# Exercise Ball Pike Pushup - Canonical: https://fitwill.app/exercise/11408/exercise-ball-pike-pushup/ - Media ID: 11408 - Primary muscle: Shoulders - Body part: Shoulders - Equipment: Stability Ball - Video: https://fitwill.app/videos/11408/exercise-ball-pike-pushup.mp4 ## Description The Exercise Ball Pike Pushup is an advanced upper-body and core movement that combines two demanding patterns into one exercise. You start in a tall plank with your shins or the tops of your feet resting on a stability ball, raise your hips toward the ceiling into an inverted V, then bend your elbows and press back up so your shoulders and triceps do real work while your core fights to keep the ball from drifting. Because the ball moves under you, every rep also challenges balance in a way a floor-based pike pushup never will. This exercise suits intermediate to advanced trainees who already own a solid plank, can perform several clean floor pushups, and have practiced stability ball pikes or jackknives without losing the ball. It is especially useful for calisthenics and handstand progressions, since the overhead pressing angle loads the shoulders similarly to a handstand pushup while the rolling ball forces you to control your position rather than rely on a fixed pivot point. The main work comes from the front and side shoulders, the triceps, and the upper traps as you press. Holding the pike under load keeps the entire abdominal wall, hip flexors, and deep core engaged, and your legs and glutes work isometrically to keep the ball steady. Expect a strong demand on wrist and shoulder stabilizers as well, which is exactly why the movement carries over so well to inverted pressing. Setup quality determines everything here. The ball should be sized so your body forms a long line in the plank, your hands belong directly under your shoulders, and the ball should sit on a non-slip surface with clear space around it. If the ball is too far forward under your thighs, the pike becomes a hip hinge with no core challenge; too far back under your toes, and the setup becomes unstable before you even move. To execute well, think of the pike and the press as two controlled halves of one rep. Lift the hips first with the arms straight, letting the ball roll under the shins toward your hands, then bend the elbows to lower the crown of your head toward the floor between your hands and press back to the top of the pike. Reverse the pike with control so the ball rolls back to the starting shin position rather than snapping back. Use this movement as a strength finisher on upper-body days, as a handstand pushup progression, or as a core-intensive alternative to machine shoulder pressing. Keep the reps low and the quality high; if your hips sag, the ball wanders, or your elbows flare wide, reduce the range or regress to a stability ball pike without the press until the pattern is solid. ## Instructions 1. Kneel behind a stability ball and walk your hands forward until your shins or the tops of your feet rest on top of the ball, then place your palms flat on the floor directly under your shoulders with fingers spread. 2. Straighten your knees and extend your hips until your body forms one long line from head to heels, with the ball sitting under your shins, and set your feet about hip-width apart on the ball for balance. 3. Brace your abdominals, squeeze your glutes lightly, and press the floor away so your shoulder blades are not collapsed together. 4. Inhale, then push your hips up and back toward the ceiling, keeping your knees straight and letting the ball roll under your shins toward your hands until you reach an upside-down V position. 5. At the top of the pike, keep your arms straight and your head between your arms, eyes looking back toward the ball or the floor a short distance ahead of your hands. 6. Exhale as you bend your elbows and lower the crown of your head toward the floor between your hands, keeping your elbows tracking about 45 degrees from your torso rather than flaring wide. 7. Press firmly through your palms to straighten your arms and return to the top of the pike, keeping the ball as still as you can. 8. Inhale again, then slowly lower your hips back down until your body returns to the straight plank line and the ball rolls back under your shins. 9. Breathe steadily throughout, one full cycle per pike-plus-press, and never hold your breath at the top. 10. Complete your reps, then step or lower one foot off the ball at a time to the floor to finish safely. ## Tips & Tricks - If the ball shoots out from under you during the pike, you are lifting your hips too fast; the ball should roll, not launch, so move at half the speed you think you need. - Elbows flaring out to the sides is the most common pressing fault here and it stresses the shoulder joint; cue your elbows to point back toward your feet on the ball. - Keep your neck long at the top of the pike. Craning to look forward collapses the position and shifts load onto the base of the neck instead of the shoulders. - Chalk or slightly damp hands help if your palms slip on slick flooring, since hand slide is what usually sends the ball rolling backward mid-rep. - If your lower back arches when you return from the pike, your core is tiring; shorten the set rather than letting the hips sag into the plank. - Position the ball under your shins, not your thighs. Thigh placement removes the leverage challenge and makes the pike far easier than the exercise is meant to be. - Warm up your wrists with circles and a few floor pike holds first, because the top position places your wrists in deep extension under body weight. - Use a wall nearby for a confidence reset on early attempts, but do not lean into it; the value of the ball is that it forces active balance. - Scale by walking the ball closer to your feet: ball under the toes is harder, ball under the shins is standard, and practicing the pike alone with no press is the honest regression. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Which muscles does the Exercise Ball Pike Pushup work the most? The front and side shoulders and the triceps handle the press, while the upper traps and abs hold the pike. Your hip flexors and deep core also work hard to control the ball throughout each rep. ### Is the Exercise Ball Pike Pushup suitable for beginners? Not usually as a first ball exercise. Beginners should be comfortable with a stability ball plank and a floor pike pushup first, then practice the ball pike without the press before combining the two. ### Where exactly should the stability ball sit during the Exercise Ball Pike Pushup? Under your shins is the standard position, matching the plank and pike shown in the exercise. Moving it toward your toes makes the setup less stable, while resting it under your thighs makes the movement noticeably easier. ### How is this different from a regular pike pushup on the floor? On the floor your feet stay fixed, so your hips pivot around a stable point. With the Exercise Ball Pike Pushup, the ball rolls under you during the pike, so your core and legs must control a moving base while your shoulders press. ### My hips sag when I come back down from the pike. What is going wrong? That is usually core fatigue or rushing the return. Lower your hips slowly, exhale on the way down, and stop the set one or two reps before your plank line breaks. ### What can I substitute if I do not have a stability ball? A floor pike pushup with feet on a bench or a low box trains a similar pressing angle, though it removes the balance demand. Suspension trainer pikes are another close option. ### How many reps should I do of the Exercise Ball Pike Pushup? Keep it in the low-rep strength range, around 4 to 8 controlled reps per set, because form tends to break down quickly. Two to four clean sets beat higher-rep sets where the hips sag. ### Is it safe for my shoulders and wrists? It is generally safe for healthy shoulders and wrists when your elbows stay at about 45 degrees and your wrists are warmed up. If you have a current shoulder, wrist, or lower back issue, get clearance from a qualified professional before attempting it. ### Why does my ball keep rolling away during the pike? Usually your hands are too close to the ball, your pike is too explosive, or the floor is slippery. Set the ball a full shin-length from your hands, lift the hips deliberately, and use a mat or non-slip surface. ### Does the Exercise Ball Pike Pushup help with handstand pushups? Yes, it is a useful progression because it trains the overhead pressing angle with an unstable base, which builds the shoulder and core control a handstand pushup demands. Master the ball pike alone before adding load through the press.