How to progress from knee push ups
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erinelizabeth882
Posts: 102 Member
I have been modifying push ups to knee push ups for years because I was told by an athletic trainer that it’s important to have full range of motion before increasing weight. I can do many knee push ups at full ROM (nose to the floor) but I continue to struggle to do more than 2-3 full push ups with full ROM. What are your favorite exercises for push up progression and what kind of schedule/reps would you recommend to work on them?
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Replies
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I found doing sun salutations (yoga) helps build well rounded strength and coordination in shoulder girdle, arms and back/core, which all seems to support the full body push-up. This has helped me anyhow, may not be for everyone.1
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What causes you to fail/struggle?
Core strength? Planks can help (plank to hands not elbows).
Arm strength? Use your stairs to make it easier, maybe start with hands three steps up, when you can do 10 try two steps up.....
You can also do 2 push ups several times a day, every other day, to get your volume up.3 -
If you can do 2-3 "regular" push ups, then I would start by doing those at the beginning of your workout until you reach failure, then drop to your knees and finish the set until failure again. You get stronger by progressively overloading the muscle, so start with the hardest and then revert to the modification (knees).
I'm having the same issue with pull ups. I can do 2-3 before failure. I do negatives after I reach failure to keep working the muscle (start at the top of the pull up bar and slowly lower myself over 5 seconds, repeat).
Maybe do 2-3 sets and then take a day off between for recovery. Good luck!5 -
I have the same problems: upper body strength has always been a problem, and even if I try kneeling pushups and related exercises every day I don’t get to normal ones. But planks, pushups, etc make my bloodpressure crash and I suddenly lose all strength. I also can’t elevate the knees because they are so sensitive that I need a thick mat. My yogablocks result in bruises2
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So i had the same problem and this is the advice I got from a trainer. You can do your 2-3 on your feet and then start doing modified ones where you’re on your feet on the negative (on the way down) and then drop to your knees on the way up. It’s slightly more work than your knees but still not full pushups, but should help you to progress to be able to do more fully on your toes. Good luck!3
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I would start from this progression from whichever set you can complete and work downward as you improve your skill/strength of the movement.
Knee
Stairs(high)
Stairs(lower)
Stairs(high incline with loaded backpack)
Stairs(lower incline with loaded backpack)
Body weight.
Reps/sets are depending on your load management and programming. Without knowing your current volume or programming there isn't a definitive answer of how much to do.
If you share your current weekly workload, I would be happy to give you an answer for appropriate loading.2 -
I, too, can do lots of knee push ups but not (yet) a single full one. I don't actually like knee push ups, as I don't think your body is in the right position to make the most of the exercise.
I do a lot of eccentrics (proper on the way down, as slow as possible) and then drop the knees to come back up.
I also do full pushups but only down just to the point of no return and then back up again.
In the gym I do incline push ups on the Smith machine and had been gradually lowering the bar. A staircase could work for this.
I also do scapular push ups where you get into a straight arm plank and then lower and raise the chest purely by moving the scapulae.
If you have a bar and a long resistance band you can also do assisted pull ups by hanging the band from the bar and then supporting your hips with the band.2 -
A push-up is one of those motions that looks like anyone should be able to do it, just like walking. But, nature clearly did not intend it that way, particularly for women. Personally, looking at the post above by @jm_1234, I'm not sure anyone should care if they must do it from a knee position or not.
But, if you want to work up your pecs, it's hard to beat using a free-weight bench or an equivalent machine. You can go through the full range of motion at any resistance. If you do a bunch of these sets along with other upper body exercises, you may get there yet. Since all the gyms are closed, why not keep at the knee sets, doing a few fulls in between, and see what happens. It's always best to work the opposite motion as well, which can be done with dumbbells or bands.
Note that, although I can do more than 40 push-ups at a go, I can barely do a chin-up. There's something I could work on!0 -
I would start from this progression from whichever set you can complete and work downward as you improve your skill/strength of the movement.
Knee
Stairs(high)
Stairs(lower)
Stairs(high incline with loaded backpack)
Stairs(lower incline with loaded backpack)
Body weight.
Reps/sets are depending on your load management and programming. Without knowing your current volume or programming there isn't a definitive answer of how much to do.
If you share your current weekly workload, I would be happy to give you an answer for appropriate loading.
You know, I've been thinking about this and feel my anatomy isn't made for stairs. And I see this with many women: relatively short upper body, relatively longer arms and an upward sloping something just don't agree. I never know where to leave my arms during this and need to move my hands during this at a certain time of the movement as I either have the hands at the wrong position when up, or down. I mean, when the hands are at roughly shoulder width at up, then they are at roughly belly button when down. So how do you find the strength to move upwards then? Plus the strain on your wrists from bending them in down is quite substantial0 -
I would start from this progression from whichever set you can complete and work downward as you improve your skill/strength of the movement.
Knee
Stairs(high)
Stairs(lower)
Stairs(high incline with loaded backpack)
Stairs(lower incline with loaded backpack)
Body weight.
Reps/sets are depending on your load management and programming. Without knowing your current volume or programming there isn't a definitive answer of how much to do.
If you share your current weekly workload, I would be happy to give you an answer for appropriate loading.
You know, I've been thinking about this and feel my anatomy isn't made for stairs. And I see this with many women: relatively short upper body, relatively longer arms and an upward sloping something just don't agree. I never know where to leave my arms during this and need to move my hands during this at a certain time of the movement as I either have the hands at the wrong position when up, or down. I mean, when the hands are at roughly shoulder width at up, then they are at roughly belly button when down. So how do you find the strength to move upwards then? Plus the strain on your wrists from bending them in down is quite substantial
Understandable.
Are you putting the heel of your wrist inline with the radius bone on the nosing of the stairs?
You could also use a counter top, bench, or maybe a chair for what strength you are currently.0 -
You know, I’ve seen challenges were you add one push-up everyday to your total. Would that work for you? But you do them everyday. So a slow progression.0
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I would start from this progression from whichever set you can complete and work downward as you improve your skill/strength of the movement.
Knee
Stairs(high)
Stairs(lower)
Stairs(high incline with loaded backpack)
Stairs(lower incline with loaded backpack)
Body weight.
Reps/sets are depending on your load management and programming. Without knowing your current volume or programming there isn't a definitive answer of how much to do.
If you share your current weekly workload, I would be happy to give you an answer for appropriate loading.
You know, I've been thinking about this and feel my anatomy isn't made for stairs. And I see this with many women: relatively short upper body, relatively longer arms and an upward sloping something just don't agree. I never know where to leave my arms during this and need to move my hands during this at a certain time of the movement as I either have the hands at the wrong position when up, or down. I mean, when the hands are at roughly shoulder width at up, then they are at roughly belly button when down. So how do you find the strength to move upwards then? Plus the strain on your wrists from bending them in down is quite substantial
Understandable.
Are you putting the heel of your wrist inline with the radius bone on the nosing of the stairs?
You could also use a counter top, bench, or maybe a chair for what strength you are currently.
The chair has the same problem: at down I'm leaning too far over the chair and am at risk of bumping my head against the backrest, and countertop is something I can do forever. For me, there's only knees and proper ones. I'll eventually get to 2-3 proper ones, but it takes a loooooong time.
I'll need to think about what you wrote about hands. Tomorrow. Head is already in bed
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I would start from this progression from whichever set you can complete and work downward as you improve your skill/strength of the movement.
Knee
Stairs(high)
Stairs(lower)
Stairs(high incline with loaded backpack)
Stairs(lower incline with loaded backpack)
Body weight.
Reps/sets are depending on your load management and programming. Without knowing your current volume or programming there isn't a definitive answer of how much to do.
If you share your current weekly workload, I would be happy to give you an answer for appropriate loading.
You know, I've been thinking about this and feel my anatomy isn't made for stairs. And I see this with many women: relatively short upper body, relatively longer arms and an upward sloping something just don't agree. I never know where to leave my arms during this and need to move my hands during this at a certain time of the movement as I either have the hands at the wrong position when up, or down. I mean, when the hands are at roughly shoulder width at up, then they are at roughly belly button when down. So how do you find the strength to move upwards then? Plus the strain on your wrists from bending them in down is quite substantial
Understandable.
Are you putting the heel of your wrist inline with the radius bone on the nosing of the stairs?
You could also use a counter top, bench, or maybe a chair for what strength you are currently.
The chair has the same problem: at down I'm leaning too far over the chair and am at risk of bumping my head against the backrest, and countertop is something I can do forever. For me, there's only knees and proper ones. I'll eventually get to 2-3 proper ones, but it takes a loooooong time.
I'll need to think about what you wrote about hands. Tomorrow. Head is already in bed
Maybe try a bench, hand railing, arm rest of couch, etc...the possibilities are endless.
You post a vid of attempting one on the stairs or what I have mentioned on my "form check" thread and I can get a better idea of your specific issue you have experienced.0 -
Thank you all for these great ideas! I never would have thought of staying on toes for the way down and dropping to knees for the way up.0
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What gives out? Arms, shoulders or butt sag?
This will tell you what to strengthen.
Form is very important.
https://youtu.be/IODxDxX7oi4
Using proper form which muscle group is weakest?0
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