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Exercise guide
Stability Ball Push-Up (Hands on Ball)
An incline push-up performed with both hands on a stability ball and the feet on the floor. The unstable surface forces the chest, shoulders, and triceps to work harder while the core fights to keep the body rigid.
What this exercise works
- Muscles
- pectoralis major · anterior deltoid · rectus abdominis · serratus anterior · triceps brachii
- Goals
- hypertrophy · core
- Equipment
- Stability ball
- Category
- Strength
- Difficulty
- intermediate
Demonstration
Step 1
Step 2
How to perform the movement
- Place both hands on top of a stability ball and walk your feet back into a straight-arm plank, body in a straight line from head to heels.
- Brace your core and keep the ball steady beneath your hands.
- Bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the ball under control.
- Press back up to full arm extension without letting the ball roll.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Technique cues and common mistakes
- Keep your body in a rigid straight line — do not let your hips sag or pike up.
- Move slowly and deliberately; the wobble of the ball is what makes the exercise work, so resist it rather than fight it fast.
- Set your hands slightly wider than shoulder width on the ball for a more stable base, and keep your elbows tucked to about 45 degrees.