Reverse Push Up Overview
The reverse push up is a bodyweight pulling move. You lie under a bar and pull your chest up to it. It works your lats, the big wing muscles on the sides of your back. It also works your biceps and middle back. You need a low bar or suspension handles at chest height. You use your own body weight for the load. The reverse push up is a step up past pure beginner. It builds a strong back and pulling power. This helps you before you can do full pull-ups. It also fixes rounded shoulders from too much sitting. A strong back keeps you standing tall. You do this move at home or the gym with a low bar. Add it to your back or pull day.
What Is The Point of the Reverse Push Up?
The reverse push up builds serious pulling strength in your lats and upper back. It's the opposite of a regular push up, teaching your body to pull instead of push.
How To Do The Reverse Push Up
- Set a bar in a rack or use suspension trainer handles at about chest height while standing. The higher the bar, the easier the movement, so adjust it to your level.
- Lie on your back underneath the bar and reach up to grab it with an overhand grip, hands a bit wider than shoulder-width. Your arms should be fully extended above your chest.
- Set your body in a straight line from your heels to your head, with your legs out straight and heels on the floor. Squeeze your glutes and brace your core so your body is one rigid plank.
- Set your shoulders down and back before you pull, pinching your shoulder blades slightly to protect the joint and start the pull from your back.
- Pull your chest up toward the bar by driving your elbows down and back, leading with your chest rather than your chin. Think about pulling your shoulder blades together.
- Continue until your chest nearly touches the bar and your shoulder blades are fully squeezed together. Breathe out through the effort and keep your body straight the whole way.
- Hold the top for a second, feeling your lats and mid-back work, then lower yourself back down slowly under control. Aim for a two to three second descent until your arms are straight.
- Keep your body rigid at the bottom and repeat without sagging or piking. Intermediate lifters do well with 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, adjusting bar height to change difficulty.
Reverse Push Up Form Tips
- Keep your body straight from head to heels.
- Pull with your back, not just your arms.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top.
- Keep your core and glutes tight to stay stiff.
- Move slow and controlled. Do not yank or swing.
- Breathe out as you pull up. Breathe in as you lower.
- Bring your chest to the bar, not your chin.
- Keep your elbows close to your sides.
- Lower yourself all the way to straight arms.
- Keep your neck in line with your spine.
Common Mistakes to Avoid for the Reverse Push Up
- Letting your hips sag toward the floor. When your hips drop, your body stops working as a rigid plank and your lower back takes the strain. Squeeze your glutes and brace your core so your body stays in one straight line from heels to head.
- Not pulling your chest all the way to the bar. Stopping short means your back muscles never fully contract, so you leave work undone. Pull until your chest nearly touches the bar and your shoulder blades squeeze together.
- Shrugging the shoulders up instead of pulling the blades down. Letting the shoulders ride toward your ears brings in the traps and stresses the joint. Set your shoulders down and back and start the pull by driving your shoulder blades together.
- Yanking with just your arms. Pulling only with your biceps leaves the big back muscles out and tires your arms fast. Drive your elbows down and back and think about squeezing your shoulder blades to lead with the back.
- Rushing the reps with momentum. Jerking your body up and dropping down fast uses swing instead of muscle. Pull smoothly and lower under control so the back does the work.
- Dropping down fast on the lowering phase. Letting yourself fall wastes the eccentric, which builds a lot of back muscle. Lower over two to three seconds and resist gravity.
- Piking the hips up to make it easier. Bending at the hips shortens the lever and cheats the movement. Keep your body straight and, if it is too hard, raise the bar instead of piking.
- Craning the neck to reach the bar. Leading with your chin instead of your chest strains the neck and shortchanges the pull. Keep your neck neutral and drive your chest to the bar.
- Not setting the shoulders before pulling. Starting the pull with loose shoulders leaves the joint exposed and lets the traps take over. Pinch your shoulder blades and pack your shoulders before each rep.
- Cutting the bottom range short. Not letting your arms fully straighten keeps the back from stretching under load. Extend your arms fully at the bottom before the next pull.
- Using a bar height that does not match your strength. Too low a bar makes it impossible with good form, and too high makes it too easy. Adjust the height so you can pull with a straight body for your target reps.
Reverse Push Up Workout Tips
- Adjust the bar height to set your difficulty. A higher bar makes the reverse push up easier and a lower bar makes it harder, so pick the height that lets you pull cleanly for your target reps.
- Keep your body in one rigid line. Squeezing your glutes and bracing your core turns your body into a plank, which protects your lower back and makes your back muscles do the work.
- Pull your shoulder blades together to lead with your back. Driving your elbows down and back and squeezing your blades is what turns this into a great lat and mid-back builder instead of an arm exercise.
- Pull your chest all the way to the bar. Full range with a hard squeeze at the top is where the back muscles fully contract, so do not stop short.
- Control the descent over two to three seconds. The lowering phase builds a lot of back muscle, so resist gravity instead of dropping to the bottom.
- Set your shoulders down and back before every pull. Packing the shoulders protects the joint and makes sure the pull starts from your back, not your traps.
- Use this as a horizontal pull to balance your pressing. Rows like this build the back that balances all your pushing, which keeps your shoulders healthy and your posture strong.
- It is a great stepping stone to pull-ups. The reverse push up builds the same pulling muscles as a chin-up in an easier position, so it is perfect for working toward your first pull-up.
- Progress by lowering the bar, elevating your feet, or slowing the tempo. These steps overload the movement with nothing but your bodyweight and a bar.
- Program it on your back or pull day for 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12. That range builds the lats and mid-back well and pairs nicely with vertical pulls like lat pulldowns.
- Add a pause at the top for extra back work. Holding your chest at the bar for a second forces a hard squeeze and kills any momentum.
- Keep your neck neutral and lead with your chest. Reaching with your chin strains your neck and cuts the range, so drive your chest to the bar instead.
- Elevate your feet to make it much harder. Putting your heels on a bench raises the load toward a full horizontal row, which is a simple way to keep progressing.
- Feel your back, not your arms. If your biceps burn out first, focus on driving your elbows back and squeezing your shoulder blades so the big back muscles take over.
- Pair it with rows and pulldowns for a complete back. Different pulling angles build a fuller, stronger back, so mix horizontal and vertical pulls in your program.
- Be patient and consistent. A strong, wide back comes from steady pulling with good form and gradual overload over months, not from one hard session.
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