10 Best Weighted Drop Push Up Alternatives for Chest Strength

The Weighted Drop Push Up is done lying face down. Ranked closest by our scoring: Plyo Kettlebell Pushups, the Kettlebell Plyo Push-up and the Deep Push Up.

Weighted Drop Push UpWatch the Weighted Drop Push Up

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Weighted Drop Push Up

The steps for the Weighted Drop Push Up itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Pectorals, with triceps, shoulders · Weighted · Advanced · Compound

  1. Start in a high plank position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your feet together.
  2. Lower your chest towards the ground, keeping your elbows close to your body.
  3. Once your chest is just above the ground, explosively push yourself up, lifting your hands off the ground.
  4. As you push up, quickly move your hands out to the sides and slightly forward, allowing your body to drop down towards the ground.
  5. Catch yourself with your hands in the wider position and immediately lower your chest towards the ground again.
  6. Repeat the push-up motion, dropping down and catching yourself with your hands in the narrower position.
  7. Continue alternating between the wider and narrower hand positions for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Weighted Drop Push Up Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Weighted Drop Push Up on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Plyo Kettlebell Pushups

    1. Plyo Kettlebell Pushups

    93% match

    Pectorals · Advanced · Compound

    Pick this when you want to work the pectorals with more balance to manage.

    • Kettlebell
    How to perform it
    1. Place a kettlebell on the floor. Place yourself in a pushup position, on your toes with one hand on the ground and one hand holding the kettlebell, with your elbows extended. This will be your starting position.
    2. Begin by lowering yourself as low as you can, keeping your back straight.
    3. Quickly and forcefully reverse direction, pushing yourself up to the other side of the kettlebell, switching hands as you do so. Continue the movement by descending and repeating the movement back and forth.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: flat horizontal press, the same as the Weighted Drop Push Up
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Weighted Drop Push Up
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Weighted Drop Push Up
    • Body position: lying face down, the same as the Weighted Drop Push Up
    • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Weighted Drop Push Up
  3. Deep Push UpPlay demonstration

    3. Deep Push Up

    91% match

    Pectorals · Intermediate · Compound

    Pick this when you want an easier version that still works the pectorals.

    • Dumbbell
    How to perform it
    1. Start in a high plank position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your body in a straight line.
    2. Lower your chest towards the ground by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your body.
    3. Push through your palms to extend your arms and return to the starting position.
    4. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: flat horizontal press, the same as the Weighted Drop Push Up
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Weighted Drop Push Up
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Weighted Drop Push Up
    • Body position: lying face down, the same as the Weighted Drop Push Up

Weighted Drop Push Up FAQ

What muscles does Weighted Drop Push Up work?

A Weighted Drop Push Up primarily targets the pectoralis major (sternal and clavicular heads), with substantial triceps and anterior deltoid involvement. The movement also recruits core stabilizers and scapular stabilizers, retracting the scapula engages the serratus anterior and rhomboids for a stable pressing platform.

Find Alternatives for Any Exercise

Search the exercise database and filter the ranked substitutes by the equipment you own.