Incline Reverse Grip Wide Push Up

The incline reverse grip wide push-up is a bodyweight pressing exercise performed with the hands improved on a bench and rotated into a reverse grip, fingers pointing back toward the feet. The improved hand position reduces the percentage of bodyweight loaded onto the upper body compared to a standard push-up, making it a useful regression or a high-volume chest builder. The wide, reverse hand placement changes the pressing angle at the shoulder and wrist, shifting emphasis toward the lower chest and triceps while requiring good wrist and shoulder mobility. It suits lifters training pressing patterns from an unfamiliar angle or building back up toward standard push-ups.

Muscles Targeted

• Primary: Pectoralis major (lower, sternal fibers), triceps brachii
• Secondary: Anterior deltoids, serratus anterior
• Tertiary: Core stabilizers (rectus abdominis, obliques)

Starting Position

Place both hands on a bench or sturdy improved surface, set wider than shoulder-width, and rotate your wrists so your fingers point back toward your feet. Walk your feet back until your body forms a straight line from head to heels, with your shoulders positioned above or slightly behind your hands.

Execution Steps

1. Set your base with hands wide and in reverse grip on the bench, feet extended behind you, and your core braced
2. Lower your chest toward the bench, bending your elbows outward at roughly 45 degrees while keeping your body rigid
3. Descend until your chest nears the bench edge, keeping the movement controlled rather than tucking your elbows fully to your sides
4. Pause briefly at the bottom, feeling the stretch across the chest and the wrist position under load
5. Press back up, driving through your palms and extending your elbows fully while squeezing your chest and triceps
6. Reset your body line before starting the next repetition
7. Repeat for the desired number of reps, maintaining wrist and shoulder alignment throughout

Form Cues

• Keep wrists stacked under load: don't let the reverse grip force excessive wrist flexion; adjust hand position if it feels strained
• Maintain a rigid plank line: don't let the hips sag or pike during the press
• Control the descent, lowering for 2-3 seconds rather than dropping toward the bench
• Keep elbows at roughly 45 degrees from the torso, not flared out to 90 degrees
• Drive evenly through both hands to prevent your body from shifting to one side

Common Mistakes

• Placing hands too narrow: reduces the wide-grip emphasis and shifts stress mostly onto the triceps; keep hands outside shoulder width
• Forcing excessive wrist strain from the reverse grip: risks wrist injury; regress to a higher incline or standard grip if the position is painful
• Sagging hips: losing the core brace increases lower back stress; keep a straight body line throughout
• Using too low an incline before mastering form: increases loaded bodyweight prematurely; start with a higher incline and lower it gradually
• Partial range of motion: not lowering the chest close to the bench reduces the training stimulus; control full depth even if it means a higher incline

Variations

• Standard grip incline push-up: removes the wrist-mobility demand while keeping the same incline benefit
• Decline reverse grip push-up: feet improved instead of hands, shifting emphasis toward the upper chest for advanced trainees
• Weighted incline reverse grip push-up: add a plate to the upper back once bodyweight reps become easy
• Single-arm assisted incline push-up: emphasizes one side at a time for unilateral pressing strength
• Close reverse grip incline push-up: narrower hand placement to bias the triceps more directly

Tips for Progression

• Start with a higher incline (steeper bench angle) and lower the incline gradually as strength improves
• Build toward 12-15 controlled reps before decreasing the incline or adding load
• Add a 2-3 second pause at the bottom to increase time under tension
• Progress toward standard push-ups or decline variations once the incline version feels easy at a low bench height

Training Notes

Program incline reverse grip wide push-ups 2-3 times per week as part of a chest or upper-body push session, either as a warm-up movement or an accessory after heavier pressing work. Typical loading is 10-15 reps for 2-4 sets with 60-90 seconds rest between sets.