Decline Push-Up

A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest.

Decline Push-Up — Starting position Starting position
Decline Push-Up — End position End position
Difficulty Beginner
Type Strength
Equipment Not specified
Primary Muscle Chest
AI Rep Counting Log manually

How to Do Decline Push-Up

  1. Lie on the floor face down and place your hands about 36 inches apart while holding your torso up at arms length. Move your feet up to a box or bench. This will be your starting position.
  2. Next, lower yourself downward until your chest almost touches the floor as you inhale.
  3. Now breathe out and press your upper body back up to the starting position while squeezing your chest.
  4. After a brief pause at the top contracted position, you can begin to lower yourself downward again for as many repetitions as needed.

Muscles Worked

Front
Back

Primary

Where Decline Push-Up does most of its work.

Secondary

Assisting and stabilising muscles.

Alternatives to Decline Push-Up

10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.

  1. 1 Push-Ups

    Push-Ups

    The push-up is a fundamental bodyweight exercise that targets the chest, triceps, and shoulders while engaging the core. It's one of the most effective exercises for building upper body strength without equipment.

    beginner No Equipment AI tracked
  2. 2 Decline Barbell Bench Press

    Decline Barbell Bench Press

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a barbell.

    beginner Barbell
  3. 3 Decline Dumbbell Bench Press

    Decline Dumbbell Bench Press

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.

    beginner Dumbbells
  4. 4 Decline Smith Press

    Decline Smith Press

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a machine.

    beginner Machines
  5. 5 Incline Push-Up

    Incline Push-Up

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, needing no equipment.

    beginner No Equipment
  6. 6 Incline Push-Up Medium

    Incline Push-Up Medium

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, needing no equipment.

    beginner No Equipment
  7. 7 Incline Push-Up Reverse Grip

    Incline Push-Up Reverse Grip

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, needing no equipment.

    beginner No Equipment
  8. 8 Incline Push-Up Wide

    Incline Push-Up Wide

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, needing no equipment.

    beginner No Equipment
  9. 9 Leverage Decline Chest Press

    Leverage Decline Chest Press

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a machine.

    beginner Machines
  10. 10 Push Up to Side Plank

    Push Up to Side Plank

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, needing no equipment.

    beginner No Equipment

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles do decline push-up work?

Decline Push-Up primarily works the chest. The shoulders and triceps assist as secondary muscles.

What equipment do I need for decline push-up?

The source dataset does not record equipment for decline push-up. Check the instructions above before you set up.

Decline Push-Up: is it suitable for beginners?

Yes. Decline Push-Up is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.

What can I do instead of decline push-up?

Push-Ups, Decline Barbell Bench Press, Decline Dumbbell Bench Press train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.

Can Fitnit count my decline push-up reps automatically?

Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; decline push-up can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.

Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.

Track Your Decline Push-Up with AI

Fitnit automatically tracks push-ups, crunches, squats, pull-ups, and curls with advanced body tracking technology — and you can manually input any other workout too. Start free — Pro is $8.99/month.