If you've built up some decent strength in the Push-Up, to make
the exericse tougher, you've likely graduated to the Feet-Elevated
Push-up (the one done with your feet set up on a bench, hands
on the floor and body angled down in order to focus on upper
chest (and make the exercise a bit more challenging).

And I know it's strange to say it, but the problem here
is the floor (bet you didn't even know the floor could be a
problem with the push-up!)

When you do a normal feet-elevated push-up, as you come to
the bottom, you have to flatten out your chest and torso, making
them horizontal, in order to keep your face from hitting the floor.

You're basically turning it right back into a regular push-up only
with your knees and body bent.

And that's NOT what we're looking for with that exercise.

---

You're going to be setting your hands on a bench
(FRONT EDGE) and hook your feet over a bar (or other solid
object) to get your body at that downwards angle. Because your
hands are on the front edge, you're also going to get some additional
tension by keeping yourself in place and from gripping the
padding of the bench.

Set the bench a few feet in front of the bar (I'm using a bar set
in the power rack and pulled up against the uprights...you can
use whatever is high enough up that you can get your feet on).
Adjust the height of the bar to your liking.

Get your feet hooked over the bar and get your body straight. Now
you're in the top position of the elevated-feet push-up.

Lower yourself down.

As you can see, in the bottom position my head is BELOW the level
of the bench. THIS is what allows me to keep that ideal declined body
position and maintain tension on the upper pecs during the movement,
which is what you CAN'T do if your hands are on the floor.

Now, can you use push-up handles or set your hands on dumbbell
handles to mimic this? Absolutely. It'll help.

But I STILL find that even with the hands raised a few inches on
handles, it doesn't give you nearly as much range of motion as
setting your hands on the bench in this fashion and not having to
worry AT ALL about pressing your face into the carpet...especially
if you elevate your legs even more than I have in the demo here
(the more vertical your body goes, the more useful this technique
becomes).

Give it a try next time you're training chest and see what you think!

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IMPORTANT...The Best Bodyweight Exercises
You've Never Heard Of

If you're interested in more bodyweight exercises and training tips
like this, I've got a GREAT book on the subject.

It's got 85 bodyweight exercises just like the one posted above.

And just fyi, they're not all "total" bodyweight exercises...I also
teach you how to incorporate strategic resistance into bodyweight
movements to make them even more effective.

If you enjoy bodyweight training, I think you should get it. It's not
expensive and it's jammed full of really cool exercises and
bodyweight training knowledge. I think you'll get a lot out of it and
the price is dirt cheap!

Check out the 5 free sample exercises here

Nick Nilsson
The "Mad Scientist of Muscle"