Chest

Negative Push Ups

Negative push-ups, also known as eccentric push-ups, are an exercise where you slowly and controlled lower your body from the top push-up position to the ground. This movement trains the chest, shoulders, and triceps and is particularly effective for muscle building. Negative push-ups are ideal for beginners looking to improve their strength and control, or for advanced athletes who want to increase their training intensity.

The negative push-up is an ideal preparatory exercise for learning the classic push-up as it builds eccentric strength in the relevant muscles. It facilitates the transition to more advanced exercises that require greater body control and balance.

Negative Push Ups - the correct execution

  • Start in the push-up position
  • Place hands shoulder width apart
  • Make sure the torso is firm and push the lower back out upwards (PPT)
  • Bend the elbows and lower the chest towards the floor.
  • Place knees on floor and press back into push-up position
  • Make sure arms are fully extended in start position

The exercise Negative Push Ups is intended to be used as a hypertrophy exercise.

Which muscles are trained by Negative Push Ups?

Primary trained muscles for Negative Push Ups

  • Chest - The pectoralis major muscle is the large muscle on your chest. It helps you bring your arm towards your body and rotate it inward.

Secondary trained muscles for Negative Push Ups

  • Front Delts - The front part of the deltoid muscle, also known as the anterior shoulder, is located at the front of the shoulder. It is primarily involved in the forward movement of the arm, such as lifting the arm forward. It also assists in the internal rotation of the arm. This muscle is engaged in activities that involve lifting objects in front of the body or pushing forward.

  • Triceps - The triceps brachii muscle is located at the back of your upper arm. It extends your arm at the elbow and also helps move the arm backward.

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Alternative variants of Negative Push Ups:

Negative Push Ups with gym rings

Progressing to negative push-ups on the gymnastic rings increases the instability of the exercise and further challenges the deeper stabilizer muscles in the upper body. Using the rings makes the exercise more intense, which further improves muscular control and balance, and provides targeted preparation for even more complex push-up variations.

Necessary equipment

Negative Push Ups with gym rings - the correct execution

  • Start in a push-up position
  • Shoulders are above the wrists
  • Hold maximum tension in the torso and buttocks
  • Bend your elbows and move your chest towards the floor
  • Arms stay close to the body
  • Place your knees on the floor in the lowest position
  • Ease your way up by keeping your knees in contact with the ground.
  • extend your legs again to get into the starting position

Negative Push Ups with parallettes

Negative push-ups on the parallettes increase the load by allowing a greater range of motion. This variation places more demand on the chest muscles and triceps and improves wrist stability. It is an effective intermediate step towards one-arm push-ups.

Necessary equipment

Negative Push Ups with parallettes - the correct execution

  • Place the parallettes shoulder-width apart and start in the push-up position
  • Make sure the torso is firm and push the lower back out upwards (PPT)
  • Bend the elbows and lower the chest towards the floor
  • Place knees on the floor and press back into push-up position
  • Make sure arms are fully extended in the start position