Exercise guide · Intermediate · Compound

Push-Up Plus: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The push-up plus is a variation of the standard push-up that adds an extra movement at the top of the push-up by protracting the shoulder blades, which further engages the serratus anterior and improves shoulder stability.

Primary muscles
Chest
Secondary muscles
Triceps , Shoulders
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Intermediate · Compound
Demonstration of the push-up plus
Front view: muscles worked by the push-up plus. Primary: chest. Secondary: triceps and shoulders.
Back view: muscles worked by the push-up plus. Primary: chest. Secondary: triceps and shoulders.
Primary Secondary

How to do the push-up plus

  1. Step 1: Start in a high plank position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
  2. Step 2: Lower your body towards the ground by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your sides.
  3. Step 3: Once your chest is just above the ground, push through your hands to extend your arms and lift your upper body up.
  4. Step 4: At the top of the movement, protract your shoulder blades by pushing your upper back towards the ceiling.
  5. Step 5: Pause for a moment, then reverse the movement by retracting your shoulder blades and lowering your body back down to the starting position.
  6. Step 6: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the push-up plus 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.

Push-Up Plus alternatives

More exercises that train the chest as their main target:

More chest exercises

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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.