Arms · Bodyweight
Reverse Push-up
How to do the reverse 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
- HorizontalPush
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Set up in a push-up position with your hands on the floor and fingers pointing back toward your feet. Keeping your body in a straight line, lower your chest toward the floor, then press back up; the reversed hand position shifts more load onto the triceps and lower chest.
- 1Triceps and chest driving you back up out of the bottom
- 2Body held in one straight line from head to heels
- 3Wrists and forearms loaded from the reversed hand position
Common mistakes
- Letting the hips sag or pike up
- Flaring the elbows out wide; keep them tucked
- Forcing range if your wrists feel pinched; ease the depth
Muscles worked
The reverse push-up mainly works the triceps, with the lower chest, mid chest, forearms, upper chest, upper abs, and front delts assisting.
- TricepsPrimary
- Lower ChestSupport
- Mid ChestSupport
- ForearmsSupport
- Upper ChestSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- Lower AbsMinor
- ObliquesMinor
- GlutesMinor
Kovo programs the reverse 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 triceps exercises
- How to do the bent-over tricep extension
- How to do the crossbody tricep extension
- How to do the cable katana tricep extension
- How to do the cable single arm tricep extension
- How to do the kickback
- How to do the lying tricep extension
Last reviewed June 2026.