Valslide Push Up: Exercise Guide, Form Tips & Video

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Valslide Push Up Overview

The valslide push up is a hard chest move. It works your chest the most. Your triceps, shoulders, and abs help too. The triceps are the back of your arms. You place each hand on a valslide. A valslide is a small disc that glides on the floor. The slides make your body fight to stay steady. This wakes up your chest and core more than a normal push up. It builds strength and control at the same time. It is good for lifters who want a real challenge. You need no weights, just the slides and floor space. Add the valslide push up on push days or at home.

What Is The Point of the Valslide Push Up?

The valslide push up exercise builds chest strength while adding instability that fires up your core. It makes regular push ups harder and tests your balance.

How To Do The Valslide Push Up

  1. Place a valslide under each hand on the floor and set up in a push up position with your hands about shoulder width apart. Your body should form a straight line from head to heels.
  2. Set your shoulders down and away from your ears and brace your core hard. The sliding surface removes stability, so your trunk has to work overtime to stay solid.
  3. Grip the floor with your fingers and keep gentle inward pressure on the slides so they do not shoot out from under you. Take a breath and lock your body tight.
  4. Lower your chest toward the floor under control while keeping the valslides stable and directly under your shoulders. Let your elbows tuck to about 45 degrees rather than flaring wide.
  5. Descend slowly, taking about two to three seconds, and keep your hips level with your shoulders. Do not let your lower back sag or your hips pike up.
  6. Reach a full depth where your chest is just above the floor, feeling a stretch across your chest and shoulders. Keep the slides from drifting apart at the bottom.
  7. Press back up through your chest and triceps, driving the floor away and keeping the slides steady the whole time. Squeeze your chest as you rise.
  8. Keep your core locked from head to heels so your body moves as one rigid unit. The instability is the whole challenge, so resist any wobble.
  9. Finish your set with smooth, controlled reps without letting the slides get away from you. Because it is demanding, 6 to 12 quality reps for 3 sets is a solid target.

Valslide Push Up Form Tips

  1. Keep your body straight from head to heels.
  2. Brace your belly so your hips do not sag.
  3. Lower slowly. Stay in control.
  4. Keep the slides steady under your hands.
  5. Lower until your chest is near the floor.
  6. Push through your chest and triceps.
  7. Keep your elbows at a safe angle, not flared wide.
  8. Breathe out as you push up.
  9. Keep your neck in line with your back.

Common Mistakes to Avoid for the Valslide Push Up

  1. Letting the valslides drift apart at the bottom. When the slides slip outward, your hands move too wide, your chest overstretches, and your shoulders take strain. Keep gentle inward pressure on the slides so they stay under your shoulders.
  2. Letting your hips sag toward the floor. A drooping midsection means your core has switched off, which strains your lower back and wastes the anti-instability benefit. Brace hard and keep a straight line from head to heels.
  3. Piking your hips up toward the ceiling. Lifting your hips to make the push up easier shortens your range and takes tension off your chest. Keep your hips level with your shoulders throughout.
  4. Flaring your elbows straight out to the sides. A 90 degree flare stresses the shoulder joint and weakens your press. Keep your elbows tucked to around 45 degrees so the load stays on your chest and triceps.
  5. Rushing the reps to fight the instability. Moving fast to get through the wobble uses momentum and hides sloppy control. Slow down, own the lowering phase, and control the slides the whole time.
  6. Cutting the range of motion short. Half push ups that never bring your chest near the floor skip the stretch where the chest works hardest. Lower until your chest is just above the ground on each rep.
  7. Losing your shoulder set as you fatigue. When your shoulders shrug up toward your ears, you lose your stable base and risk the joint. Keep your shoulders down and back and your upper back tight.
  8. Holding your breath through the reps. A locked breath weakens your brace on a drill that already demands total-body tension. Breathe steadily and keep your core rigid from start to finish.
  9. Trying it before you can do solid regular push ups. The valslides add a stability challenge that overwhelms a weak push up and leads to collapse. Build a strong standard push up first, then add the slides.
  10. Letting your head drop or crane forward. Dropping your head usually drags your upper back out of line and shifts your weight forward. Keep your neck neutral so your spine stays straight.
  11. Placing your hands too far forward. Setting the slides out in front of your shoulders overloads the shoulders and makes the slides harder to control. Keep your hands under your shoulders at the start of each rep.

Valslide Push Up Workout Tips

  1. Treat the slides as a core stability challenge, not just a chest move. The unstable surface forces your trunk to fight hard to keep you rigid, so this trains your abs as much as your chest.
  2. Keep gentle inward pressure on the slides. Squeezing them slightly toward each other stops them from sliding out and keeps your hands safely under your shoulders.
  3. Build a strong regular push up first. The valslide version demands real pressing strength plus stability, so master the standard push up before you add the instability.
  4. Keep your elbows around 45 degrees. This is the sweet spot that protects your shoulders and keeps the load on your chest and triceps where you want it.
  5. Control the lowering phase for two to three seconds. A slow eccentric on an unstable surface builds serious chest strength and teaches your body to stay tight under load.
  6. Brace your whole body from head to heels. Thinking of yourself as a rigid plank keeps your hips level and turns each rep into a full-body strength effort.
  7. Program it as a challenging push variation. It fits well on push day or in a bodyweight circuit when you want to add difficulty without extra equipment.
  8. Squeeze your chest as you press up. Chasing the mind-muscle connection turns each rep into focused chest work rather than just surviving the wobble.
  9. Start with fewer reps than a normal push up. The instability makes every rep harder, so 6 to 12 quality reps beats grinding out sloppy ones that fall apart.
  10. Progress by adding reps or slowing the tempo. Since it is bodyweight, you overload it with more control and time under tension rather than external load.
  11. Keep the slides directly under your shoulders. Proper hand position keeps the movement strong and lowers the strain on your shoulders.
  12. Try sliding one hand at a time as an advanced step. Adding a small reach with one slide increases the stability demand once the basic version feels easy.
  13. Film yourself from the side occasionally. Video reveals sagging hips or drifting slides far better than the effort feels while you are grinding.
  14. Keep your shoulders set down and back. A stable shoulder base protects the joint and gives your chest a solid platform to press from.
  15. Do not train to failure every set. Leaving a rep or two in reserve protects your form on an unstable drill where a collapse could tweak your shoulder.
  16. Warm up your shoulders and wrists first. A few easier push ups and some mobility work prepare the joints for the added instability.

Train Chest With Your AI Trainer

  1. Go to the iOS App Store and search "GetFit AI: AI Fitness Trainer" or tap the button below to do the valslide push up exercise on the app
  2. Download the app πŸ“²
  3. Complete the quiz to build a custom AI workout plan πŸ€–
  4. Choose a trainer or build a custom valslide push up plan targeting your chest πŸ’ͺ
  5. Stay consistent, chat with your AI trainer anytime, and compete with friends to stay motivated πŸ†

Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator for the Valslide Push Up Exercise

Average Valslide Push Up standards by male, female, weight, age and height

Use this calculator to estimate a smart starting weight and one rep max for the Valslide Push Up. Treat it as your starting line. Your GetFit AI trainer fine-tunes the exact weights as you train.

Enter your stats to calculate your Reps & Weight
How is this calculated?

Estimates start from a percentage of your body weight for this movement pattern and equipment, adjusted for gender, age, and height. One rep max is projected from the 8-rep weight using the Epley formula. Every lifter is different, so use these as a conservative starting point, not a target.

Beginner8 reps 45 lbs
1 Rep Max55 lbs
Intermediate8 reps 55 lbs
1 Rep Max70 lbs
Advanced8 reps 70 lbs
1 Rep Max90 lbs

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