The Pushup on Knees is an alternate method of performing an excellent all-over upper body exercise, engaging your chest, shoulders, arms and abdominals. A proper pushup is performed with a rigid core. You should perform pushups from your knees only if you can’t yet perform normal pushups.
Online Personal Training Video: Pushup on Knees
How To Do It
1. Lie chest-down with your hands at shoulder level, palms flat on the floor and slightly more than shoulder-width apart, your feet together and parallel to each other, and your knees touching the ground.
2. Press against the ground with your hands, straightening your arms as you push your body away from the floor. Keep your palms in the same position and your body rigid. Try not to bend or arch your upper or lower back as you push up.
3. Exhale as you straighten your arms and pause for a moment at the top, before lowering your body to the floor in a controlled manner.
Online Personal Trainer Tips
1. Keep your eyes a few inches forward rather than down at the floor. The first contact you make with the floor with any part of your face should be with your chin, not your nose. This will help prevent a truncated range of motion.
2. Keep your body rigid throughout the entire movement. Imagine a steel rod between your ankles and shoulders or knees and shoulders, depending on which lower body contact point you choose.
3. With a rigid body, your hips, stomach and chest should contact the ground at approximately the same time.
