You can do a traditional or modified push-up or shoulder presses with light weights. Just starting? Assume a pushup position on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each hand while standing straight up. Do 6-8 reps if you are using very heavy weights, 8-12 reps if you are using moderate weights, or 12-15 reps if you are using light weights. Place your palms a bit more than shoulder on the ground in front of you. Slowly release your arms back down to the sides of your body. You need to master the Pushups 2, and Pike prior to attempting this exercise. Now slowly lift you heels and hips ups, head inside of your arms, make look like upside down V Position. Your arms should be straight and your hands should be shoulder-width apart. Eccentric pike push up. Pike Push-up. Health professionals typically recommend you aim for 150 minutes of aerobic exercises each day. Hold this elevated position for a few seconds. The trick is to make sure you maintain proper form to keep your shoulders healthy — and to avoid face-planting! Putting in some extra effort on this classic move will deliver serious strength results and work…. As shown above, the standard pike push up is performed with the hands and feet on the floor. The top three push up variations to target shoulders are: The Decline … If you weigh less, you're going to be pushing up less weight and the push ups will be easier. The final position is the Pike or an inverted V. Step 4: Return back to the starting plank position, ready to perform the push-up. You may want to do a cat/cow stretch on the ground, the back scratcher stretch or even a forward fold stretch. Heavier weights will build muscle while lighter weights will improve endurance. Include at least 1 or 2 days of strength training each week. Stay there for a moment, then slowly push back up until your arms are straight and you’re in the inverted V position. It helps burn calories and support a healthy weight, reduces your risk of strokes and developing diabetes, decreases your risk for sleep apnea and high blood pressure. This will focus the load of your weight onto your shoulders. Start in a plank position on the floor, with hands firmly on the floor, right under your shoulders. Your butt must be in the air and your feet on the ground. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Continuing to exercise can exacerbate an injury and make it worse. Bend your elbows until you head touches the ground before pressing back to the starting position. With a few adjustments to the exercise you can shift the emphasis away from the chest and on to the shoulders for both increases in strength and muscle mass by changing the angle of push. Bend one arm across your body at chest level. It's important to give them adequate rest so you do not increase your risk of an injury. It is a nice warm-up for the arms for all kinds of horizontal or vertical pressing and overhead movements, and opens up the thoracic spine. The Pike Push Ups is a variation of the traditional push up that is perfect for improving shoulder strength and practice for the handstand push up. Repeat these flyes 6-8 times with very heavy weights, 8-12 times with moderately heavy weights, or 12-15 times with lighter weights. Lift hips up and back until your body forms an inverted V shape. Pectoral muscles, deltoid; Physio Tips. Your arms should be straight and your hands should be shoulder-width apart. You could also move on to the intermediate-level movements in this roundup of 82(!) 3. What are the Pike Push Ups? Easier. “The pike push-up is powerful,” says ShaNay Norvell, a certified personal trainer based in Atlanta who’s been voted “Atlanta’s fittest athlete.”. Add more reps and sets as you build strength. The vertical press push-up is a great variation on its own. Pike Pushup. Take your other foot and step up the wall so that both feet are pressed into the wall. Your feet should be hip width apart to help you balance appropriately. It also recruits the core muscles for keeping the body in … Slowly push yourself back up to the starting position. In this article, we dissect the Pike Push-up, one of the best ways to increase overhead strength without using weight. The answer is pike pushup. Before doing your pike push-ups, do some light stretching. Increase your count from four to… however long you can extend the move while maintaining perfect form. Not only is it great for building rock hard shoulders, but it’s going to be your “go to” exercise while working your way up to the Handstand Push-Up. workout - arms - pike push up downward dog push up exercise young woman doing exercise - part of series - vector image with editable colour. Repeat 5 reps. Elevated pike push up. The Pike Push Ups is a variation of the traditional push up that is perfect for improving shoulder strength and practice for the handstand push up. The pike push-up puts even more weight on your arms and shoulders as you're performing the exercise, upping the challenge. However, like handstand and half-handstand push ups, if done from the floor your range of moti Pike push-ups are a difficult version of the traditional push-up that emphasizes your shoulder muscles. Shoulder abduction stretches. It's during rest and recovery that your muscles actually grow in size, gain more mass and increase in strength. While keeping your torso straight and abs contracted, slowly lift up your arms while keeping your palms facing the ground. If you’re not there yet, keep working toward your goal, lowering a little bit farther each time. In the starting position, bend your elbows out away from your body at a 45 degree angle. Your feet should be hip width apart to help you balance appropriately. This will be your starting and ending position. The Floor Pike Push-Up is an essential exercise to master if you ever want to perform a free standing, flat back Handstand Push Up. During each workout or during the week you should work every major muscle group including your shoulders. 2. Your hips will be in the air with your hands and feet just slightly wider than shoulder-width. How to Do Pike Push-Ups: Benefits, Progressions, Regressions Start again with a triceps pushup and … With your feet up on the box, push your butt up in the air and walk your hands back a bit toward the bench. As it gets easier, go higher, which gets you closer to the handstand push-up! The large amount of small muscles, tendons and ligaments in this joint are more prone to injury than other muscles (like your quadriceps). Strict (Military) Push-Up. Last Updated: October 8, 2020 It also recruits the core muscles for keeping the body in pike position. A pike push-up is basically an angled push-up done while maintaining an inverted V-shape. Don’t push it (haha) in this move — you don’t want to slip and fall on your face or injure your shoulder(s)! An alternative way to increase the resistance for decline push ups is to add weight with a weighted vest or backpack. A push-up (or press-up in British English) is a common calisthenics exercise beginning from the prone position.By raising and lowering the body using the arms, push-ups exercise the pectoral muscles, triceps, and anterior deltoids, with ancillary benefits to the rest of the deltoids, serratus anterior, coracobrachialis and the midsection as a whole. You can do a combination of body weight exercises (like pike push-ups) in addition to using weight machines, free weights or doing classes like yoga or pilates. Pike Push-Ups (Handstand Push-Ups) Similar to archer push-ups, pike push-ups are a great way to progress towards a more impressive push-up: the handstand push up. Your back is strong and your core is engaged. Whether you are doing strict handstand push-ups or kipping handstand push-ups (differences explained under Modifications and Variations), you want to use your glutes to stay your body upright and stable. You can make these easier by having your hands placed on something sturdy that is higher than your feet, like the first step of a staircase for example. Begin to walk your feet toward your hands while keeping your legs straight. Grab two dumbbells and lay face down on an incline bench. Pike push up, hands and feet on floor. So the pre-pike pushup is a great way to acclimate yourself to the vertical pressing pattern; pushing up over your head rather than out in front evn though you are still pushing ‘into the ground’. Start to walk your hands backwards towards your feet. Start to bend elbows, and then lower your entire upper body toward the floor. Most health and fitness professionals will recommend that you include a minimum of 1-2 rest days each week. Hold the bar in this position for a few seconds before relaxing back down. Now that you know, go set up and practice some pikes! Now lift up your hips so that your body forms an upside down V. … If you have training bands, you can also loop a small band around your wrists and do a Hybrid Pike Handstand Push-Up. For a pike push-up, you’ll keep your body in a “piked” position, with your hips elevated and legs straight. He has a BS in Exercise Physiology from Florida International University and an MS in Exercise Physiology specializing in strength and conditioning from the University of Miami. Use a bench to elevate your feet. Then once you’re stable, you bend your elbows and complete an angled push-up, all while keeping your body in … Then walk your hands back towards your feet. This will lift your hips up a little bit. “To someone who isn’t aware, a pike push-up can look like a push-up being performed incorrectly,” she explains. Shoulder blade squeezes. But with the arrival of COVID-19, the stakes are higher than ever. For a pike push-up, you start in a downwards dog yoga position with your hips in the air, legs … % of people told us that this article helped them. Our content does not constitute a medical consultation. Research source. Pike Press (for front delts) differs from Pike Push-up (for upper chest) in that, feet are at closer distance to hands so body is more inverted in lowest position. The pike is your first step on your way to a HSPU. Fingers pointing forward. Pike Push Up To do the Pike Push Up, place your feet up on a box or bench. This will mitigate any hamstring flexibility issues and make the exercise feel less awkward. A narrow base push-up position significantly increases stress on the elbow joint, but also involves higher muscle activation in the triceps and pecs. When performing a pike push-up, your feet should be about 6–8 inches (15–3 0cm) farther from your hands than they were for the pike press. Push back up to the start position. Step 2. Say no more. Raise your arms out in front of you so they are perpendicular to the bench. Press your arm into your chest with your free arm until you feel a light stretch in your shoulder. You'll be focusing on working a very specific muscle group (your shoulders, upper back and arms with pike push-ups) and you need to make sure those muscles are warm before you work them. We've been helping billions of people around the world continue to learn, adapt, grow, and thrive for over a decade. Slowly move your hands backwards so they make a "T" shape with your body. Lift one leg at a time before you start to bend your elbows. “Hips are in the air, making an inverted V shape with the body, and crown of head is pointed to the floor. Try to keep the hips over your hands for a proper alignment. It’s okay to stand on the balls of your feet for this. To start a pike push-up, get down into a regular or traditional push-up position. Also check out our Push-ups and Dive Bomber Push-ups to build up strength to make this exercise more acheivable. Hold for 20-30 seconds. So the pre-pike pushup is a great way to acclimate yourself to the vertical pressing pattern; pushing up over your head rather than out in front evn though you are still pushing ‘into the ground’. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 27,156 times. Slowly push yourself back up to the starting position. It's not during weight lifting that this happens. These step-by-step instructions will make you a plank pro. Also include some range of motion exercises. Modifying the Inverted-V Position Start from your knees. Fingers pointing forward. Even if the flexibility is not an issue, I highly recommend it. Your hands should be about shoulder width apart. The Pike Push Ups is a variation of the traditional push up that is perfect for improving shoulder strength and practice for the handstand push up.It also recruits the core muscles for keeping the body in pike position. Easier: Pre Pike-Pushup. Eventually aim for a set of 10-15 reps. As you improve, you can increase the amount of sets you do each time you exercise. workout - arms - pike push up downward dog push up exercise young woman doing exercise - part of series - vector image with editable colour. Instead of keeping the full plank position, … To start, get into a normal push-up position on your floor or mat. The pike push-up looks like a mash-up of Downward-Facing Dog and Dolphin Pose, and this move can build major strength. Internally rotated hand positions were also shown to produce greater and potentially injurious forces on the elbow joints. Now put up your hips in a way that your body forms a “V” shape upside down. Lift your arms up until your upper arms are parallel with the floor. Step 3. For those looking at achieving the Handstand Push Up, the Pike Push Up is a great foundational movement to achieve. While standing straight up, hold two dumbbells in each hand. Stop when your body forms an upside down "V" shape and between your torso and legs is a 90 degree angle. To do the right technique, you have to follow these steps; 1. This exercise has some variations as it can ve performed on the ground on placing the feet in a higher place such as a box or platform. pike position stock illustrations Horse knight with flag linear icon Horse knight with flag linear icon. There are 17 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. All previous Technique Thursdays. How to: Pike Push-Up Primary Muscles Used:Shoulders, Arms, Anterior Deltoid, Lateral Deltoid, Triceps Exercise Families:Vertical Push Trainer:Kayla Itsines Place both hands on the mat slightly further than shoulder-width apart, with feet apart on the mat behind you, while resting on the balls of your feet. When performing a pike push-up, your feet should be about 6–8 inches (15–3 0cm) farther from your hands than they were for the pike press. Also, one should be comfortable with regular pushups. Keep knees and back straight. the floor, but try to get as close as possible. See a certified medical professional for diagnosis. Elevate your feet by stepping onto a sturdy chair, bench, or box. Start with as many pike push-ups as you can. Unfortunately, the shoulder is an easy area to injure. © 2021 Greatist a Red Ventures Company. Repeat; Decline Push-Up Difficulty: Beginner. For an ordinary push-up, this would be incorrect form. This makes you lift a larger percentage of your body weight, compared to the floor version. Slowly release your arms back so they are in front of you again. You should feel the sides of your shoulders being stretched. We, therefore, need an exercise where we can build up the needed strength towards a handstand pushup. This is even more important if you lift weights often or are a body builder. Getting in a proper warm-up with strength training is essential. This article has been viewed 27,156 times. Starting from a regular push-up position, slowly walk your feet in towards your hands with your body forming an upside-down “V” shape. The only exercise to truly take the place of a military shoulder press is a handstand pushup, but as those are very difficult to start off with, we master the Pike Push-up … Assume a pushup position on the floor. References. While standing straight, squeeze your shoulder blades together until you feel a light stretch on the front of your shoulders. Your face should be pointed towards the floor. Hold one dumbbell in each hand. Start again with a triceps pushup and go in the opposite direction. Slowly lower your arms back down to your sides. Bend your elbows out away from your body at a 45 degree angle until your head touches the ground. When you first start to include pike push-ups into your exercise routine, … Or you can make your pike push-ups even harder with one of these variations: Want to master the pike push-up? A post shared by Nick Nilsson (@nicknilsson1) on Apr 22, 2017 at 11:32pm PDT If this exercise is too challenging, try the Horizontal Shoulder Push-Up. Repeat this exercise 6-8 times if you are using very heavy weights, 8-12 times with moderately heavy weights, or 12-15 times with lighter weights. The pike push-up — a push-up performed in the pike position (hips flexed, back and legs straight) — is an easier alternative to handstand and half-handstand push-ups for training the shoulders using only your body weight. Step 5: For the pushup, engage your shoulder girdle stability by holding your scapulae depressed; You are still maintaining a strong plank position … An elegant way to get into this position is to get into a basic push-up position. For some individuals, the challenge of doing a regular push-up is daunting enough. It is vital that you use the correct pike push-up technique to ensure that you do not end up injuring yourself. The pike push-up is like a dynamic downward-facing dog pose from yoga. Start slow and stay low to the floor. They shouldn't be straight out to the sides or flushed against the side of your body. The dumbbells should be resting near your ears. However, you can do strength training daily if you alternate muscles groups each day. In addition, the shoulder area has a lot of muscles, ligaments and tendons that can easily be overworked. This specific movement is important for everyday functions like lifting things onto shelves, pushing things into the attic and playing with the kids. Last medically reviewed on June 23, 2020, Even though they're basic, push-ups are always hard. If you're looking to increase strength, muscle mass or both in your shoulders and arms, push-ups are a great exercise to do. This week's Technique Thursday is on Pike Push Ups.. Progressions: Pike Push Up - With your feet on the ground and the hands out in front of you, piking at the hips. With your leg raised, begin your pike push-ups. Aerobic exercise comes with different benefits compared to strength training. Not only is this exercise great for building shoulder stability and strength, but it puts us in a position that closely mimicks a complete “Vertical Pressing” pattern. Lastly, do some light weight lifting exercises. However, like handstand and half-handstand push ups, if done from the floor your range of moti What is the Pike Push Up? This ends up being about 2 1/2 hours or 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week. How to do a pike pushup. Maintaining the pike position requires good shoulder strength and stability. The pike push up is a variation of shoulder press that requires no equipment. Pike push up feet elevated. Place your knees on a chair/box and when you find this easy try with your feet on it. Placing your body in a more vertical position with feet on a bench changes the pressing angle to bias your shoulders in a joint-friendly position. While sitting on the end of a bench, hold a dumbbell in each hand. Pike push ups may feel awkward at first, though the exercise gets easier with practice. The set-up is pretty much identical to the set-up for the other variations included in this article, aside from hand position. How to make Pike Push-up easier. By Editors of Men’s Health. Exercise name: Pike shoulder press Area worked: front and side shoulder area. Your whole body should be neutral and in a straight line. For a pike push-up, you’ll keep your body in a “piked” position, with your hips elevated and legs straight. Whenever you're doing any type of strength training, aim to be working out for at least 20 minutes total. 4. Gently draw your ribs to your hips to engage your core. Daniel Bubnis, M.S., NASM-CPT, NASE Level II-CSS, 15 Exercises For the Ultimate At-Home Shoulder Workout. For those looking at achieving the Handstand Push Up, the Pike Push Up is a great foundational movement to achieve. It's like a pike push-up but more comfortable for those who struggle with tight hamstrings. Switch sides. Although you may feel slightly out of breath or sweaty when you perform strength training activities, these do not count as cardio. To start, hold a weighted barbell with both hands. Start in a push-up position with your feet about hip-width apart and your hands beneath your shoulders. With your feet up on the box, push your butt up in the air and walk your hands back a bit … Press toes firmly into the floor too. You need to do exercises like walking, jogging, swimming, using the elliptical machine or rowing machine. To do the Pike Push Up, place your feet up on a box or bench. Instead, break down the movement and work on the foundation. However, this is proper body position for a pike push-up, which is part of what makes it unique.”. Last week's Technique Thursday on One Arm Chin Ups. Hold this position while squeezing your shoulder blades together. This is one pike push-up. Make sure you maintain control throughout the movement. Please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Rest in between each set. Strengthens the upper body—primarily … Your hands should be shoulder width apart and your legs should be hip width apart. Use it as a stepping stone to harder moves or as a goal to boost your shoulder strength. This article was co-authored by Julian Arana, M.S.eD., NCSF-CPT. Keep arms and legs as straight as possible. Strength training not only builds and tones lean muscle mass, but can help prevent osteoporosis (and subsequent fractures or breaks) and even increase your metabolism. Incorporating this type of push-up into your exercise routine can help build additional strength, muscle mass and improve weak areas in your shoulders. Upon your head lightly making contact with the floor, you will push through the heel and outer edge of your hand, driving yourself up and away from the floor as you rock back to the balls of your feet, while you maintain pike position, demonstrating thoracic extension and straight legs. We, therefore, need an exercise where we can build up the needed strength towards a handstand pushup. Your arms and legs … Get into a downdog pose. Then, switch and repeat your pike push-ups with your left leg raised in the air. The starting position of the Pike Push Up looks like a triangle. How to do the pike push up? Progression. She also wouldn’t recommend it for anyone who’s recovering from an elbow or shoulder injury. Keep your legs straight and get your arms and torso in one line. Do neck rolls, shoulder rolls (both forwards and backwards) or shoulder shrugs. Doing pike pushups with feet on the ground is OK but I suggest you start with decline pike pushups where the feet are slightly elevated. 4. Here’s how to do the perfect pike push-up, step by step! To perform it, get into a normal pushup position and take a 1-2 ‘ankle steps’ forward. If you have any pain or instability, stop. To begin, you have to get down in the regular push up position. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Easier. Every dollar contributed enables us to keep providing high-quality how-to help to people like you. Slowly lower your arms back down to shoulder level. To build endurance only, use lighter weights; aim for 12-15 reps per set. push-ups you need to know about. Keep your back straight and head facing forward. It is a fantastic exercise for building upper body strength and developing the overhead push movement. Purpose & Background The Pike push-up is a normal push-up but finishes in a downward facing dog position. The Pike Push-Up is great practice for progressing to the full Handstand Push-Up I have to say the Pike Push-Up is one of my favorite bodyweight training exercises! Elevated Pike Press Difficulty: Intermediate. Place your hands on the ground shoulder-width apart. That’s OK. How slow can you go? Hold the dumbbells at this elevated position for a few seconds. Do a pike push-up. You might also start to work on a handstand — or those handstand push-ups. Bend your elbows until your head touches the ground. How to do Pike Push Ups Exercise Properly? Keep your legs straight as you do this. X Keeping your legs and arms straight, begin to walk your legs towards your hands and pull your hips up to the sky, making a “V” shape. Once you’ve mastered the pike push-up, you can start to build strength by increasing the number of reps and sets. The pike push-up is not a move for beginners, cautions Norvell. Your hands should lie directly under your shoulders and should be locked straight. This may be an easier way to scale the workload on your shoulders, if you lack the flexibility (particularly in the hamstrings) to get into the position for a pike push up. Does losing weight make pike push ups easier? This is because the Pike Push Up is one of the earliest overhead pushing exercises found in the Skill Tree. Pay extra attention to your form and emphasize quality over quantity. The Pike Push-Up is great practice for progressing to the full Handstand Push-Up I have to say the Pike Push-Up is one of my favorite bodyweight training exercises! wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. She suggests 2–3 sets of 5–8 reps, no more than twice a week — and rest for 1 minute between rounds for maximum strength gain. Try these 15 muscle-building exercises handpicked by certified personal…. The 90 degree Pike Push Up plays a major role in our journey towards the Handstand Push-Up. After a few seconds, continue rolling, placing right hand on the ground so you end up back in a plank position. Your palms should be facing towards each other. By using our site, you agree to our. To perform it, get into a normal pushup position and take a 1-2 ‘ankle steps’ forward. 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