Ring Push-Up
The ring push-up is a push-up performed with your hands on two gymnastic rings or suspension handles hanging just above the floor. It works the chest, triceps and front of the shoulders, and the moving handles make your trunk and shoulder stabilisers work harder than a floor push-up does.
Also called: Gymnastic Ring Push-Up, Suspension Push-Up, RTO Push-Up · Equipment: suspension · Pattern: push
Step by step
- Set the rings or handles a few centimetres above the floor, about shoulder-width apart. Setting them higher makes the push-up easier.
- Grip the rings with your palms facing each other and walk your feet back until your arms are straight under your shoulders and your body is one straight line from head to heels.
- Brace your abs, squeeze your glutes and press the rings down so they hang still, with your shoulders pushed slightly away from the rings.
- Bend your elbows and descend under control, keeping your elbows about 45° from your body and the rings close to the sides of your chest.
- Continue until your hands are level with your chest, holding the straight body line.
- Press back up, keeping the rings close to your body and travelling straight up and down.
- At the top, straighten your elbows fully and turn the rings slightly out, then settle them before the next rep.
- After the last rep, bring your knees to the floor before letting go of the rings.
- Rings close to your sides
- Body in one straight line, glutes tight
- Elbows about 45° from your body
- Hands to your chest, then press
- Lock out and turn the rings out
- Push the rings away at the top
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Pectoralis major: sternocostal (mid) | Prime mover | C |
| Triceps brachii: lateral head | Prime mover | B |
| Serratus anterior | Prime mover | C |
| Triceps brachii: medial head | Secondary | C |
| Anterior deltoid: anterior | Secondary | C |
| Rectus abdominis | Stabiliser | B |
| Rotator cuff | Stabiliser | C |
| Biceps brachii | Dynamic stabiliser | C |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Rings drifting wide
Fix: Squeeze the rings towards each other and keep them close to your sides.
Hips sagging
Fix: Brace your abs and squeeze your glutes so your body stays one straight line.
Elbows flaring out
Fix: Keep your elbows about 45° from your body as you descend.
Descending past chest level
Fix: Descend until your hands are level with your chest, then press back up.
Soft lockout
Fix: Straighten your elbows fully and turn the rings slightly out at the top.
What the research says
StrengthMuscle growthRehab & prehabGeneral fitnessSport performanceEndurance
- Muscle activity — An EMG study found suspension push-ups produced greater chest, front-shoulder and triceps activity, and more trunk activity, than floor push-ups. Muscle activity is not the same as growth.
- Push-ups as a press — Training studies found load-matched floor push-ups produced chest and triceps growth and bench-press strength gains similar to the bench press.
- Load and effort — Research finds muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure, and true failure adds only a small extra benefit, so higher-rep bodyweight sets can build muscle.
- Volume — Research links more weekly sets for a muscle to more growth, with diminishing returns.
- Progression — Common ways to make ring push-ups harder are setting the rings closer to the floor, raising the feet or wearing a weighted vest. There is no research comparing these options.
Swap it mid-workout
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the ring push-up in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.