Incline Close-Grip Push-Up

Setup

1. 01Place hands on a bench, box, or bar at roughly hip height, inside shoulder width.
2. 02Walk the feet back until the body forms a straight line from head to heels.
3. 03Squeeze the glutes and brace the trunk.
4. 04Set the shoulders down away from the ears.

Execution

1. 01Lower the chest toward the hands by bending the elbows.
2. 02Keep the elbows tucked close to the ribs on the way down.
3. 03Touch the chest lightly to the edge or lower until the forearms close fully.
4. 04Press back to a full lockout without the hips sagging or piking.

Checkpoints

• -The body stays in one rigid line through every rep.
• -Elbows brush the ribs rather than flaring out.
• -The chest, not the head, travels toward the hands.
• -Full elbow lockout at the top of each rep.

Common mistakes

• -Sagging the hips and turning it into a lower back exercise.
• -Flaring the elbows and losing the triceps emphasis.
• -Cutting depth by nodding the head forward.
• -Placing the hands so close together the wrists hurt.