10 Best Drop Push Up Alternatives for Home Workouts
If you can't do a Drop Push Up, use five alternatives: standard push-ups, incline push-ups, decline push-ups, chest dips, and single-arm push-ups. Cue a 45-degree elbow tuck, brace your core, and drive through horizontal adduction to keep tension on the pecs. Change angle or tempo to scale difficulty.
Original Exercise: Drop Push Up
How to Perform Drop Push Up
- Start in a high plank position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Lower your chest towards the ground, keeping your elbows close to your body.
- Once your chest is just above the ground, quickly drop your knees to the ground.
- Push yourself back up to the starting position by extending your arms.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Best Drop Push Up Alternatives
1. Drop Push
98.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Position low boxes or other platforms 2-3 feet apart.
- Move to a pushup position between them, supporting yourself by placing your hands on the boxes.
- With good posture, drop from the platforms by pressing up and moving your hands to shoulder width, cushioning your landing by absorbing the impact through the arm.
2. Clap Push Up
95.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start in a high plank position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Lower your body towards the ground by bending your elbows, keeping your core engaged.
- Push through your palms explosively to propel your body off the ground.
- While in mid-air, clap your hands together before landing back in the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
3. Chest Tap Push-up (male)
94.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start in a high plank position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your body in a straight line.
- Lower your body towards the ground by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your sides.
- As you lower yourself, tap your chest with your right hand.
- Push yourself back up to the starting position.
- Repeat the movement, this time tapping your chest with your left hand.
4. Clock Push-up
94.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start in a high plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders and your body in a straight line.
- Lower your body towards the ground by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your sides.
- As you lower, rotate your body to the left, extending your left arm straight out to the side.
- Push back up to the starting position, while rotating your body to the center.
- Repeat the push-up, this time rotating your body to the right and extending your right arm out to the side.
5. Chest Dip On Straight Bar
91.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Grab the parallel bars with your palms facing down and your arms fully extended.
- Bend your knees and cross your ankles.
- Lower your body by bending your arms until your shoulders are below your elbows.
- Push yourself back up to the starting position by straightening your arms.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
6. Archer Push Up
87.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start in a push-up position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Extend one arm straight out to the side, parallel to the ground.
- Lower your body by bending your elbows, keeping your back straight and core engaged.
- Push back up to the starting position.
- Repeat on the other side, extending the opposite arm out to the side.
7. Deep Push Up
84.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start in a high plank position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your body in a straight line.
- Lower your chest towards the ground by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your body.
- Push through your palms to extend your arms and return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
8. Decline Push-up
83.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Place your hands on the ground slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, with your feet elevated on a stable surface.
- Keep your body in a straight line from head to toe, engaging your core muscles.
- Lower your chest towards the ground by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your body.
- Push through your palms to extend your arms and return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
9. Body-up
82.6% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start by placing your hands on a raised surface, such as a bench or parallel bars, with your palms facing down and fingers pointing forward.
- Extend your legs out in front of you, keeping your heels on the ground and your body straight.
- Lower your body by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your sides, until your upper arms are parallel to the ground.
- Pause for a moment, then push through your palms to straighten your arms and lift your body back up to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
10. Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip
80.1% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie back on a flat bench. Using a medium width grip (a grip that creates a 90-degree angle in the middle of the movement between the forearms and the upper arms), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked. This will be your starting position.
- From the starting position, breathe in and begin coming down slowly until the bar touches your middle chest.
- After a brief pause, push the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out. Focus on pushing the bar using your chest muscles. Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in the contracted position at the top of the motion, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. Tip: Ideally, lowering the weight should take about twice as long as raising it.
- Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
- When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.
Why You Might Need a Drop Push Up Alternative
You may substitute a Drop Push Up for shoulder pain, limited plyometric ability, or lack of space or equipment. Drop Push Ups demand rapid horizontal adduction and fast scapular control; that can aggravate impingement or overload the anterior capsule. Choose an alternative that preserves the horizontal press pattern but reduces compressive forces—e.g., incline push-ups to offload the shoulder or slow-tempo eccentrics to build control. Cue a soft scapular retraction on descent to protect the joint while maintaining pectoral tension.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Pick a substitute based on your goal, shoulder health, and available gear. For hypertrophy pick slow eccentrics or paused incline push-ups; for power use controlled plyo push-ups when pain-free. If you have shoulder irritation, select incline variations or dips with neutral scapular motion to reduce anterior shear. Use the cue 'elbows 30–45 degrees' to bias pectoral recruitment and limit deltoid takeover. Adjust leverage (incline/decline), tempo, and unilateral progressions to match load and movement pattern needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Drop Push Up work?
Drop Push Ups primarily load the pectoralis major (sternal and clavicular heads) while recruiting the anterior deltoid, triceps, and serratus anterior for scapular control. Cue 'drive through horizontal adduction' to focus tension on the pecs and maintain scapular stability.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Drop Push Up?
Standard push-ups are the best all-around bodyweight alternative because they preserve the horizontal press pattern and scale with tempo or rep schemes. Keep elbows 30–45 degrees and a braced core to maximize pectoral activation; progress to decline or single-arm push-ups as strength improves.
Can I build muscle without doing Drop Push Up?
Yes — you can build chest muscle using other horizontal pressing variations and manipulating volume, angle, and tempo. Slow the eccentric to 3–4 seconds and add pauses at mid-range to increase pectoral time under tension and stimulate hypertrophy.
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