Wide-hands push up
Wide-hands push up uses a broader hand position as your body moves towards and away from the floor, and works mainly across your chest. It helps you build upper-body strength while practising whole-body steadiness. You need no equipment, though your hands and wrists should be comfortable supporting you.
Videos
Like a standard push up, you support yourself on your hands and feet while your body moves towards the floor and presses away in one long line. You should feel the clearest effort across your chest, with your shoulders and the backs of your upper arms helping and your stomach working to keep you steady.
The single change is a wider hand position than in a standard push up. That broader base shifts more of the effort across your chest while your shoulders, arms and middle still support the movement. Pick this version when you want a push up that places the clearest emphasis on your chest rather than the standard hand position.
Choose it to build strength for everyday pushing while practising how to keep your body firm as your arms work. It suits you if you enjoy simple, equipment-free training and have enough floor space to stretch out. Because it loads your hands and wrists and involves getting down to the floor, those positions should feel comfortable.
How to do it
Begin on all fours with your hands wider than your shoulders and your fingers pointing forwards.
Walk your feet back until your body forms a straight line from your head to your heels.
Brace your middle to keep that straight body position throughout the movement.
Bend your elbows out at an angle as you lower your chest towards the floor.
Press firmly through both hands to straighten your arms and return to the starting position.
Tips
Expect the strongest effort across your chest, with help from the fronts of your shoulders and backs of your upper arms. Pinching in a shoulder means shorten the depth or bring your hands in.
A very wide stance can turn the movement into an uncomfortable shoulder position. Bring your hands slightly closer if you cannot lower smoothly without your shoulders shrugging towards your ears.
Breathe in as you lower towards the floor, then breathe out through the press back up. Keep the breath smooth rather than holding it near the bottom.
Lower for about two to three seconds, pause briefly just above the floor, then press up smoothly. Avoid dropping into the bottom or bouncing out of it.
When this version feels controlled, try an archer push up: bend one arm more while the other remains straighter, shifting more of the work to one side.
Place your knees on the floor and keep a straight line from your knees through your head. This reduces the load while preserving the wide-hand pattern.
If spreading your hands wide causes shoulder discomfort, use a standard hand position instead rather than forcing extra width.