Chest · Bodyweight
Wide Hand Push-up
How to do the wide hand push-up, 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
- HorizontalPush
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Begin in a plank position with your hands placed wider than shoulder-width and your core braced. Lower your chest toward the floor between your hands, then press back up to full extension. The wide hand position shifts more of the load onto your chest.
- 1Feel your chest stretch and load with the wide hand position
- 2Keep your core engaged to hold a straight plank
- 3Lower until your chest nearly touches the floor each rep
Common mistakes
- Do not set your hands so wide it strains your shoulders
- Avoid letting your hips sag or pike
- Do not cut the range short with partial reps
Muscles worked
The wide hand push-up mainly works the mid chest, with the triceps, upper chest, lower chest, upper abs, and front delts assisting.
- Mid ChestPrimary
- TricepsSupport
- Upper ChestSupport
- Lower ChestSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
- ObliquesMinor
Kovo programs the wide hand 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.