Strength training but unable to do standard push up?

Big thing we do when training new recruits who aren't too good with pushups, is to have them start in a standard push up position but instead of hands on the floor they put their hands on something a little below chest level. Still keep the back straight and core braced work up to around 25 like this while doing the movements slow and with proper form. Every time you hit 25 move the thing your hands are on down by a foot. You are increasing the amount of body weight involved by about 5% at a time.

Decline can be easier for some people because it shifts the work more towards your shoulders and triceps instead of chest.

i second the thing about needing a strong core.. to strengthen core, do planks.

in the meantime, you can start off with angled pushups against something like a wall, chair, low table etc and gradually decrease the distance.

when i started, i used those aerobic step risers and would just take off a riser. eventually i was jut on the step and then on the floor.

Definitely this. Girl pushups don't prepare you for regular pushups, because it's a totally different exercise. You're not engaging the same muscles and your arms are at a different angle relative to your torso. Doing pushups against the wall/couch/bench/step etc maintains the exercise but just takes some of the load off while you build strength.

Knee pushups won't get you there unfortunately. It's just a different exercise. Like people have mentioned, a pushup combines the strength you need from your chest, shoulders and triceps with the core exertion demand of doing planks. Pushups are actually harder than bench presses in that regard.

That said, you'll be able to do them. But you'll have to keep trying to do the real ones. My wife couldn't do one and she kept at it, trying and failing, till now she can bang out full sets T pushups (she's a showoff!).

One thing that will help get you there quickly that I haven't seen mentioned here is negatives. Get yourself in the top position using your knees, elbows, forklift, whatever and lower yourself down slowly. Aim for a 4 or 5 count. Get yourself back to the top, then lower again. Do a set of negatives 3x a week and you will find yourself knocking out pushups like it's nothing. FAST

Doing wall pushups and working my way down was the only way I finally became pushup proficient. The knee pushups weren't helping.

Because you're not used to doing them like that. just like anything else you're not used to doing it feels awkward. just suck it up and do it. It sucks, but do it.

Modified push-ups don't necessarily work the same muscles as "real" ones.

Start where you are. Lower yourself that half-inch or so and push it back up. Try to go a bit lower. Hold it at the bottom for a while. Keep working at it. Also, make sure your abs are tight. Jillian Michaels holds the plank for a while in her abs sets, and by itself that can be a workout. Try to improve a little more each day. Be willing to fall sometimes, but fight to keep up. As you train those muscles you'll find yourself closer and closer, and eventually kicking everybody's butts in pushups.

I jumped straight into dance classes at 14 and part of my jazz classes, in addition to sit ups, isolations, and other dance stuff, part of our warm up was 40 push ups. No modifications allowed.

I couldn't go down far at first, I just went as far as I could go and stuck with.

Oddly, when I got older and got a job in a kennel bathing dogs, I could do some super human pushups

you need to do more core exercises and just keep doing them "boy style ' ONE DAY AT A TIME . its just simple progression, one to one and a half is progress, just keep trying and it will come.

BUMP