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Decline Push Ups

A push up with your feet raised. More of your body weight moves onto your arms, and the work shifts to the upper chest.

Level Advanced
Equipment Chair or bed
Sets and reps 3 sets x 8-12
Works on Upper chest, shoulders

How to do it

  1. Put your feet up on a chair or the edge of a bed.
  2. Place your hands on the floor a little wider than your shoulders.
  3. Keep a straight line from heels to head and lower your chest to the floor.
  4. Push back up without letting the hips rise.

Common mistakes

  • × Going too high too soon - start with a low step, not a table.
  • × Letting the hips pike up into a V shape.
  • × Holding the breath - breathe out on the way up.
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One thing that matters

Only try this once you can do fifteen clean floor push ups. Before that it just teaches bad form.

How much

Sets and reps for Decline Push Ups

Where you are Aim for
Just starting 3 sets x 5, feet on a low step
The standard 3 sets x 8-12
Once it is easy 3 sets x 18, feet on a chair
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Breathing

In down, out up - and take the breath in properly. Head-low positions make shallow breathing tempting.

Too hard, or too easy?

Where this sits

← Easier Push Ups 3 sets x 8-20

Start here if you cannot do decline push ups with clean form yet.
You are here Decline Push Ups 3 sets x 8-12

Advanced · Chair or bed

Harder → Archer Push Ups 3 sets x 6-8 each side

Move up when decline push ups stops being a challenge.
Questions

Decline Push Ups, answered

What do decline push-ups work?

The upper chest and the shoulders take noticeably more than in a flat push-up, because your body weight shifts towards your hands as the feet go up.

How high should my feet be?

Start on a low step, not a chair. Every few inches up makes a real difference. If your hips sag or your neck cranes, the feet are too high for now.

I feel dizzy doing these. Is that normal?

Head-below-heart plus effort plus held breath does that. Breathe properly, come up slowly between sets, and stop if it keeps happening. If you have blood pressure trouble, do flat push-ups instead.

One exercise is never the whole story

Which day to do Decline Push Ups, how many sets, and what to pair it with - the AI builds the whole plan. Your first one is free.

Build My Free Plan
Chest

You can also try

💪 Intermediate

Push Ups

Chest, shoulders, triceps

One exercise that works chest, shoulders, triceps and core all at once. The backbone of any home workout.

3 sets x 8-20 →
💪 Beginner

Knee Push Ups

Chest, triceps

Start here if a full push up is not happening yet. Same exercise, simply less bodyweight to move.

3 sets x 8-12 →
💪 Advanced

Diamond Push Ups

Triceps, inner chest

Bringing your hands together shifts the load onto your triceps. Considerably harder than a normal push up.

3 sets x 8-15 →
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This is general information, not medical advice

Everything on this page is worked out from a formula or from published averages. It has never met you, and it cannot see your blood pressure, your medication or an old injury.

Talk to a doctor before you start if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a heart condition, diabetes or high blood pressure, take regular medication, have or have had an eating disorder, are recovering from injury or surgery, or are under 18. Stop and get advice if any exercise causes pain, dizziness or chest discomfort.

More about where these numbers come from is on the about page.