Deficit Push Ups

Muscles worked by the Deficit Push Ups

Primary

ChestPectoralis Major

Secondary

Front DeltsAnterior DeltoidSerratusSerratus AnteriorTricepsTriceps Brachii

Also called: pec, pecs, pectoralis major, pectoralis, chest muscles.

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Deficit Push Ups

1. Place your hands on two elevated surfaces like parallettes or blocks.
2. Assume a plank position with hands under your shoulders.
3. Lower your chest below the level of your hands.
4. Press back up to extend your arms.
5. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Form tips

• Avoid letting your hips sag during the deep stretch.
• Work within a pain-free depth and increase it gradually.
• Keep your elbows tracking back rather than flaring wide.

At a glance

Deficit Push Ups in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Archer Push Ups
• Clap Push-Ups
• Close Grip Push Ups
• Decline Push-Up
• Diamond Push Ups
• Handstand Push Ups
• Incline Push-Up
• Knee Push Ups

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "deficit-push-ups",
  "name_en": "Deficit Push Ups",
  "name_de": "Defizit-Push-Ups",
  "name_es": "Flexiones en Déficit",
  "description_en": "A push-up variation with hands on raised supports, lowering the chest below hand level for a greater range of motion.",
  "description_de": "Eine Liegestütz-Variante mit den Händen auf Erhöhungen, bei der die Brust unter Handniveau abgesenkt wird, um den Bewegungsweg zu vergrößern.",
  "description_es": "Una flexión de brazos con las manos sobre soportes elevados, que aumenta el rango de movimiento y el estiramiento del pectoral.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "advanced",
  "body_part": "chest",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "pectoralis_major"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "anterior_deltoid",
    "serratus_anterior",
    "triceps_brachii"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "knee_safe",
    "no_axial_load",
    "lower_back_safe",
    "shoulder_safe"
  ],
  "variation_group": "push-up",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Place your hands on two elevated surfaces like parallettes or blocks.",
    "Assume a plank position with hands under your shoulders.",
    "Lower your chest below the level of your hands.",
    "Press back up to extend your arms.",
    "Repeat for the desired number of reps."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Stelle die Hände auf zwei erhöhte Flächen wie Parallettes oder Blöcke.",
    "Nimm die Plank-Position ein, Hände unter den Schultern.",
    "Senke die Brust unter das Niveau der Hände.",
    "Drücke zurück, um die Arme zu strecken.",
    "Wiederhole für die gewünschte Anzahl an Wiederholungen."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Coloca las manos en dos superficies elevadas como parallettes o bloques.",
    "Adopta la posición de plancha con las manos bajo los hombros.",
    "Baja el pecho por debajo del nivel de las manos.",
    "Empuja hacia arriba para extender los brazos.",
    "Repite el número de repeticiones deseado."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Avoid letting your hips sag during the deep stretch.",
    "Work within a pain-free depth and increase it gradually.",
    "Keep your elbows tracking back rather than flaring wide."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Senke dich nur so tief ab, wie deine Schultern schmerzfrei bleiben.",
    "Halte den Körper in einer Linie, ohne die Hüfte durchhängen zu lassen.",
    "Lass die Ellenbogen nicht weit nach außen wandern."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Baja solo hasta donde tus hombros toleren el estiramiento.",
    "Mantén el cuerpo en línea recta, sin hundir la cadera.",
    "Progresa desde las flexiones normales antes de añadir déficit."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/deficit-push-ups-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/deficit-push-ups-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "deficit-push-ups");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.