Exercise guide · Advanced · Compound

Narrow Push-Up on Exercise Ball: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The narrow push-up on an exercise ball is a challenging upper body exercise that targets the triceps while also engaging the chest and shoulders. The instability of the ball increases the demand on core stability and balance.

Primary muscles
Triceps
Secondary muscles
Shoulders , Chest
Equipment
Stability Ball
Level · type
Advanced · Compound
Demonstration of the narrow push-up on exercise ball
Front view: muscles worked by the narrow push-up on exercise ball. Primary: triceps. Secondary: shoulders and chest.
Back view: muscles worked by the narrow push-up on exercise ball. Primary: triceps. Secondary: shoulders and chest.
Primary Secondary

How to do the narrow push-up on exercise ball

  1. Step 1: Place the stability ball on the ground and position yourself in a push-up position with your hands on the ball, slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart.
  2. Step 2: Engage your core and keep your body in a straight line from head to toe.
  3. Step 3: Lower your chest towards the ball by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your body.
  4. Step 4: Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push yourself back up to the starting position by straightening your arms.
  5. Step 5: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the narrow push-up on exercise ball by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Narrow Push-Up on Exercise Ball alternatives

More exercises that train the triceps as their main target:

More triceps exercises

See the best tricep exercises, ranked →

Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.