Shoulder Tap Push-Up

Secondary muscles
Triceps, Abs
Body part
Chest
Position
Prone
Laterality
Bilateral (both sides together)
Category
Strength

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Tapping the opposite shoulder at the top of every rep sneaks a moment of single-arm support into an otherwise standard push-up, forcing the hips to stay square instead of swinging. It is the natural precursor to the chest tap push-up, which moves that one-hand moment to the harder bottom position.

How to do the Shoulder Tap Push-Up

  1. Start in a high plank position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
  2. Lower your body towards the ground by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your sides.
  3. As you push back up, lift your right hand off the ground and tap your left shoulder.
  4. Return your right hand to the ground and repeat the push-up, this time lifting your left hand and tapping your right shoulder.
  5. Continue alternating shoulder taps with each push-up repetition.
  6. Maintain a stable core and avoid excessive hip rotation throughout the exercise.
  7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tip: Screw your hands into the floor as if turning the fingers outward to set the shoulders before each set.

Muscles worked

Primary

Pectorals · Chest

The chest drives the arms together as you push, and it is loaded most in the bottom half of the rep when the elbows are bent.

Secondary

  • Triceps — The triceps finish the rep by locking the elbows, and they do more work the narrower your hands are.
  • Abs — The abs hold the body rigid so the hips do not sag, which is why a push-up is also a moving plank.

Common mistakes

  • Hips sagging or piked — the body should stay a straight line from head to heels; squeeze the glutes and brace the abs before each rep.
  • Elbows flared to 90 degrees — flaring the arms out wide loads the shoulder joint; keep the elbows tucked to about 45 degrees from the torso.
  • Cutting the bottom short — chest should come to within a fist of the floor; if that means fewer reps, do fewer reps.
  • Head dropping first — the chin reaching for the floor makes it look like a rep when it is not; keep the head neutral and lead with the chest.

Where it fits in a workout

Push-ups work as a warm-up before bench press, as a finisher after chest work or as the main push exercise when training with no equipment. Superset them with inverted rows or a band pull-apart for balance.

How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.

Variations and alternatives

Similar exercises

Without bodyweight

Easier and harder

When to talk to someone

  • Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
  • Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
  • Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.

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More exercises

Sources

  1. ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
  2. ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
  3. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
  4. CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)

Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.

Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.