- EquipmentBodyweight
- PatternPush
- Reps8 to 30 reps
- Joint loadWrist
Stand facing a wall about an arm's length away and place your hands on it at shoulder height, slightly wider than your shoulders.
First cueKeep your heels down if you can.
How to do the Wall Push-Up
Set up. Stand facing a wall about an arm's length away and place your hands on it at shoulder height, slightly wider than your shoulders.
- Keep your body straight and bend your elbows to bring your chest toward the wall.
- Stop just before your nose touches.
- Push back to straight arms.
Form cues
- Keep your heels down if you can.
- Move as one straight line.
- Step farther from the wall to make it harder.
Common mistakes
- Bending at the hips instead of the elbows.
- Letting the head drop toward the wall first.
Muscles worked
Main target: Chest. The chest muscles fan out across the front of the ribcage, from the breastbone and collarbone to the upper arm. They bring the arm forward and across the body, which is the work of every press, push-up and fly.
On the way: Triceps and Front delts.
Its other side: Upper back, Lats and Rear delts, in the horizontal push and pull pattern.
Alternatives and swaps
The same main muscle with other equipment: a swap never changes the muscle a workout trains.
Home or dumbbell swap
Dumbbell Bench Press
Dumbbell
Gym or cable swap
Machine Chest Press
Machine
Less load on the wrist
Dumbbell Bench Press
The Wall Push-Up loads the wrist by the catalog's joint rule, the one the app's workaround mode uses; this one does not.
A swap describes the movement, not your body: if a joint hurts, ask a professional before you train it.
Variations and preparation
A variation of: Knee Push-Up.
Do before it: Wall Push-Up (same movement, lighter), Scapular Push-Up (shoulder blades), Knee Push-Up (same movement, lighter) and Incline Push-Up (same movement, lighter).
Track it in StatBlockFit
In the StatBlockFit app the Wall Push-Up is logged set by set: the app suggests your next weight after each session, times your rests, keeps your records and shows the 72-hour recovery of every muscle on its training map. The training guide explains how.
Questions
How do you do the Wall Push-Up?
Set up: Stand facing a wall about an arm's length away and place your hands on it at shoulder height, slightly wider than your shoulders. Steps: 1. Keep your body straight and bend your elbows to bring your chest toward the wall. 2. Stop just before your nose touches. 3. Push back to straight arms. Form cues: Keep your heels down if you can. Move as one straight line. Step farther from the wall to make it harder. Common mistakes: Bending at the hips instead of the elbows. Letting the head drop toward the wall first.
What muscles does the Wall Push-Up work?
It trains the chest as its main target and works the triceps and front delts on the way.
What can I do instead of the Wall Push-Up?
At home: Dumbbell Bench Press. In a gym: Machine Chest Press. With less load on the wrist: Dumbbell Bench Press. Each trains the same main muscle.