Spiderman push up
The Spiderman push-up is an advanced bodyweight exercise that combines a standard push-up with a lateral knee tuck. This movement builds upper-body strength while simultaneously targeting the obliques, hip flexors, and core stability.
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- Start in a standard high plank position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, fingers spread, and your body forming a straight line from head to heels.
- As you lower your chest toward the floor, bend your right knee and swing it out laterally, bringing it toward your right elbow.
- At the bottom of the push-up, your chest should hover just above the floor and your right knee should be close to or touching your right elbow without the right foot touching the ground.
- Push through your hands to return to the starting plank position while simultaneously extending your right leg back to the starting position.
- Repeat the movement on the left side, bringing your left knee to your left elbow as you lower your body, alternating sides for each repetition.
Muscles worked
Form tips
- Keep your core actively braced throughout the entire movement to prevent your hips from sagging or rotating excessively.
- Keep your gaze focused slightly in front of your hands to maintain a neutral spine and prevent your neck from straining.
- Ensure the foot of your bent leg remains hovering off the floor during the knee-to-elbow transition to maximize core and hip flexor engagement.
Common mistakes
- Letting the hips sag toward the ground, which hyperextends the lower back and reduces core activation.
- Touching the foot of the active leg to the floor, which removes the instability and reduces the workload on the core.
- Shortening the range of motion of the push-up in order to complete the knee tuck, resulting in shallow, ineffective reps.
FAQ
How many reps and sets of Spiderman push-ups should I do?
For strength and core endurance, aim for 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 total reps (4 to 6 reps per side), focusing on slow, controlled execution over speed.
What muscles does the Spiderman push-up target compared to a regular push-up?
While both target the chest, triceps, and shoulders, the Spiderman push-up heavily recruits the obliques, rectus abdominis, and hip flexors due to the unilateral leg drive and rotational stability requirements.
How can I modify this exercise if it is too difficult?
You can perform a standard push-up first, and then perform the knee-to-elbow tuck at the top of the movement when your arms are fully extended, or perform the exercise with your hands elevated on a stable bench.
