Chest · Bodyweight
Standing Stacked Arms Lift
How to do the standing stacked arms lift, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- VerticalPush
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Stand tall and stack one forearm on top of the other in front of your chest, elbows bent. Press the arms together and lift the stack upward and slightly forward, squeezing your chest and shoulders, then lower under control. Keep the forearms pressed firmly together the whole time.
- 1Press the forearms together to keep the chest engaged
- 2Feel your upper chest and front shoulders take the lift
- 3Keep the motion slow and controlled both directions
Common mistakes
- Do not let the stacked arms separate during the lift
- Avoid leaning back to heave the arms up
- Do not shrug your shoulders toward your ears
Muscles worked
The standing stacked arms lift mainly works the upper chest and front delts, with the mid chest and forearms assisting.
- Upper ChestPrimary
- Front DeltsPrimary
- Mid ChestSupport
- ForearmsSupport
- BicepsMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Side DeltsMinor
- Internal RotatorsMinor
Kovo programs the standing stacked arms lift 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.