Wall push-ups are a great bodyweight exercise that can help strengthen your chest, shoulders, and triceps.
They can also help improve your posture and stability, as well as increase your upper body strength and endurance.
Standing push-ups are a low-impact exercise that people of all fitness levels can do. So, they are a good choice for people who are just starting to do strength training.
In this guide, we provide an overview of wall push up technique, from proper form to helpful tips that will help you get the most out of your workout.
- Benefits of wall pushups
- Muscle Worked During Wall Push Ups
- How To Start Doing Wall Push Ups
- 1. Find the Right Wall Space.
- 2. Understand Proper Form for Wall Push Ups.
- 3. Master Beginner Modifications And Variations
- How to properly perform push-ups against a wall
- Please follow the tips and form.
- Variations of push ups against the wall.
- 1. Close grip wall push-ups
- 2. Wide Grip Wall Ups
- 3. Plyometric wall push-ups:
- 4. One-armed wall push-ups:
- 5. Single-leg wall push-ups
- 6. Decline wall push-ups:
- How to improve your wall push-ups (progression)
- 1. Start slowly:
- 2. Focus on proper form:
- 3. Increase the intensity:
- 4. Vary your workouts:
- FAQs
- Wall push-up vs. knee push-up
- Are wall push ups effective?
- How many wall push ups equal 1 push up?
- What will happen if I do 100 Wall pushups a day?
- How Many calories burned During wall push up
- How many wall pushups should I do a day?
- Related Topic
- Beginner Push Up Exercises To Build Upper Body At Home
- Try This 30-Day PUSH-UP CHALLENGE That Will TRANSFORM Your Body (MUST TRY)
Benefits of wall pushups
Some other benefits of wall push-ups include:
- They can be done anytime, anywhere, as long as you have a wall to push against.
- They’re a safe and effective way to work your upper body muscles without putting unnecessary strain on your joints.
- They can help improve your overall muscle tone and definition. Doing it can be a powerful full-body workout and help to burn more calories.
- They’re a great way to build strength and improve your athletic performance in other activities.
- Incline wall push-ups are also considered a compound exercise because they require multiple muscle groups to be worked simultaneously.
- One benefit is that they can also strengthen the cardiovascular system by making your heart work harder.
- You don’t need any special equipment to practice the push-ups workout. All you need is the right technique and some willpower
Overall, wall push-ups are a simple and effective way to strengthen your upper body and improve your overall fitness level.
Muscle Worked During Wall Push Ups
Wall push-ups primarily work the chest muscles (pectoralis major and minor), as well as the triceps and the front of the shoulders (anterior deltoids).
They also engage the core muscles, back muscles, serratus anterior as they help to stabilize the body during the exercise.
Here’s how these muscles are engaged during the standing push-up:
- Chest muscles: The chest muscles are responsible for moving the arms and shoulders, and they’re activated as you push your body away from the wall.
- Triceps: The triceps are the muscles on the back of the upper arm, and they’re responsible for extending the elbow. They’re engaged as you straighten your arms during the push-up.
- Shoulders: They are responsible for flexing the arm, and they’re engaged as you lift your body off the wall.
Overall, it is a great exercise for strengthening the upper body, including the chest, triceps, shoulders and core muscles.
How To Start Doing Wall Push Ups
Here are some tips for starting a wall push-up at home workout routine.
1. Find the Right Wall Space.
Before attempting any wall push ups, it’s important to find the right wall space. To ensure proper positioning, measure the distance between the wall and the toe.
For most people, they should be approximately an arm’s length away from the surface of the wall—not too close or too far.
A good rule of thumb is to ensure your arms are at a 90-degree angle when you’re in starting position.
2. Understand Proper Form for Wall Push Ups.
Before attempting any standing push ups, it’s important to understand proper form.
- Begin by placing your hands flat on the wall, slightly wider than shoulder width.
- Make sure your feet are centered and hip-width apart, then proceed to lean against the wall at an angle that allows your arms to straighten out—approximately a 90-degree angle.
- Keep your body straight throughout the exercise.
- Keep your chest up, your head facing forward, and your back slightly arched.
3. Master Beginner Modifications And Variations
When you first begin, you may find it to be difficult. In this case, it can be helpful to modify your form and make the exercise easier.
Start by knee wall push ups, additionally, you can always reduce the intensity by decreasing the angle of your body against the wall.
When you can do 15-20 wall push ups in a row, or you may want to increase the intensity of push-ups, then try doing the incline push up on a box and knee push ups.
How to properly perform push-ups against a wall
To do a wall push-up, follow these steps:
- Stand facing a wall, with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands placed on the wall at shoulder height.
- Place your hands against the wall with your body straight and your legs a few feet behind. So that your body draws a triangle together with the wall and the floor.
- Keep your feet firmly fixed to the ground. Bend your elbows and lower your body towards the wall, keeping your body straight and your core engaged.
- Push your body back up to the starting position, straightening your arms.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Please follow the tips and form.
The following tips will help you get the most out of your standing push-ups:
- Keep your body straight and your core engaged to maintain proper form.
- Keep your elbows close to your body as you lower and raise yourself.
- If this is too easy, you can try doing the push-ups with your feet farther away from the wall to increase the difficulty.
- If this is too difficult, you can try doing the push-ups with your feet closer to the wall. Or you can do modified push-ups on your knees instead of your toes.
- Remember to breathe deeply and evenly throughout the exercise.
Variations of push ups against the wall.
There are several variations of standing push-ups that you can try to challenge yourself and keep your workouts interesting. Here are a few examples:
1. Close grip wall push-ups
Close grip wall push-ups are a more challenging variation, and they place more emphasis on the triceps and shoulders.
They’re a good choice for intermediate or advanced exercisers who are looking to increase upper body strength and improve muscle definition
How To Do It
- Stand facing a wall, with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands placed on the wall at shoulder height.
- Bring your hands closer together so that they’re about 6–8 inches apart.
- Bend your elbows and lower your body towards the wall.
- Push your body back up to the starting position.
2. Wide Grip Wall Ups
Wide grip wall push-ups are more challenging than standard standing push-ups, and they place greater emphasis on the chest muscles.
How To Do It
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands on the wall at shoulder height.
- Spread your hands out wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Bend your elbows and lower your body towards the wall.
- Push your body back up to the starting position.
3. Plyometric wall push-ups:
Plyometric wall push-ups, also known as clapping push-ups, are a type of plyometric exercise that involves explosively pushing off the ground to create enough force to lift your hands off the ground and clap before returning to the starting position.
This exercise is intended to increase power and speed in the upper body.
How To Do It
- Stand facing a wall with your hands on the wall at shoulder-width apart.
- Lower your body towards the wall by bending your arms.
- As you push back up, explosively push off the wall and lift your hands off the ground, clapping them together before returning to the starting position.
- Land softly on the ground and repeat the movement for the desired number of reps.
4. One-armed wall push-ups:
One arm also known as unilateral wall ups, that involve performing the exercise with one arm while the other arm is either extended out to the side or resting on the hip.
This exercise can help to increase muscle imbalances and improve overall strength and stability in the upper body.
How To Do It
- Stand facing a wall with your feet shoulder-width apart and one hand on the wall at shoulder-width apart.
- Extend the other arm out to the side or rest it on your hip.
- Lower your body towards the wall by bending the arm that is on the wall.
- Push your body back up to the starting position.
5. Single-leg wall push-ups
One-leg wall push-ups, are a variation of the standing incline push-up that involves performing the exercise on one leg while the other leg is extended out to the side or resting on the ground.
How To Do It
- Stand facing a wall with one foot on the ground, and the other leg extended out to the side.
- Place your hands on the wall at shoulder-width apart.
- Lower your body towards the wall by bending your arms.
- Straighten your arms by pushing your body back up to the starting position.
6. Decline wall push-ups:
To do decline wall push-ups, place your feet on a raised surface (such as a step or bench) and do the push-ups with your hands on the floor.
This will make the exercise more challenging and place more emphasis on the lower chest and triceps.
Remember to start slowly and gradually increase the difficulty of these variations as you get stronger. It’s also important to listen to your body and take breaks when needed.
How to improve your wall push-ups (progression)
Here are a few tips to help you build up the progression of your wall push-ups:
1. Start slowly:
If you’re new to push-ups or are returning to exercise after a break, it’s important to start slowly and gradually increase the difficulty of the exercise as you get stronger.
You can start with a small number of reps and gradually increase the number of reps and sets as you get more comfortable.
2. Focus on proper form:
Good form is essential for getting the most out of your standing push-ups.
Be sure to keep your body straight and your core engaged. Keep your elbows close to your body as you lower and raise yourself.
3. Increase the intensity:
As you get stronger, you can increase the intensity of your standing push-ups by moving your feet farther away from the wall, using a lower surface to push against (such as a bench or step), or by doing plyometric push-ups.
4. Vary your workouts:
To keep your workouts interesting and challenging, be sure to mix up your exercises and include a variety of exercises that target different muscle groups.
This will help to ensure that you’re getting a well-rounded workout and avoiding overuse injuries.
Overall, the key to building up the progression of your wall push-ups is to start slowly, focus on proper form, and gradually increase the intensity and difficulty of the exercise as you get stronger.
FAQs
Wall push-up vs. knee push-up
Wall push-ups and knee push-ups are both bodyweight exercises that target the upper body, including the chest, triceps, and shoulders.
However, there are a few differences between these two exercises:
1. Difficulty:
Wall push-ups are generally easier than knee push-ups because they place less stress on the muscles and joints.
This makes wall push-ups a good choice for beginners or for those who are just starting out with strength training.
Knee push-ups, on the other hand, are a bit more challenging and can help to increase upper body strength and endurance.
2. Form:
In a wall push-up, you start in a standing position with your hands on the wall at shoulder height.
In a knee push-up, you start in a plank position on your hands and knees.
3. Muscles worked
Both exercises work the chest, triceps, and shoulders, but they may engage these muscles slightly differently depending on your body position.
For example, a wall push-up may place more emphasis on the triceps and shoulders, while a knee push-up may place more emphasis on the chest.
Overall, both wall push-ups and knee push-ups can be effective exercises for strengthening the upper body. The best exercise for you will depend on your fitness level and goals.
Are wall push ups effective?
Wall push-ups can be an effective exercise for strengthening the upper body, including the chest, triceps, and shoulders.
They’re a low-impact exercise that can be done by people of all fitness levels, making them a good choice for those who are just starting out with strength training.
To make wall push-ups more effective, it’s important to maintain proper form and do the exercise with enough intensity to challenge your muscles.
How many wall push ups equal 1 push up?
It’s difficult to say exactly how many wall push-ups are equivalent to one standard push-up, as it depends on the individual’s strength and fitness level.
However, wall push-ups tend to be easier than standard push-ups because they place less stress on the muscles and joints.
To compare the difficulty of wall push-ups to standard push-ups, you can try doing both exercises and see how many reps you can do of each.
You may find that you can do more reps of wall push-ups than standard push-ups, or that you can only do a few reps of each before feeling fatigued.
What will happen if I do 100 Wall pushups a day?
Doing 100 wall push-ups a day could be a good way to strengthen your upper body, including your chest, triceps, and shoulders.
However, it’s important to remember that every person is different, and the number of push-ups you can do will depend on your current strength and fitness level.
If you’re just starting out with wall push-ups, it’s important to build up gradually to avoid overloading your muscles and risking injury. You can start by doing a few sets of wall push-ups with a short rest in between, and gradually increase the number of reps and sets as you get stronger.
How Many calories burned During wall push up
The number of calories burned during wall push-ups will depend on a variety of factors, including your weight, age, and intensity level. Here are a few estimates based on a general calorie calculator:
- A person weighing 125 lbs (57 kg) can expect to burn around 70 calories in 30 minutes.
- A person weighing 155 lbs (70 kg) can expect to burn around 87 calories in 30 minutes.
- A person weighing 185 lbs (84 kg) can expect to burn around 105 calories in 30 minutes.
These estimates are based on moderate-intensity wall push-ups and may vary depending on your individual circumstances.
It’s important to note that the number of calories burned during exercise is just one aspect of overall weight management.
A healthy diet and regular physical activity are both important for maintaining a healthy weight.
How many wall pushups should I do a day?
The number of wall push-ups you should do each day will depend on your current strength and fitness level, as well as your goals.
Here are a few general guidelines to consider:
- If you’re just starting out with push-ups you can start with a small number of reps and gradually increase as you get stronger.
- If you’re looking to maintain your current strength and muscle mass, you can aim to do at least a few sets of wall push-ups a few times a week.
- If you’re looking to increase your strength and muscle mass, you can aim to do more sets of standing push-ups each week, with a focus on progressively increasing the difficulty of the exercise.
Overall, it’s important to listen to your body and take breaks when needed, and to vary your workouts by including other exercises that target different muscle groups.
Mastering standing push ups doesn’t have to be hard! This guide tells you how to do this simple but powerful workout.
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Beginner Push Up Exercises To Build Upper Body At Home
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Manish brings over 10 years of hands-on experience in weight lifting and fat loss to fitness coaching. He specializes in gym-based training and has a lot of knowledge about exercise, lifting technique, biomechanics, and more.
Through “Fit Life Regime,” he generously shares the insights he’s gained over a decade in the field. His goal is to equip others with the knowledge to start their own fitness journey.