How to do a Balance Trainer Incline Push Up
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About this exercise
- Sets Logged
- 34,121
- Popularity Rank
- 948th
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Chest Strength
- 83 mSCORE 26th
- Equipment Required
Workouts with Balance Trainer Incline Push Up
Instructions for Proper Form
Balance Trainer Incline Push Up is a more advanced variation on the more standard Incline Push Up. This compound exercise primarily targets your chest, and triceps. The use of a Balance Trainer adds significantly more instability to the movement, while the incline forces you to further emphasize recruiting your lower chest.
- Place the Balance Trainer, platform side up, securely on top of 1 or 2 POWERSTAX™. Set up in an incline plank position with hands on the handle indentations on the rim of the platform. Slowly flex the arms and lower the chest toward the platform. Extend the arms and press back up to the plank position. Maintain a braced core and avoid letting the lower back arch during the push-up.
Common Form Mistakes
Flared Elbows
Flaring your elbows out can sometimes help you lift heavier weights, but it places more tension on your shoulders. The ideal position can vary slightly from person to person, but try to keep your elbows around 45 degrees from your torso, and make small adjustments from there.
Flat Back
Don’t allow your hips to sag or raise up during this exercise. It’s very common to see this especially as you become fatigued during your set. Keeping your core engaged will help you keep your spine in a neutral position. It can also help to think of this exercise as a plank first, and the movement as a secondary piece to this exercise.
Sets & Reps Calculator
Average Balance Trainer Incline Push Up standards by male, female, gender, weight, age and height
Use this calculator to see Fitbod's possible first recommendations for you. This would be your starting line, based on more than 4.5 billion logged sets from 1.1 million users.
- beginner3sets7reps1 Set Max8reps
- intermediate4sets8reps10reps
- advanced4sets9reps11reps
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Alternatives & Variations to Balance Trainer Incline Push Up
1. Push Up
94.5 mSCORESWAPPED 75 TIMESPush Ups may be the most recognizable exercises out there. It’s one of the best bodyweight exercises you can do, and is a great way to develop functional strength in your upper body for pushing movements. It’s fantastic for beginners, or anyone with limited equipment, while still being a great addition for even the most seasoned lifters.
- Intermediate
- Chest
2. Push Up on Knees
83.4 mSCORESWAPPED 71 TIMESPush Up on Knees is a beginner-friendly variation of the standard Push Up. This compound, bodyweight exercise primarily targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps. By performing the exercise on your knees, you reduce the overall resistance, making it easier to execute. This is a great exercise for building the foundational strength needed to progress to full Push Ups.
3. Dumbbell Bench Press
99.7 mSCORESWAPPED 62 TIMESDumbbell Bench Press is a variation on the standard Bench Press. Like Bench Press, this compound exercise primarily targets the chest, while also training the triceps and shoulders. The use of dumbbells allows for greater instability which can help you become more stable on pushing movements in general, while also isolating each side of the body to prevent you from compensating for any weaknesses between sides.
4. Machine Fly
98.2 mSCORESWAPPED 57 TIMESMachine Fly is a variation on the more standard Dumbbell Fly. This isolation chest exercise primarily targets the chest, but also recruits the shoulders. The use of a machine makes the exercise more stable allowing you to focus on exertion or learn the movement with minimal risk of injury. This is a great exercise for beginners looking to learn the movement, or advanced lifters looking to push this movement to it’s limit.
5. Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
99 mSCORESWAPPED 57 TIMESDumbbell Incline Bench Press is a variation on the more standard Barbell Incline Bench Press. This compound exercise primarily targets the chest, but the incline also places more emphasis on the shoulders. The use of dumbbells makes this exercise more unstable than its barbell counterpart, while also forcing you to address any strength discrepancies between sides.
6. Incline Push Up
77.2 mSCORESWAPPED 48 TIMESTargets the lower chest and shoulders by elevating the feet, decreasing the difficulty level compared to traditional push-ups. This variation is beneficial for beginners or those focusing on lower chest development.
7. Dumbbell Fly
98.3 mSCORESWAPPED 47 TIMESDumbbell Fly’s are one of the most common isolation chest exercises, and for good. It primarily targets the muscles in the chest, but also recruits the shoulders for stability. The use of dumbbells ensures that you’re targeting each side of the body independently, and prevents compensating for any weaknesses between sides. In addition the isolated nature of this exercise is a great way to fatigue your chest, and focus on building both muscle mass and increasing strength in your chest.
8. Balance Trainer Push Up
36.1 mSCORESWAPPED 46 TIMESBalance Training Push Up is a more advanced variation on the standard Push Up. This variation adds a significant amount of instability to the movement, and is a great way to improve stability across pushing movements in general. The added instability also makes this exercise more taxing, and is a great way to add more difficulty and complexity to your Push Ups.
9. Machine Bench Press
93.5 mSCORESWAPPED 45 TIMESMachine Bench Press is a compound exercise the primarily targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps. The use of a machine forces you to use a fixed range of motion which can be a great way to learn the movement, or to focus your effort on exertion rather than stability.
10. Balance Trainer Wide Pushups
26.4 mSCORESWAPPED 36 TIMESPerformed with hands on a balance trainer, this variation increases chest, shoulder, and core engagement by introducing instability. The wide grip targets the chest muscles more extensively, making it beneficial for enhancing upper body strength and balance.
- Intermediate
- Chest
- BOSU® Balance Trainer