Elevated Pushups - Exercise Database

Elevated pushups are THE way to learn how to do pushups the right way... and how to get stronger with pushups faster.

I'll show you how in just a second, but first...

What are elevated pushups?

An elevated pushup is simply a pushup with your upper body elevated on something like a...

Box...
Chair...
Table...

The options are numerous.

How To Do Elevated Pushups

Kindal at the top of high box pushup with a tight body and arms perfectly straight.

Kindal at the bottom of the high box pushup. Her body remains straight and legs are locked out. Elbows are tucked in and her chest is between her hands.

Kindal at the top of the high box pushup and her body is straight and tight. Notice her elbow pits are facing forward as well as her fingers.

Kindal at the bottom of the mid high box pushup. Notice her hips are just above perfectly straight which is good. Her legs are tight and straight. Elbows are tucked in.

Step 1

Find a height that's right for you.

If you're in the gym... use a set of rings or a TRX system. This makes it far easier to find the perfect height.

If you don't have a gym... no worries. Get creative... the back of a couch... kitchen table... counter top... bathtub...

Step 2

Place your hands on whatever you're using as your "box". Make sure your **hands are about shoulder width apart** and your fingers are pointed forward... unless you're gripping rings or a TRX.

Place your feet as far back as needed. Here's some guidance...

Your shoulders are directly over or slightly past your hands.

Your butt is in line with your spine and legs... your butt can be slightly higher... but don't let it stick straight into the air.

To help... make sure your shoulders stay over your hands or slightly past your hands.

Step 3

Gently twist your hands into the surface you're using (or squeeze if you're on rings). Think of getting your elbow pits facing forward.

You want your arms engaged and turned on for the pushup.

As you go down to the bottom of the pushup... make sure your elbows are going back at a 45 degree angle or slightly closer to your body.

Remember... doing knee pushups is a great way to practice keeping your elbows in tight.

Make sure your butt is not sagging to the ground. Keep a straight body line. Squeeze your legs... this will help keep your body straight.

Finally... keep your shoulders over or slightly past your hands. This ensures your butt doesn't get to high.

Step 4

At the bottom of your pushup... make sure your body is engaged.

You're squeezing your legs and your core is tight. This is one reason elevated pushups are the best for learning... during knee pushups... you can't squeeze your legs.

Step 5

Brace and push right back to the top of the pushup.

Repeat for as many "perfect" pushups as you can do.

Elevated Pushup Progression Tips

form tip

When it comes to pushups... you want your legs engaged. This means you want to be flexing your legs a little.

You want your core pulled into your body so it's not relaxed.

You want your hand twisted into the ground so your arm muscles are turned on.

This is a fully engaged and proper pushups. When you're doing knee pushups... you can't fully engage your body. This means the more you rely on knee pushups... the more bad muscle habits you'll be building.

Habits are hard to break.

So use elevated pushups and start building the right habits immediately. It will make a HUGE difference.

Get To 10 Before Going Lower

There is no hard and fast rule for how many you should do before you move down to a lower level.

But a good starting point is 10 straight reps... good quality... hear perfect form reps.

Use your phone to take a video of yourself and check your form.

Split Reps

This is my favorite way to improve faster.

Once you move to a lower level... don't try and do all 10 reps in one set. Split your reps between two different heights.

Do 3 reps on the lower height
Do 7 reps on the higher height

As you get stronger...

Do 5 reps on the lower height
Do 5 reps on the higher height

Most women think they need to stick to one height... don't... use rep splitting and focus on great form.

You'll get a lot stronger a lot faster!

Negative Reps

Negative reps are another amazing strategy to get stronger.

A negative rep is when you go really slow during the eccentric phase of the exercise and normal speed on the concentric phase of the exercise.

In the case of pushups...

Eccentric is going down
Concentric is going up

Go to a higher level and go down for about 6 seconds. Really slow and keep your muscles tight.

From the bottom... push back up normal.

Negative reps are been proven to cause more damage to muscle tissue. Damage is good and it means you'll build more lean muscle which for women means strength and control.

Read my post about my 7 step pushup progression if you want to see more pictures and ideas for getting better at pushups faster.

Why Are Elevated Pushups The Best For Learning?

Kindal at the top of the ring pushups. Ring pushups let you set the height you want.

Kindal at the bottom of ring pushups. Her elbows are tight to her body and her entire body is straight and engaged.

I'm sure you can tell already... but...

Imagine doing 10 pushups off the countertop in your kitchen.

Your upper body is easily 4 feet off the ground.

Now imagine doing 10 pushups off your coffee table in the living room.

Now you're only 2 feet off the ground.

With elevated pushups... you get to discover the right level or difficulty of pushups to help you get stronger.

And as you improve you can continually move closer and closer to the ground.

If you give this process a about 4 to 6 months... with the right pushup workout plan... I have no doubt you'll be able to do 7 to 10 pushups straight off the ground in perfect form.

And you'll only improve from there. This works!