Pike Push-Up

About This Exercise

A bodyweight overhead-press progression performed in an inverted-V (pike) position. The athlete sets up like a downward-facing-dog yoga pose — hands on the floor, hips piked high, body forming an inverted V — and lowers the head toward the floor between the hands, then presses back up. Loads the shoulders more than a standard push-up because the body angle directs more weight onto the upper body. Distinct from a flat Push-Up (horizontal body angle, chest emphasis) and from Handstand Push-Ups (full inversion, near-100% bodyweight on shoulders, advanced). Pike push-ups are the intermediate progression between flat push-ups and handstand push-ups in the calisthenics shoulder-strength path.

1Setup

Start in a downward-facing-dog position: hands shoulder-width on the floor, hips piked up high, legs straight and together, body forming an inverted V from heels to hands. The torso is roughly vertical; shoulders stack approximately over the wrists. Brace the trunk.

2Execution

Bend the elbows and lower the head toward the floor between the hands, keeping the inverted-V shape (do not flatten into a regular push-up). Pause just before the head touches. Press back up to the starting position by extending the elbows. Keep the hips piked high throughout — the work is in the shoulders and triceps, not in the chest.

Pro Tips

• Keep the hips piked — flattening turns this into a regular push-up and removes the shoulder load
• Lower the head straight down between the hands, not forward toward the fingertips
• Walk the feet closer to the hands to increase load (more vertical torso); walk feet farther away to reduce
• Progress to elevated pike push-ups (feet on a box) before attempting handstand push-ups