The push-up with leg raise is a bodyweight press performed in a plank with one leg lifted off the floor that trains the chest while the glutes and core stabilise the hips on three points. Lifting one foot removes a quarter of your base, so the obliques and the glute of the raised leg have to stop the hips rotating while the arms press. The pressing load matches a standard push-up; what changes is the anti-rotation demand and the glute work at the top. Lifters use it on a full body day or as a finisher after pressing.
What Muscles Does the Push-Up With Leg Raise Work?
- Primary: pectoralis major
- Secondary: anterior deltoid, triceps brachii, gluteus maximus (raised leg)
- Tertiary: obliques, rectus abdominis, serratus anterior, hamstrings
How Do You Set Up for the Push-Up With Leg Raise?
Kneel on a firm floor and place your hands slightly wider than shoulder width, fingers pointing forward. Step your feet back to a plank, feet together, and form one straight line from head to heels. Lock your elbows, pull your shoulders down away from your ears and brace your abs. Squeeze both glutes and shift your weight slightly toward one foot so the other can lift without your hips tilting.
How Do You Perform the Push-Up With Leg Raise?
- Lift one foot a few inches off the floor, keeping the leg straight and both hips level.
- Lower your chest toward the floor by bending your elbows at about 45 degrees to your torso, holding the leg up.
- Stop when your chest is a fist's height from the floor with your hips still square to the ground.
- Press back to the top through your palms, keeping the raised leg still and the plank line intact.
- Raise the lifted leg a little higher at the top, squeezing that glute for one second without arching your back.
- Lower the foot to the floor, switch legs and lift the other foot for the next rep.
What Are the Key Form Cues?
- Keep your hips as level as a tabletop: imagine a glass of water on your lower back that must not spill when the leg lifts.
- Lift from the glute, not the lower back: the leg rises because the hip extends, so the spine stays long.
- Press the floor away evenly with both hands through the whole rep.
- Point the toes of the raised leg toward the floor, not out to the side.
- Reach your chest between your hands rather than dropping your chin.
What Are the Most Common Mistakes?
- Raising the leg too high: the lower back arches to lift it and the hips rotate open toward the raised side; lift only until the foot is level with the hips.
- Rotating the hips: the pelvis tips toward the standing leg and the obliques stop working, turning the rep into a lopsided push-up; keep both hip bones facing the floor.
- Shortening the push-up: the chest stops well above the floor because the leg steals attention; hit the same depth you use on a standard push-up.
- Bending the raised knee: the hamstring lifts the foot and the glute does little; keep the leg straight and the toes pulled toward the shin.
- Letting the shoulders shrug: the load shifts onto the neck and upper traps as fatigue sets in; keep the shoulder blades pulled down through every rep.
What Are the Best Push-Up With Leg Raise Variations?
- Incline push-up with leg raise: hands on a bench, cutting the pressing load for lifters still building the plank.
- Push-up with leg raise on push-up bars: raised handles add chest depth to the same single-leg plank.
- Push-up with knee tuck: the knee drives toward the elbow instead of lifting back, shifting work to the hip flexors.
- Push-up with alternating leg raise: switch legs on every rep without setting up again.
- Push-up with lateral leg raise: the leg lifts out to the side, loading the gluteus medius and the obliques.
How Do You Progress the Push-Up With Leg Raise?
- Add load by putting a plate on your upper back once you can do 15 clean reps per leg.
- Add one rep per leg each week until you reach 15 per leg.
- Add a fourth set before adding load or a fifth set of the plate version.
- Hold the top position for three seconds with the leg raised when reps come easily.
How Should You Program the Push-Up With Leg Raise?
Place the push-up with leg raise as the pressing movement on a full body or bodyweight day, or after the bench press as a chest and core finisher. Train it two or three times a week for 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps per leg, resting 60 to 90 seconds between sets. Pair it with an inverted row so the shoulders get balanced pulling work.