Cross Arms Push-up

Perform a push-up with your arms crossed over your chest. This variation engages your core and stabilizing muscles more intensely.

  1. Start in a plank position with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  2. Cross your arms over your chest, placing your hands on opposite shoulders.
  3. Lower your body towards the ground while keeping your elbows close to your body.
  4. Push back up to the starting position, maintaining the arm position throughout.

How to perform the Cross Arms Push-up

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Cross Arms Push-up using your body weight.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your forearms.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your forearms rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

Build a free routine

Stage exercises here, then sign up to save them as a real Fitly routine — synced to web and mobile.

View staged routine (0)

Related exercises

0 exercises staged Save your routine — sign up free.