Is this actually a push-up?

No. The elbows stay straight and the arms spread out to the sides, so the hold works like the bottom of a chest fly rather than the bottom of a push-up. "Long-arm" refers to those straight elbows.

How long should I hold it?

Start with several short holds of around 10 to 20 seconds, ending each one before your position starts to break. Straight-arm strength builds slowly, so add a few seconds or a little depth at a time rather than chasing long holds early.

Why do I feel it in my biceps?

With the elbows locked straight, the biceps helps hold the arm in place at the shoulder and resists the elbow being pulled open, so a feeling of effort there is normal. Sharp pain in the crease of the elbow or at the front of the shoulder is not, and is a reason to stop.

How can I make the hold easier or harder?

Stay higher with the rings closer together to make it easier, or build up with the Ring Chest Fly first. To make it harder, lower closer to the floor, hold longer, or perform it from the feet instead of the knees.

How is it different from the Ring Kneeling Rollout?

Both start kneeling on low rings, but in the Ring Kneeling Rollout the arms travel forward overhead and the abs do most of the work. Here the arms spread out to the sides and the chest holds them there.

Ring Long-Arm Push-Up Hold

What Is the Ring Long-Arm Push-Up Hold?

Ring Long-Arm Push-Up Hold is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the chest and also engages the front of the shoulders, the biceps, the serratus anterior and the abdominal wall. It is an advanced-level movement, performed from the knees on a pair of low gymnastic rings and logged by time rather than reps.

Despite the name, the hold looks less like the bottom of a push-up than the bottom of a fly. You start kneeling tall with a ring in each hand, then lean forward while the straight arms spread out to the sides until the body is close to horizontal and the arms form a T just above the floor. "Long-arm" refers to the straight elbows: the rings sit at the end of a fully extended arm, and that long lever is what makes the position so demanding. The chest and front deltoids work at a long muscle length to stop the rings from sliding any further apart, while the abs keep the hips from sagging.

The hold belongs to gymnastics-style ring conditioning, where straight-arm chest work is used to prepare the shoulders for skills such as the planche and the iron cross. It fits early in a session, after a thorough upper-body warm-up, as a few short holds while the shoulders are still fresh. Kneeling keeps the lever shorter than the same position from the feet, so it is a way to build straight-arm fly strength before taking the Ring Chest Fly through a deeper range or from a flatter body angle.

It suits people who already handle ring push-ups, Ring Dips and the Ring Chest Fly comfortably. If the full T position is out of reach, hold a higher, narrower position, or build chest strength first with the Dumbbell Fly and the Kneeling Push-Up. Thinking about squeezing the rings toward each other throughout the hold keeps the tension in the chest rather than letting it hang on the front of the shoulders.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Pectoralis Major: Primary
Deltoid: High
Biceps Brachii: Medium
Rectus Abdominis: Medium
Serratus Anterior: Medium
External Oblique: Low
Gluteus Maximus: Low
Latissimus Dorsi: Low
Triceps Brachii (Long Head): Low
Flexor Carpi Radialis: Minimal

Instructions

Set the rings low so they hang beside your thighs when you kneel between them.
Kneel tall with your knees about hip-width apart and grip a ring in each hand, arms straight at your sides.
Brace your abs and squeeze your glutes so your body forms one straight line from knees to head. Your feet can rest on the floor or lift behind you.
Keeping your elbows straight, lean forward and let the rings travel out to the sides as your chest lowers toward the floor.
Stop when your arms form a T level with your shoulders and your body is close to horizontal, or earlier at the lowest point you can control without shoulder pain.
Hold the position, pressing the rings down and toward each other so they do not drift wider. Keep your shoulders away from your ears and your eyes on the floor.
Breathe steadily for the target time.
To finish, squeeze your arms back toward your body to return to tall kneeling, or lower your chest to the floor under control.

Common Mistakes

Going deeper than you can control
Letting the rings slide into a wider, lower position than you can hold dumps the load onto the front of the shoulder instead of the chest.
Bending the elbows
Bent arms shorten the lever and turn the hold into a push-up position, which removes the straight-arm challenge the exercise is for.
Forcing the elbows into hyperextension
Straight arms should be firmly locked by the muscles, not pushed past straight so the elbow joint and biceps tendon take the strain.
Sagging or piking at the hips
Losing the straight line from knees to head shifts stress to the lower back and makes the rings harder to control.
Shrugging toward the ears
Letting the shoulders ride up takes the chest and serratus out of the hold and crowds the front of the shoulder.
Uneven or drifting rings
One ring sliding wider or further forward than the other loads one shoulder more and usually means the hold is too deep for now.

Injuries

Ring Long-Arm Push-Up Hold is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. Most of the risk comes from depth: once the rings slide wider than you can control, the load lands on the front of the shoulder at the end of its range, and the straight arms put the biceps tendons under tension at both the shoulder and the elbow. Straight-arm ring work builds muscle strength well before the tendons have adapted, which is why progress should be slow even when the hold starts to feel easy. A sagging midline can also strain the lower back.

Warm up the shoulders, elbows and wrists first, and only lower as far as you can hold without pain or pressure at the front of the shoulder. Keep the elbows straight but not forced into hyperextension, keep the shoulders pulled away from the ears, and brace the abs and glutes so the body stays in one line from knees to head. Add depth and seconds gradually over weeks rather than in a single session.

To regress, hold a higher position with the rings closer together, or build up with the Ring Chest Fly, the Dumbbell Fly and the Kneeling Push-Up. To progress, lower closer to the floor, lengthen the holds, or perform the hold from the feet in a plank position.

Stop if you feel sharp pain at the front of the shoulder or in the crease of the elbow, a pinching or clicking in the shoulder, or if the rings keep sliding apart and you cannot pull them back. Pain in the biceps near the elbow after training is a reason to rest and have it checked rather than to push through.

Overview

Primary Focus: Chest
Equipment: Rings and body weight
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Advanced

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is this actually a push-up?: No. The elbows stay straight and the arms spread out to the sides, so the hold works like the bottom of a chest fly rather than the bottom of a push-up. "Long-arm" refers to those straight elbows.
Q: How long should I hold it?: Start with several short holds of around 10 to 20 seconds, ending each one before your position starts to break. Straight-arm strength builds slowly, so add a few seconds or a little depth at a time rather than chasing long holds early.
Q: Why do I feel it in my biceps?: With the elbows locked straight, the biceps helps hold the arm in place at the shoulder and resists the elbow being pulled open, so a feeling of effort there is normal. Sharp pain in the crease of the elbow or at the front of the shoulder is not, and is a reason to stop.
Q: How can I make the hold easier or harder?: Stay higher with the rings closer together to make it easier, or build up with the Ring Chest Fly first. To make it harder, lower closer to the floor, hold longer, or perform it from the feet instead of the knees.
Q: How is it different from the Ring Kneeling Rollout?: Both start kneeling on low rings, but in the Ring Kneeling Rollout the arms travel forward overhead and the abs do most of the work. Here the arms spread out to the sides and the chest holds them there.