Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the pushup plus(PUP) exercise with respiration on the activity of the muscles around the shoulders. Methods Twenty subjects were performed three types of respiration that forced inspiration(FI), forced expiration(FE), general respiration(GR) in the each posture of wall PUP and knee PUP. Prior to the initiation of the study, subjects were clearly informed of the posture of PUP exercise and three types of respiration. The six types of exercise were randomly selected by numbering card. Each type of exercise was performed three times, and after the exercise, the subjects had a rest of 5minutes. Surface EMG of serratus anterior(SA), upper trapezius(UT), middle trapezius(MT), deltoid(DT) muscles were recorded. Results There was no statistically significant difference in each types of exercise, but in the wall PUP exercise, SA and UT muscle showed highest activity at the FE, and the FI higher than GR. MT showed highest muscle activity at the FI, and the DT showed the highest muscle activity in GR. In the knee PUP exercise, SA, UT, MT and DT showed highest muscle activity in FE. In addition, there was no interaction between the posture of the PUP exercise and the respiration types. Conclusion This study showed there was no statistically significant difference in the activity of the muscles around the shoulders when PUP exercise with respiration. However, higher muscle activity was shown when FE in the measured muscles. Therefore, it is suggested to control respiration for more efficient exercise.