Reverse Grip Incline Push Up Overview
The reverse grip incline push up works your chest. It also uses your shoulders and triceps. You need a bench or a sturdy raised surface. Your hands go on the bench with your fingers pointing back toward your feet. Your body stays in one straight line. This move hits your chest from a new angle. The reverse grip changes how your arms work. The incline makes it easier than a floor push up. It is a good step for people learning push ups. Use it on chest or push days. It works well as a warm-up too.
What Is The Point of the Reverse Grip Incline Push Up?
The reverse grip incline push up targets your upper chest from a unique angle. It builds chest strength while reducing wrist strain compared to regular push ups.
How To Do The Reverse Grip Incline Push Up
- Set an incline bench or a sturdy elevated surface at about 30 to 45 degrees. The higher and more upright the surface, the easier the push up, so pick a height that lets you keep good form.
- Place your hands on the edge of the surface with your fingers pointing back toward your feet. This reverse grip is the whole point, and it shifts more work onto the upper chest and biceps line of tension.
- Set your hands a little wider than shoulder width. Grip the edge firmly and keep your wrists as comfortable as you can in this rotated position.
- Walk your feet back until your body forms a straight line from head to heels. Squeeze your glutes and brace your core so your hips do not sag or pike.
- Set your shoulder blades down and back to build a stable base. Take a breath and brace before you lower.
- Bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the surface under control, taking about 2 to 3 seconds. Let your elbows travel back at roughly 45 degrees rather than flaring straight out.
- Lower until your chest is close to the surface and you feel a stretch across the chest and shoulders. Keep your body in one straight line the whole way.
- Press back up by driving through your palms until your arms are straight, breathing out through the hardest part. Think about pushing the surface away and squeezing your chest.
- Keep your core tight and your body rigid on every rep. Adjust the incline higher to make it easier or lower to make it harder, and work in the 8 to 15 rep range for 3 sets.
Reverse Grip Incline Push Up Form Tips
- Keep your body in one straight line. No sagging hips.
- Point your fingers toward your feet the whole time.
- Keep your hands about shoulder-width apart.
- Lower your chest, not your face, to the bench.
- Move slowly on the way down.
- Keep your elbows at a safe angle, not flared wide.
- Squeeze your glutes and belly to stay stiff.
- Breathe out as you push up.
- Keep your neck long and eyes down.
Common Mistakes to Avoid for the Reverse Grip Incline Push Up
- Letting your hips sag toward the floor. A drooping midsection turns the push up into a lower-back strain and takes tension off the chest. Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs so your body stays in one straight line.
- Piking your hips up into an inverted V. Lifting the hips shortens the range and lets you cheat the press, which robs the chest of work. Keep a flat, rigid plank from head to heels through every rep.
- Forcing a wrist position that hurts. The reverse grip puts the wrists in a rotated spot that can feel harsh, and grinding through sharp pain is not worth it. Adjust your hand width and angle, and stop if the joint truly hurts.
- Flaring your elbows straight out to the sides. A 90 degree flare stresses the shoulder joint and weakens your press. Let your elbows travel back at around 45 degrees so the load stays on the chest and triceps.
- Cutting the range of motion short. Stopping the press a few inches from the surface only trains a slice of the movement. Lower your chest close to the surface on every rep to earn the full stretch and contraction.
- Choosing an incline that is too low for your strength. Going too horizontal too soon leaves your hips sagging and your form falling apart. Set the surface higher and more upright, then lower it as you get stronger.
- Rushing the lowering phase. Dropping fast wastes the eccentric, which is one of the best muscle-building parts of the rep. Take a controlled 2 to 3 second descent and own the negative.
- Losing your shoulder blade set. If your shoulders roll forward and up, you lose your stable base and expose the joint. Keep your shoulder blades set down and back throughout.
- Dropping or craning your head. Letting the head hang or snapping it up breaks the straight line and strains your neck. Keep a neutral neck with your eyes down and slightly ahead.
- Holding your breath the whole set. Locking your breath spikes pressure and leaves you shaky. Brace hard, then breathe out as you press up through the sticking point.
- Bouncing off the surface at the bottom. Using a rebound to launch back up steals the hardest part of the rep from your muscles. Touch lightly or pause, then press with control.
Reverse Grip Incline Push Up Workout Tips
- The reverse grip shifts the emphasis toward your upper chest and changes the pulling line at your arms. It is a nice way to hit the pecs from a slightly different angle than a standard push up.
- Use the incline height as your resistance dial. A higher, more upright surface makes the push up easier, and lowering the surface toward the floor makes it harder as you get stronger.
- Keep your body rigid like a plank from head to heels. A tight core and squeezed glutes keep the tension on your chest instead of leaking into a sagging back.
- Let your elbows travel back at about 45 degrees. This protects the shoulder and keeps the chest and triceps loaded, which is the same cue that makes barbell pressing safer.
- Use a controlled 2 to 3 second eccentric. Owning the lowering phase keeps tension on the chest and builds more muscle than dropping fast.
- Add a pause near the bottom on a few sets. Pausing at the stretch kills the bounce and forces your chest to press from a dead stop.
- Ease into the reverse grip. It feels odd on the wrists at first, so start with a higher, easier incline and let your wrists adapt over a few sessions.
- Program it as a chest accessory or a warm-up. Because you control the difficulty with the incline, it fits both beginners building strength and stronger lifters chasing a pump.
- Chase the mind-muscle connection. Think about squeezing your chest to drive your hands into the surface rather than just moving your body up.
- Progress by lowering the incline, then slowing the tempo, then adding reps. Small, controlled steps in difficulty are how you overload a bodyweight move.
- Keep your wrists as neutral as the grip allows and adjust your hand width. If a certain width bites the wrist, shift your hands until you find a spot that feels strong.
- Film your set from the side. A quick video shows a sagging hip or elbow flare far better than how the rep feels in the moment.
- Superset it with a standard push up for a full chest hit. The two grips load slightly different lines of the pec, so together they cover more of the muscle.
- Do not train to failure every set. Leaving a rep or two in the tank keeps your form crisp and lets you recover for the next session.
- Warm up your wrists and shoulders first. A few circles and light presses prime the joints for the rotated grip and make the work feel smoother.
- Be consistent and progressive. Bodyweight chest work builds real strength when you keep lowering the incline and adding reps over the weeks.
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