Exercise Ball Pike Push Up
Exercise Ball Pike Push Up Exercise Description
The Exercise Ball Pike Push-Up is an advanced bodyweight variation that emphasizes the shoulders while challenging trunk stability and balance. With the shins or feet elevated on a stability ball, the movement shifts load toward the anterior deltoids and triceps, with the pectoralis major assisting. The serratus anterior and scapular stabilizers work to maintain upward rotation and protraction as you “push the floor away.” The core (rectus abdominis and obliques) resists lumbar extension, and the hip flexors help lift the hips into the pike. You’ll move from a stable plank into an inverted “V,” perform a vertical press (lowering the crown of the head toward the floor between the hands), then return to plank under control. Start with the ball under the shins for more stability; placing it closer to the feet increases the challenge. This variation rewards precise positioning, steady tempo, and consistent scapular control.
- Muscle Groups: Delts, Shoulders
- Target Muscles: Deltoid - Anterior
- Assisting Muscles: Pectoralis Major - Clavicular Head, Triceps Brachii - Lateral Head
- Stabilizing Muscles: External Obliques, Rectus Abdominis, Serratus Anterior, Trapezius - Lower Fibers, Trapezius - Upper Fibers
- Body Area: Upper Body
- Body Parts: Shoulders
- Body Surface: Front
- Body Symmetry: Bilateral
- Equipment: Stability Ball
- Exercise Patterns: Push
- Exercise Type: Strength
- Functional Grouping: Shoulder Flexors
- Joint Involvement: Multi-joint
- Muscle Location: Front Shoulder
- Movement Direction: Vertical
- Muscle Position: Anterior
- Gender: Male
How To Do The Exercise Ball Pike Push Up Exercise
‘- Set up in a high plank with hands shoulder-width, fingers spread, shoulders stacked over wrists. Place shins (or feet) on the stability ball. Brace the core and keep a neutral neck.
– Squeeze glutes and quads to keep the legs straight; keep ribs down to avoid lumbar arching.
– Press the floor away and lift the hips toward the ceiling, rolling the ball toward your hands until your body forms an inverted “V.” Keep the head neutral; eyes between the hands.
– From the pike, bend the elbows to lower the crown of the head toward the floor between the hands. Aim to keep forearms near vertical and elbows tracking slightly back.
– Maintain active scapulae (upward rotation/protraction) without shrugging the shoulders toward the ears.
– Press through the palms to extend the elbows and return to the pike.
– Lower the hips slowly and roll the ball back to the starting plank while maintaining a braced trunk.
– Form checks: avoid flared elbows, sagging low back, bent knees, or rushing. Work within a pain-free range you can stabilize.
Exercise Ball Pike Push Up Tips
‘- Start with the ball under your shins for more stability; move it closer to your feet only when you can control the movement.
– Spread your fingers, keep hands shoulder-width, and stack your shoulders directly over your wrists in the plank.
– Brace your core and keep your ribs down to avoid arching your lower back.
– Squeeze your glutes and quads to keep your legs straight throughout the movement.
– As you lift into the pike, “push the floor away” and roll the ball toward your hands until your body forms an inverted “V.”
– Keep your head neutral with eyes looking between your hands as you move into and out of the pike.
– In the press, lower the crown of your head between your hands with forearms near vertical and elbows tracking slightly back, not flared.
– Maintain active scapulae—upward rotation and protraction—without shrugging your shoulders toward your ears.
– Move with a steady tempo, lowering and lifting under control, and work only through a pain-free range you can stabilize.
Exercise Ball Pike Push Up Beginner Introduction
The Exercise Ball Pike Push-Up blends an overhead-style push with an unstable plank, creating a demanding bodyweight challenge for the shoulders and core. With the lower legs supported on a stability ball, more load shifts toward the front of the shoulders and the backs of the upper arms, while the chest and muscles around the rib cage assist. The abs and side abs work hard to prevent the lower back from sagging, and the hip flexors help raise the hips into a pike-like position. Glutes and thighs contribute by staying strong and straight to connect the upper and lower body.
This movement flows from a straight-body plank into a steep “A-frame” shape, followed by a controlled lowering of the head toward the floor between the hands, then a strong press back up and return to plank. The unstable surface adds a balance component, so alignment, smooth pacing, and steady movement through the shoulder blades become key themes. As the ball is positioned closer to the feet, the leverage shifts and the exercise becomes more intense for both shoulder strength and trunk control.