Shoulders · Bodyweight
Bear Push-up
How to do the bear push-up, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- VerticalPush
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Start in a bear position on hands and toes with knees bent just off the floor and hips high. Bend your elbows to lower the crown of your head toward the ground between your hands, then press back up. The high-hip angle shifts the load onto your shoulders.
- 1Your shoulders and triceps taking the load as your head lowers between
- 2your hands
- 3Knees hovering just off the floor with your core tight
- 4Hips staying high to keep the press on the shoulders
Common mistakes
- Letting your hips drop into a flat push-up position
- Flaring your elbows wide instead of tracking them back
- Resting your knees on the floor between reps
Muscles worked
The bear push-up mainly works the front delts and triceps, with the upper chest, side delts, mid chest, upper traps, upper abs, and lower abs assisting.
- Front DeltsPrimary
- TricepsPrimary
- Upper ChestSupport
- Side DeltsSupport
- Mid ChestSupport
- Upper TrapsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- ObliquesMinor
- QuadsMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
Kovo programs the bear push-up for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More shoulders exercises
- How to do the battle rope alternating waves
- How to do the arm circles
- How to do the arnold press
- How to do the resistance band front raise
- How to do the resistance band lateral raise
- How to do the resistance band overhead press
Last reviewed June 2026.