
- Compound
- Sides
- Bilateral
- Main plane
- Sagittal
How to do the Pike Push-Up
Setup
From a push-up position, walk your feet in and lift your hips high so your body forms an inverted "V," torso angled toward vertical, head pointing down between your hands.
Bend your elbows to lower the crown of your head toward the floor between your hands.
Press back up to full arm extension, keeping the pike shape throughout.
The higher and more vertical your hips, the more this shifts toward a true overhead press and the harder it gets.
Common mistakes
Letting the hips drop out of the pike position mid-set, which turns this back into a regular push-up and reduces shoulder emphasis.
Skipping wrist warm-up -- this position loads the wrists more than a standard push-up.
Muscles worked
Primary
How the knowledge graph models this movement
Shoulder flexion
Elbow extension
Scapula elevation
Spine flexion
Scapula upward rotation