Knee Push-Up

The push-up from the knees is one of the many variations of the classic push-up procedure. This technique is often called the modified push-up, woman's push-up, or the "bent knee" push-up. This technique is suitable for anyone with poor upper body strength.

Exercise Description

Equipment Required

You may wish to use a floor mat if the ground surface is hard on the knees. To standardize how far you lower the chest towards the ground, you can use a foam block or other object to set the lowest level.

Starting Position

Get into the starting position by kneeling on the floor, lean forwards onto your hands, placed on either side of the chest, and keep your back straight. The feet should be in the air.

Movement

Lower the chest down towards the floor, always to the same level each time, either till your elbows are at right angles or your chest touches the ground. Press back up until the arms are fully extended.

The Workout

Repeat this action as many times as required. See Push-Up Workouts for example training programs.

Variations

Other than changing the pivot point from the knees to the toes (like the standard push-up), you can also make this exercise harder by changing the position of the hands (either further apart or closer together). The wall push-up and the incline push-up are similar alternatives which reduced the weight on the hands.

 

Resources

• Variations of the Push-Up technique
• Description of the standard push-up technique
• Alternatives to the Push-Up
• Push-Up Workouts

 

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