The wall push up plus trains the muscle that holds your shoulder blades flat against your ribs (serratus anterior). You stand facing a wall with straight arms and your hands on it at shoulder height, then press the wall away so the shoulder blades slide around your ribs and your chest moves back a little. Your elbows never bend. Because you are upright, far less of your body weight goes through the arms than in the floor version.

How to do the wall push up plus

Stand facing a wall, about an arm's length away, with your feet hip width apart on a floor that does not slip.
Place your palms on the wall at shoulder height, shoulder width apart, with your fingers pointing up. Lean in slightly so some of your weight rests on your hands.
Keep your elbows straight and press the heels of your hands into the wall. Your shoulder blades slide forward around your ribs, and your chest moves a little away from the wall.
Relax the shoulder blades and let your chest sink back toward the wall a few centimeters. The elbows stay straight throughout.
Keep your legs, hips and lower back still as you repeat the push and relax, so all the movement comes from the shoulder blades.

What you should feel

Work along the sides of your ribs, just below the armpits, and a little at the front of the chest. The neck and the tops of the shoulders stay quiet.

Common mistakes

Letting the elbows bend, so it becomes a wall push-up.
Letting the shoulders lift toward your ears during the push.
Rounding the whole upper back or pushing the hips back to make the movement bigger.
Letting the hips sway toward the wall as the shoulder blades relax.

How often

Many programs start with 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15, pausing briefly at the end of each push, once a day or a few days a week. Your physio will adjust this, including how far you stand from the wall.

Stop and check with your physio if

Sharp pain or a catch in the shoulder, elbow or wrist.
Tingling, numbness or pain spreading down your arm or into your hand.
Pins and needles in your arm or hand that do not go away after you stop, or part of your arm or hand goes numb. Get medical advice the same day. If one side of your face or body suddenly goes numb or weak, or your speech becomes slurred or muddled, call emergency services, even if it goes away.
A sudden pop or tearing feeling in the shoulder that brings sharp pain, new weakness or trouble lifting the arm. Stop and contact your surgical team the same day, or get medical advice the same day if you have not had surgery.
The shoulder feels as if it has slipped out of place, looks a different shape or suddenly locks so you cannot move the arm, or your hand turns cold, pale or blue. Go to an emergency department straight away, without driving yourself, and do not try to put the shoulder back in yourself.

From the clinic

Distance from the wall sets the load. Standing further back puts more weight through your arms, and standing closer makes it lighter. The chest only travels a few centimeters. The wall ball press works the same muscle with one arm and a steady hold, and the push-up plus on the floor is a common later step.

After shoulder surgery, including a rotator cuff repair, or after a shoulder fracture or dislocation, follow your surgeon's or physio's plan, and do only the movements and range they have cleared. Many plans allow only passive movement at first, where the arm is moved for you and its muscles stay relaxed. After a broken wrist, hand or forearm, or surgery on any of them such as a tendon repair, start only when your doctor, surgeon, physio or hand therapist says the bone or repair is ready for this, and follow their plan for how much to do. Wrists that ache when bent back often settle if you angle the fingers out a little. If you have high blood pressure, breathe steadily through every repetition and never hold your breath.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Wall push up plus