If you’re struggling with performing push-ups from your toes, you’re not alone. Many people find it difficult to lift their entire body weight off the ground. Don’t worry, the problem is not with your strength, but rather the lack of practice and technique. The good news is that push-up from knees is a great alternative for those who want to build upper body and core strength. In this post, we’ll show you how to do a push-up from your knees efficiently, effectively and safely, so you can start working towards conquering those push-ups from your toes.
Push Up From Knees Summary
- Primary Muscles: Pectoralis Major – Sternal
- Secondary Muscles: Deltoid – Anterior, Pectoralis Major – Clavicular, and Triceps Brachii
- Equipment: Body Weight
- Mechanics Type: Compound
- Force: Push
- Utility: Basic or Auxiliary
Push Up From Knees Instructions
- Lie facedown on the floor with your hands slightly wider than shoulder width.
- Bend your knees and raise your body off the floor by extending your arms with your body straight. Keep your body straight from your head to your knees, with your hands and knees in contact with the ground
- lower your body to the floor by bending your arms.
- Push your body up by extending your arms.
- Do your Push Up From Knees for a complete set.
Video Tutorial
Push Up From Knees Muscles
Target (Agonist)
- Pectoralis Major – Sternal
Synergists
- Deltoid – Anterior
- Pectoralis Major – Clavicular
- Triceps Brachii
Dynamic Stabilizers
- Biceps Brachii – Short Head
Stabilizers
Antagonist Stabilizers
Benefits of Push Up From Knees
The Push Up From Knees exercise is an excellent addition to any strength training or fitness routine as it specifically targets the Pectoralis Major – Sternal muscle. This muscle, located in the chest, is responsible for adducting and medially rotating the arm and is activated when the arms are pushed away from the body. Push Up From Knees strengthens this muscle, improving posture and helping to maintain balance. As a result, performing this exercise can help improve upper body strength and reduce injury risk.
Tips for Performing Push Up From Knees
Your at the right place if you’re motivated to enhance your push up from knees execution. These tips can get you more from of this beautiful workout, and help you receive all the benefits it has to offer. Concurrently with toning your chest muscles, improving mobility, and even a lower possibility of injury can all be accomplished with this exercise. Let’s get begin and look at what these tips can do for you.
- Maintain Proper Form: Make sure to keep your back straight and your core engaged while doing the push up from your knees. This will ensure that you are targeting the right muscles and getting the most out of the exercise.
- Keep Your Neck Relaxed: Keep your neck relaxed and in line with the rest of your spine, rather than craning it forward or back. This will help to prevent neck strain and ensure proper form.
- Pace Yourself: Take your time with each repetition and focus on proper form rather than speed. This will help to prevent injury and ensure that you get the most out of the exercise.
Benefits and Tips Video
Frequent Mistakes To Avoid
Avoiding common errors can be the distinction between a productive training session and an injury when performing push up from knees. Additionally, achieving optimal results from this exercise requires proper technique, and avoiding perform common errors can help you to perform the exercise better and obtain optimal results. But relax, it’s not as challenging as it might seem. By knowing the errors to avoid and taking the appropriate actions, you can execute the activity securely and successfully. So it is time for you to optimize the impact of this exercise and enjoy the advantages of a productive workout.
- Not maintaining proper form: By not keeping the core tight and back straight when doing the push up from knees, you are not working the correct muscles and putting yourself at risk for injury.
- Not using correct hand positioning: Making sure that your hands are placed directly under your shoulders helps to ensure that you are engaging the correct muscles and not overworking or straining your wrists.
- Not going low enough: Going too shallow on your push ups from knees can lessen the effectiveness of the exercise. To make sure you are getting the most out of it, you should go low enough that your arms and chest reach the ground.
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Variations and Complementary Exercises
If you are looking to increase the intensity of your Push Up From Knees workout or just switch up your routine, here are some variations, complementary, and alternative exercises that work similar muscles as the Push Up From Knees.
Lying Cable Fly
The lying cable fly is a great complementary or alternative exercise for the push up from the knees. This exercise works the same muscles, but with a different angle and range of motion. It is also a great way to isolate the chest muscles, which can be difficult to do with push ups. To perform the lying cable fly, start in a lying position on a bench with a cable pulley set up directly above you. Grasp the handles with both hands and pull them out to your sides. Hold for a second at the peak of the contraction before returning to the starting position. This exercise helps strengthen and tone the chest muscles without putting too much strain on the shoulders.
Lunge Push Up
The Lunge Push Up is a great complementary or alternative exercise to the Push Up From Knees. It is a more advanced version of the Push Up From Knees, but provides a greater challenge for those looking for more of a workout. The Lunge Push Up requires you to start in a lunge position with one foot forward and one foot back. As you lower yourself down to the floor, you push off from both feet, and then as you come up, you push off from the front foot. This exercise targets the same muscles used in the Push Up From Knees, but also works your glutes and quads.
Feet Elevated Push Up
Feet Elevated Push Up is a great complementary or alternative exercise to the Push Up From Knees. This exercise requires you to place your feet on an elevated surface, such as a bench or a step, and then perform a push up. This variation increases the difficulty of the push up by engaging your core and glutes as you press up and down. It also increases the range of motion which helps to build more strength and endurance in the chest and triceps. Furthermore, Feet Elevated Push Ups will target the upper body more than the Push Up From Knees, providing an extra challenge for those looking to increase their upper body strength and size.
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Close Grip Push Up On Knees
Close Grip Push Up On Knees is a great complementary or alternative exercise to the Push Up From Knees. This exercise works the same muscles, but with a different angle of resistance. Close Grip Push Up On Knees requires you to place your hands closer together than the normal Push Up From Knees, which places more focus on the triceps and chest muscles. This exercise can be a great way to add variety and intensity to your workout, as well as provide an alternative for those who may find the regular Push Up From Knees too difficult.
Close Grip Push Up
Close Grip Push Up is a great complementary or alternative exercise for the Push Up From Knees. This exercise requires you to place your hands close together and lower your chest towards the floor. This can be a challenging exercise, as it requires more strength and stability than the Push Up From Knees. Additionally, Close Grip Push Up works your triceps and shoulders more than the Push Up From Knees and helps to build overall upper body strength. If you are looking to increase the intensity of your workout or simply switch up your routine, Close Grip Push Up is an excellent exercise to add to your routine.
Lever Pec Deck Fly (Machine)
The Lever Pec Deck Fly is a great machine for those looking to target their chest muscles in a different way. It can be used as a complementary or alternative exercise to the Push Up From Knees. This machine helps you to move your arms in an arc-like motion that works your chest muscles. This exercise is great for those who lack the strength or balance needed to perform a Push Up From Knees and can help to increase chest strength and size.
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Opposing Complementary Exercises
To maximize the benefits of the Push Up From Knees exercise, it is important to also engage the opposing muscle groups. Below are a few exercises that target opposing muscle groups to the Push Up From Knees, helping you to build strength and balance in your body.
Resistance Band Seated Rows
Resistance Band Seated Rows are a great exercise to do after the Push Up From Knees as they complement each other by targeting opposing muscle groups. The Push Up From Knees works the chest, shoulders, and triceps muscles, while the Resistance Band Seated Rows target the back, biceps, and latissimus dorsi muscles. Doing both exercises together will help you to strengthen both the front and back of your body and improve your posture. Resistance Band Seated Rows can be done in a seated position with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent at 90 degrees. Place the resistance band under your feet and hold the ends of the band in each hand. Keeping your back straight and chest up, pull the bands towards your chest and then lower them back to the starting position.
Resistance Band Face Pulls
Resistance Band Face Pulls are an excellent complementary exercise to the Push Up From Knees. This exercise is a great way to target the posterior chain muscle group and build upper back strength. Resistance Band Face Pulls involve pulling a band towards the face while maintaining a bent elbow position. This works the muscles in the back of the body, which are the opposite of the muscles used in the Push Up From Knees. This exercise will help build balance and stability within the body, as it works opposing muscle groups.
Resistance Band Bent Over Shoulder Rows
Resistance Band Bent Over Shoulder Rows are an effective exercise for strengthening the back muscles, which are the opposing muscle group to those used in Push Up From Knees. This exercise involves standing on a band with feet hip-width apart, bending the knees slightly and hinging forward from the hips with a neutral spine. With elbows tucked close to the body and palms facing up, pull the band up and back, squeezing the shoulder blades together. This movement activates the back muscles, helping to create balance between the front and back of the body. The Push Up From Knees exercise works the chest and triceps muscles, so Resistance Band Bent Over Shoulder Rows are a great complementary exercise to build strength in the opposing muscle group.
Get Stronger with Modified Push-Ups: Start Building Your Fitness Today!
Are you tired of feeling weak and unable to do push-ups? Don’t worry, you can start building your strength today with modified push-ups from your knees. By adjusting the position of your body and focusing on proper form, you can gradually increase your strength and ability to do regular push-ups. Incorporating modified push-ups into your workout routine is a great way to challenge your muscles and achieve your fitness goals. So, why not give it a try? Start building your strength today!
References: Wikipedia | ExRx.net | PubMed.gov | Comprehensive List of Chest Bodyweight Exercises
