Exercise guide · Intermediate · Compound

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

The side push-up is a bodyweight exercise that primarily targets the triceps, while also engaging the shoulders, chest, and core. It is performed by lying on your side and pressing your body up using your bottom arm, which challenges your upper arm strength and stability.

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

How to do the side push-up

  1. Step 1: Start by lying on your side with your legs extended and stacked on top of each other.
  2. Step 2: Place your bottom hand on the ground directly under your shoulder, fingers pointing forward.
  3. Step 3: Press through your bottom hand to lift your body off the ground, keeping your legs straight and your core engaged.
  4. Step 4: Extend your top arm straight up towards the ceiling, creating a straight line from your head to your heels.
  5. Step 5: Lower your body back down to the starting position with control.
  6. Step 6: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch sides.

Sets, reps and programming

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

Side Push-Up alternatives

More exercises that train the triceps as their main target:

More triceps 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.