Reverse Push-Up
Reverse Push-Up Exercise Description
The Reverse Push-up (floor triceps dip) is a bodyweight pressing exercise that emphasizes the triceps while engaging the shoulders, scapular stabilizers, and core. You support yourself with hands on the floor behind you and press through the arms to lift and lower the torso, maintaining a neutral spine and controlled shoulder position. Hips stay elevated in a reverse tabletop line, so the glutes and hamstrings assist isometrically to keep the pelvis from sagging. Proper form focuses on elbow extension without shoulder collapse, scapular depression (shoulders down), and even pressure through the whole hand. Done with control and a comfortable range, it helps develop upper‑body pressing strength and shoulder girdle stability without external equipment.
- Muscle Groups: Triceps
- Target Muscles: Triceps Brachii - Lateral Head
- Assisting Muscles: Triceps Brachii - Long Head, Triceps Brachii - Medial Head
- Stabilizing Muscles: Biceps Femoris - Long Head, Gluteus Maximus, Rhomboid Major, Transversus Abdominis, Trapezius - Lower Fibers
- Body Area: Upper Body
- Body Parts: Arms, Upper Arms
- Body Surface: Back
- Body Symmetry: Bilateral
- Equipment: Bodyweight
- Exercise Patterns: Push
- Exercise Type: Strength
- Functional Grouping: Elbow Extensors
- Joint Involvement: Multi-joint
- Muscle Location: Outer Tricep
- Movement Direction: Vertical
- Muscle Position: Posterior
- Gender: Male
How To Do The Reverse Push-Up Exercise
‘- Sit on the floor with knees bent and feet flat, hip‑width apart.
– Place hands on the floor beside or slightly behind your ribs, fingers pointing toward your feet, wrists under shoulders.
– Set posture: brace lightly, ribs down, chest open, shoulders depressed and slightly retracted, neck neutral.
– Press through the whole hand (especially the heel of the palm) to lift your hips into a reverse tabletop; form a straight line from shoulders through hips to knees.
– Lower under control by bending the elbows straight back, keeping wrists stacked under shoulders and shoulders down (avoid shrugging).
– Stop when elbows reach about 90 degrees or before the shoulders roll forward; maintain neutral spine and level hips.
– Press back up by extending the elbows until arms are straight without forcefully locking.
– Keep elbows tracking mostly behind you (not flared wide).
– Maintain even pressure through both hands; do not let hips sag or ribs flare.
– If wrists feel strained, turn fingers slightly outward and keep forearms vertical throughout the movement.
Reverse Push-Up Tips
‘- Keep your wrists stacked directly under your shoulders before you lift your hips.
– Press through the whole hand, especially the heel of the palm, as you lift and lower.
– Lift your hips into a reverse tabletop so your shoulders, hips, and knees form a straight line.
– Brace lightly with ribs down, chest open, and neck neutral before you start pressing.
– Lower by bending the elbows straight back while keeping the shoulders depressed (down) and avoiding shrugging.
– Stop your descent around 90 degrees of elbow bend or earlier if your shoulders start to roll forward.
– Press up by extending the elbows until the arms are straight without forcefully locking them.
– Keep elbows tracking mostly behind you rather than flaring wide.
– Maintain level hips without letting them sag or ribs flare throughout the movement.
– If your wrists feel strained, turn your fingers slightly outward while keeping your forearms vertical.
Reverse Push-Up Beginner Introduction
The Reverse Push-up (floor triceps dip) is a bodyweight strength move that centers on the back of the upper arms while also involving the shoulders, muscles around the shoulder blades, and core. In this exercise, the body is supported on the hands placed behind the torso, with the hips lifted so the trunk forms a tabletop‑like shape facing upward. The torso rises and lowers as the elbows bend and straighten, creating a pressing pattern for the arms while the mid‑section stays steady and the spine remains in a natural curve.
Because the hips hover rather than resting on the floor, the glutes and the backs of the thighs stay active to hold the body in line and prevent the pelvis from dropping. Attention stays on smooth elbow motion without letting the shoulders creep upward or collapse forward, and on spreading pressure through the full hand. Practiced in a steady, comfortable range, this triceps‑focused dip variation offers a way to build upper‑body pressing strength and shoulder stability using only body weight and a flat floor.