Plank Push-Up

A dynamic compound movement transitioning between a forearm plank and a high plank one arm at a time, alternating the leading arm each rep to build pressing strength, core stability, and shoulder endurance.

Instructions

1. Start in a forearm plank with your elbows directly under your shoulders, forearms flat on the floor, and body in a straight line from head to heels.
2. Engage your core and glutes to prevent your hips from rotating or sagging.
3. Press your right hand flat onto the floor and straighten your right arm, then place your left hand and straighten your left arm so you arrive in a high (push-up) plank.
4. From the high plank, lower your left elbow to the floor, then your right elbow, returning to the forearm plank position.
5. That is one repetition. On the next rep, lead with the left arm to press up, then lower starting with the right arm.
6. Continue alternating the leading arm each rep for the prescribed number of repetitions.

Tips

• Keep your hips level throughout — resist the urge to rock side to side as you shift your weight.
• Brace your core before each transition; most form breakdown happens during the press-up.
• Move deliberately; this is a controlled exercise, not a race.
• For beginners, drop to your knees to reduce the load while keeping the movement pattern.
• If one side is weaker, count reps per side and match them rather than alternating freely.
• This is distinct from a Body-Up (which presses explosively with both arms simultaneously for a triceps-dominant movement). Here the alternating single-arm transition and chest engagement are the focus.