Plank Push-Up
You start in a forearm plank, your body one straight line from head to heels. Then you press up onto your hands one arm at a time — and lower back onto your forearms the same way, one arm at a time. Your hips stay still and in the line throughout; that is the real work.
The plank push-up is the exercise between the plank and the push-up. In the plank you hold the line still. Here you hold it while your points of support change: one arm presses you up, your body wants to rotate to the side and give way at the hips — and your trunk holds against both. That tension under movement is exactly what the push-up will need later.
On top of that comes the press itself: every switch onto your hands is a one-arm press with part of your body weight. If you can do twenty clean switches with your hips staying still, you have the trunk tension for your first push-ups.
Starting position
Lie face down and prop yourself up on your forearms: elbows under your shoulders, forearms pointing forward. Feet hip-width apart, up on your toes.
Before you come up, brace: abs tight, pelvis and ribs drawn towards each other, glutes squeezed. Then lift your body into the plank — shoulders, hips and heels in one line. That is your starting position, and it is the line you return to after every switch.
Your head stays in line with your spine; look at the floor between your hands.
The three cues
- Abs tight, pelvis and ribs drawn together — only then come up
- Press out one arm at a time: plant one hand, then the other, hold the line briefly at the top
- Back onto your forearms the same way — your hips stay still and in the line the whole time
Common faults
| Fault | How to fix it |
|---|---|
| Your hips sag and your lower back arches | Brace before the first switch: abs tight, pelvis and ribs drawn together. If that does not hold, do fewer switches — and spend more time on the plank itself. |
| Your hips pike up and your body forms a tent | Bring your hips into the line — shoulders, hips and heels in one straight line, at the top and at the bottom. |
| Your body twists to the side as you switch and your hips swing | Switch more slowly and brace harder. Set your feet a little wider until your hips stay still. |
| Your hands land well in front of your shoulders | Plant each hand where the elbow was — at the top, your hands sit under your shoulders. |
| Your head drops and your chin goes to your chest | Keep your head in line with your spine and look at the floor between your hands. |
Variations
| Variation | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Hold the plank | The plank itself comes first: hold the line, pelvis and ribs drawn together. Once you can hold it still, add the switches. |
| Plank push-up | What we do in the studio: forearms → hands → forearms, alternating the leading hand. Your hips stay in the line the whole time. |
| Slower, and more switches | Make every switch deliberately slow and hold briefly at the top. Once twenty are clean, you are ready for your first push-ups from the floor. |
Reps and load
In the studio the plank push-up comes before the push-up — and stays in your training afterwards, because it keeps working your abs. Andreas' yardstick: ten switches, then twenty — only then do the push-ups start. One rep is one switch up onto your hands.
Quality governs this exercise, not the count: as soon as your hips swing or sag, the set is over. A short rest between sets is enough.
Which muscles do the work
| Muscle | Role | What it does here |
|---|---|---|
| Triceps M. triceps brachii | Prime mover | Straightens your elbow and presses you from forearm to hand |
| Chest M. pectoralis major | Synergist | Helps press your upper body up once the hand is planted |
| Front delt M. deltoideus, pars clavicularis | Synergist | Brings the arm forward to plant the hand and supports you at the top |
| Abs M. rectus abdominis | Stabiliser | Keeps pelvis and ribs together and your hips in the line — on every single switch |
| Obliques Mm. obliqui abdominis | Stabiliser | Hold against the twist when only one arm is supporting you |
| Serratus anterior M. serratus anterior | Stabiliser | Keeps the shoulder blade flat against the ribcage when one arm carries you |
| Glute max M. gluteus maximus | Stabiliser | Keeps your hips extended and in the line |
| Spinal erectors M. erector spinae | Stabiliser | Keep your spine long while your abs secure it from the front |
The arms move, the trunk holds — and the holding is the point of this exercise. Your abs and obliques keep the line and stop the twist while your points of support change. That is exactly the tension the push-up needs afterwards.
Seeing it done right is not the same as doing it right
Video, cues and variations take you a long way. What they cannot give you is an outside eye at the moment the movement isn't quite there yet. That is what training with me is for — in the studio or in a workshop.
See the workshopsNew exercise pages are added all the time — the newsletter keeps you posted.
Sources
Can EN, Harput G, Turgut E. (2024). J Strength Cond Res 38(2):245–252. DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000004622 — Measures the shoulder-girdle muscles in 21 healthy men with a mean age of 26 in the forearm plank and the high plank, each with four, three and two points of support. In the high plank the lower trapezius and triceps work harder; the fewer the points of support, the more the shoulder girdle works. The only study that compares both support positions directly — it does not measure the transition between them, and trunk muscles were not recorded. No study exists on the plank push-up itself. No data on the Academy's readership — 40 to 60, two to four hours a week. (Evidence type: EMG)
Freeman S, Karpowicz A, Gray J, McGill S. (2006). Med Sci Sports Exerc 38(3):570–577. DOI: 10.1249/01.mss.0000189317.08635.1b — Measures muscle activity and spine load in ten university-aged people across several push-up forms. As soon as the hands move or are staggered, the abdominals work harder and side-dependently — the rectus abdominis and obliques switch sides with the hand. The closest support for the plank push-up loading the trunk against rotation; the forearm plank itself was not measured. A very small sample of young trained people. (Evidence type: Biomechanics)
Escamilla RF, Lewis C, Pecson A, Imamura R, Andrews JR. (2016). Sports Health 8(4):372–379. DOI: 10.1177/1941738116653931 — Measures the trunk muscles in 18 men and women aged 23 to 45 in support exercises. The plank on the toes works the obliques, lats and quads harder than the plank on the knees. The basis for making the plank on the toes the starting position on this page. With 45 as the upper age, the closest measurement in age — with no training status given and without the transition onto the hands. (Evidence type: EMG)
Jordan SL, Brinkman B, Harris S, Cole T, Ortiz A. (2022). J Bodyw Mov Ther 30:82–88. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2022.02.018 — Measures in 25 adults with a mean age of 27 (16 men, 9 women) how strongly the abdominal and back muscles co-contract in the plank and the push-up — on the floor and in a suspension trainer. On the floor the co-contraction is stronger; the authors recommend mastering plank and push-up on the floor before adding the suspension trainer. Supports the order plank → plank push-up → floor push-up. No data on the Academy's readership. (Evidence type: EMG)
A note on context: EMG studies show which muscles an exercise recruits — that is a good reason to pick it, but it does not replace adjusting things to the person in front of you. See a doctor for persistent or severe pain.