Freeletics Exercises: Spiderman Pushups

The Spiderman Pushup is an advanced and challenging Pushup variation that focuses on the chest, triceps, and shoulders while further targeting your core and obliques.

So, once you have mastered regular Pushups, the Spiderman Pushup is the perfect next challenge or progression, and as an added benefit it is pretty easy to get to grips with, which is always a bonus!

The muscles targeted in a Spiderman Pushup are largely the same as those challenged in a traditional Pushup, but with one significant change. The Spiderman Pushup will focus and challenge the core muscles more than a regular Pushup, building additional strength and tone in this area.

Overall, Spiderman Pushups engage your chest, triceps, shoulders, rectus abdominis, obliques, core stabilizers, hip flexors, and quadriceps.

When it comes to Spiderman Pushups, getting the movements down is not necessarily the hard part, rather it is maintaining the correct form with each repetition.

To perform the perfect Spiderman Pushup begin in the high plank position, with your hands on the floor directly below your shoulders and your arms straight.

Now comes the tricky part: as you bend your arms and lower yourself down, bend your knee to bring your thigh forwards and touch the elbow of the same side. You should lower yourself down until your elbows are about level with your knees.

Make sure to keep your knees, hips, and shoulders aligned at all times, counting one rep when you return to the high plank position, with one side counted as one repetition.

Remember that you can always check the tutorial videos in the Freeletics app to see Spiderman Pushups demonstrated at full speed, half-speed, and from multiple angles.

Common mistakes while practicing the Spiderman Pushup are similar to those of all Pushup variations.

The most important thing is to pay attention to your hips and core to make sure your body forms a straight line from your heels to your head throughout the exercise.

Failing to correctly engage your core during this move could also lead to your hips sagging and drooping towards the floor, which places unnecessary stress on your lower back.

If you are new to this exercise, try performing it in front of a mirror or with a partner, so you can keep an eye on your lower back and hip alignment. Another good way to keep your core engaged throughout the exercise is to stop and “reset” briefly after each repetition.

Another issue to look out for during this exercise is when you are lowering yourself into the “Spiderman” element of the movement. At this point in the exercise, your elbows will naturally extend out and backward, creating a 45-degree angle.

However, people often think that keeping your elbows tight to your chest is better and a harder workout, but this is not strictly true. Holding your elbows close to your torso targets the triceps more, reducing the challenge to the chest, which is not what you want in this move.

Similarly, another common problem is angling your elbows too far from the body at the bottom of the Pushup, almost pointing straight out to either side at 90-degree angles from your body.

This places undue stress on the elbows and shoulders. Again, check your placement and correct your positioning after each rep to make sure you are performing the move correctly.

The final common mistake is poor neck alignment. Some people tend to drop their neck between their arms especially after a long workout and as they begin to get tired. All you need to do is simply adjust your head position every now and then to make sure it’s in a straight line with your shoulders and hips to ensure proper form.