Chest · Bodyweight
Cobra Push-up
How to do the cobra 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
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Horizontal Push
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Start in a plank and lower your chest and hips toward the floor together. As you press up, push your hips back and up so your torso sweeps forward and arches into an upward dog or cobra position, then reverse the motion.
- 1Chest, shoulders, and triceps pressing you up
- 2A flowing arch through the spine at the top
- 3Core controlling the sweep between positions
Common mistakes
- Letting your hips collapse to the floor
- Cranking the lower back hard at the top
- Flaring your elbows wide as you press
Muscles worked
The cobra push-up mainly works the mid chest, with the triceps, upper chest, lower chest, lower back, front delts, upper abs, and lower abs assisting.
- Mid ChestPrimary
- TricepsSupport
- Upper ChestSupport
- Lower ChestSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- LatsMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- ObliquesMinor
- GlutesMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
Kovo programs the cobra 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 chest exercises
- How to do the archer push-up
- How to do the assisted dip
- How to do the resistance band chest flyes
- How to do the resistance band push-up
- How to do the barbell bench press
- How to do the paused bench press
Last reviewed June 2026.