Exercise guide · Advanced · Compound

Weighted Drop Push Up: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The weighted drop push up is an advanced plyometric chest exercise that involves explosive push-ups with alternating hand positions, performed with added weight for increased resistance. This movement challenges strength, power, coordination, and control, making it suitable for experienced individuals.

Primary muscles
Chest
Secondary muscles
Shoulders , Triceps
Equipment
Weighted
Level · type
Advanced · Compound
Demonstration of the weighted drop push up
Front view: muscles worked by the weighted drop push up. Primary: chest. Secondary: shoulders and triceps.
Back view: muscles worked by the weighted drop push up. Primary: chest. Secondary: shoulders and triceps.
Primary Secondary

How to do the weighted drop push up

  1. Step 1: Start in a high plank position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your feet together.
  2. Step 2: Lower your chest towards the ground, keeping your elbows close to your body.
  3. Step 3: Once your chest is just above the ground, explosively push yourself up, lifting your hands off the ground.
  4. Step 4: As you push up, quickly move your hands out to the sides and slightly forward, allowing your body to drop down towards the ground.
  5. Step 5: Catch yourself with your hands in the wider position and immediately lower your chest towards the ground again.
  6. Step 6: Repeat the push-up motion, dropping down and catching yourself with your hands in the narrower position.
  7. Step 7: Continue alternating between the wider and narrower hand positions for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the weighted drop 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.

Weighted Drop Push Up alternatives

More exercises that train the chest as their main target:

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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.