Decline Push-Up

PushBWBoxBench

Push-up with feet elevated instead of hands, increasing the percentage of bodyweight loaded onto the upper body and shifting emphasis slightly toward the upper chest and shoulders.

Demo: Exercise technique demo

Sets

3

Reps

10-15

Rest

1 min

Contraindications

Wrist strain at steep angles — reduce elevation.

Setup

Feet on an elevated surface (box, bench, step), hands on the floor slightly wider than shoulders.

Execution

  1. 1Lower the chest toward the floor, elbows around 45 degrees
  2. 2Keep the body rigid — no sagging or piking
  3. 3Press back up to full extension
  4. 4Keep the head in line with the spine

Key cues

  • Straight line from head to heels
  • Higher feet = harder
  • Elbows tucked to 45 degrees
  • Squeeze glutes to lock the plank

Common faults

  • Sagging or piking the hips
  • Using too high an elevation before ready
  • Flaring elbows
  • Neck craning up or down

Tweaks

  • Add a hand-release pause at the bottom
  • Progress toward pike push-up by walking feet higher
  • Add a weighted vest for load

Regressions

Standard Push-Up

Progressions

Deficit Push-UpPike Push-Up

Muscles

Primary: Pectoralis Major (Clavicular Head), Anterior Deltoid, Triceps Brachii

Secondary: Core

Notes

Same movement as 'feet-elevated push-up' listed separately in the catalog spec, kept as distinct entries since spec lists both decline and feet-elevated explicitly — see feet-elevated-push-up for the dedicated entry.

Sources

Attribution: General calisthenics canon