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I’ve learned two things about animal-themed exercises in the fitness world: they’re likely functional and torturous. This bodyweight exercise is both, and it’s brilliant at strengthening your core, chest, and triceps.
The bear push-up combines two of my favorite exercises: push-ups and bear planks, but it's not quite either. From a tabletop position, you’ll lift your knees to hover above the floor, then perform a push-up by bending your elbows and sending your weight forward.
Intrigued? Trust me, this is one bodyweight exercise worth knowing about. Below, I show you how to do it using just one of the best yoga mats and explain the benefits. Here’s everything you need to know.
How to do a bear push-up
Like the bear plank, you’ll start in a tabletop position with your wrists stacked beneath your shoulders and knees under your hips. Tuck your toes. Before you do anything else, scoop your belly button toward your spine and brace your stomach to engage your core and protect your lower back.
A tabletop is flat, which is why you eat your dinner on one, so your back should stay flat too, meaning you’ll maintain a neutral spine. Imagine balancing a very expensive glass of wine on your back throughout this exercise — don’t spill a drop.
From the tabletop, lift your knees to hover a couple of inches above the ground
Maintaining the set-up position, bend your elbows, keeping them close to your body
Lower your chest to just above the floor and look forward until your knees gently tap the ground, then push upward and extend both elbows
Keep your butt lifted throughout
Continue for 8-12 reps, then repeat for 3-4 sets.
What are the benefits?
It can be easy to underappreciate the importance of triceps strength. These muscles might look small, but they are mighty. Your triceps assist in many upper-body exercises, particularly push-focused ones like the bench press, push-up, or overhead press; when the triceps are weak, so are many of these lifts.
The bear push-up works your triceps hard, but you’ll need to keep them close to your body throughout to feel the benefits. Lower your chest until your shoulders tap the floor, and keep your butt lifted; your knees will reach the ground, which is normal, but try to avoid resting them.
Aim for 8 to 12 reps, but modify however you like and reduce the reps if needed. For an extra challenge, wrap a resistance band around your mid to upper back and secure it beneath both hands; as you push upward, you’ll press your back into the band and create extra resistance during the concentric (pushing) phase of the movement, working your chest, triceps, and shoulders even harder.
To modify, practice just bending your elbows until your knees touch the floor, then extending them again — think of a mini push-up. This can help you strengthen your triceps, which will assist you better when you build up to the full bear push-up.
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