The Russian Push-Up is an advanced calisthenics movement that transforms the standard floor exercise into a complex demonstration of upper body control and strength. This challenging progression requires managing significant bodyweight leverage across a unique horizontal plane of motion. It demands a high degree of static muscle tension and shoulder joint stability, involving a specific transition between a standard push-up and a forearm position.
What Defines the Russian Push-Up
The unique characteristic defining the Russian Push-Up is the transition between extended and flexed arm positions while maintaining a completely horizontal body line. Unlike a simple push-up, this exercise incorporates a forward and backward horizontal slide. The body must move seamlessly from a low push-up position onto the forearms and back without the hips sagging or rising significantly. This maneuver extends the range of motion and time under tension far beyond a conventional push-up.
This fluid movement places immense and continuous isometric demand on the core musculature to prevent any shift in the plank alignment. The exercise primarily targets the pectoral muscles, anterior deltoids, and triceps. However, the transition phase heavily recruits the serratus anterior and core stabilizers. The simultaneous requirement for dynamic strength and static control during the sliding phase makes it a compound, full-body test of strength, differentiating it from variations like the pseudo-planche push-up.
Step-by-Step Execution and Form
To begin the Russian Push-Up, assume a standard plank position with hands placed slightly wider than shoulder-width, ensuring a straight line from head to heels. Tense the core and glutes to lock the body into a rigid plank, controlling the horizontal shift. Next, execute a controlled eccentric phase by lowering the body until the chest hovers just above the floor, keeping the elbows tucked close to the torso.
From this low position, the unique transition begins by pushing the body backward with the palms, causing the forearms to slide onto the floor. Visualize pushing the weight toward the feet, rolling onto the forearms until the elbows are directly beneath the shoulders in a low forearm plank. This backward slide must maintain the rigid, horizontal body line, avoiding any lift in the hips. This momentary forearm plank serves as the isometric hold that builds static strength.
To reverse the motion, the concentric phase requires a powerful pull forward, digging the fingers into the ground and pulling the body back into the low push-up position. The triceps and chest should initiate this forward slide, ending with the hands flat and the chest still low to the floor. The final action is a strong, vertical press back up to the initial high plank position, fully extending the elbows. Throughout the sequence, avoid shrugging the shoulders toward the ears to maintain scapular stability.
Building Up to the Russian Push-Up
Mastering the Russian Push-Up requires a structured approach that builds the necessary shoulder strength, core stability, and wrist tolerance. The Pseudo-Planche Push-Up (PPPU) is an excellent preparatory exercise. It trains the anterior shoulder and wrist flexors to handle a load where the shoulders are significantly in front of the hands. Practicing PPPUs with a progressively increasing forward lean develops the specific strength profile needed for the Russian Push-Up’s weight shift.
Core stability is trained by focusing on the Planche Lean Hold, where the straight-arm plank is held with the shoulders leaned as far forward over the hands as possible. This isometric hold strengthens the core and the protracted scapulae, preventing the body from collapsing during the horizontal slide. Performing Negative Russian Push-Ups isolates the eccentric phase, which is often the weakest point for beginners. Trainees should practice the backward slide onto the forearms, concentrating on a slow, controlled descent lasting three to five seconds.
A final preparatory step involves isolating the two main components of the movement: the slide back and the pull forward. Practice sliding from the low push-up position onto the forearms and immediately returning to the low push-up position without pushing all the way up. This repetition builds the muscle memory and specific dynamic strength for the transition itself. Only after successfully integrating the strength gained from these prerequisites should a trainee attempt the complete Russian Push-Up.