Knee push-ups - what are they for, what muscles work?

Today there will be an article for our fair half of society, which no one and nothing can bring to their knees.
Except push-ups. In the good sense of the word, of course. I'm not sexist or misogynistic. Please put away the knives. We will look at what knee push-ups are and how useful they are for girls.

The benefits and disadvantages of knee push-ups for girls and men

Benefit:

The kneeling push-up option allows you to significantly reduce the load on the muscles and prepare for a difficult option.
Suitable for beginners, both girls and men.
They allow you to do push-ups in case of injuries to the ankle joints, which are not subject to stress, as when lying on straight legs.
Helps increase the number of repetitions, which is necessary in workouts aimed at losing weight.

Flaws:

They do not allow you to build muscle due to lack of exercise.
They cause discomfort and harm the knee joints in the presence of inflammation and injury, as they serve as a support.

Training Tips

Having set yourself the goal of having beautiful shoulders, go ahead, but follow some rules.

Sets and reps

Don't chase too many reps. To increase muscle mass and strength, it is better to make the work more difficult as you go. Ideally, do one set of challenging weights at the end of your workout.

The number of repetitions per approach to start the anabolic process is 6 - 15.

Weights

The right option would be to increase the complexity of the approach. To do this, use weights.

For training at home, choose accessories from a sports store. Feel free to take bags or elastic bands in the hall. Don't rush to the gym.

Watch a video of exotic push-up weight training techniques.

Nutrition and sports supplements

Don't forget that training is only a third of success. If you want to pump up your shoulders and build mass, take care of nutrition:

Eat more protein foods (meat, fish, cottage cheese, eggs, peanuts).
Use whey protein isolate to give you extra protein every day.
If you are an ectomorph (prone to thin), I advise you to purchase a gainer as an additional meal.
To avoid overtraining, consume L-carnitine or BCAA.

What to do if your shoulder hurts when doing push-ups

If your shoulder hurts, it’s worth understanding the nature of the pain’s origin.

Frequent options:

Muscle pain. You have overloaded the muscle. Rest until the fibers recover.
Joint pain. This is already serious. Pain in the elbows and wrists can be caused by bursitis or arthritis. If this pain persists for weeks, consult your doctor.

What to do if your shoulder hurts after push-ups

It is important to localize sensations:

If your muscles hurt, most likely you damaged them out of habit during heavy exercise.
If your bones are bothering you, you should consult a doctor.

Common mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes. It's unpleasant when they affect your health or make your workouts useless.

Expert opinion

Remember the main rule when doing push-ups - lower yourself to 90 degrees at the elbow, feet together, back straight, buttocks in line with your shoulder blades and heels. This is the only way to get the desired effect.

Don't rush into complex weights and exercises. Some people start straight away with wide-grip military presses at the gym, but if you're a beginner, master push-ups first. When performing technically difficult exercises, you risk injuring yourself and others.

What muscles work during push-ups from your knees?

The main muscle group receiving the load is the pectoralis major muscles. Depending on the placement of your hands, you can influence different parts and fibers of the muscles.

For example, when the palms are placed wide, the lateral parts of the pectorals are more loaded;
and when narrow - the middle.

The triceps brachii muscles, anterior deltoids, and biceps are also subject to load. The core muscles are activated to stabilize the position.

Complicated Variations

Soon enough, push-ups against the wall will no longer have the desired effect. The muscles will get stronger and will no longer take such a load.

Therefore, if such a situation occurs, it is recommended to move on to more complicated options, gradually lowering into the classic position - push-ups from the floor. Let's take a closer look at the more complex variations.

Table push-ups: what muscles are pumped and how to do them?

The next step after the wall is the table. Many people immediately switch to the bench, but, as practice shows, for some this may seem quite a difficult task.

Therefore, the table is the ideal intermediate stage. This is especially recommended for girls and women whose muscles do not gain strength so quickly.

A gradual load on the body is the right and correct decision. In sports, you should not rush anywhere, as this can lead to unpleasant consequences.

How to do push-ups on a table? In principle, there are no significant differences here. The technique is the same as from the wall, only the angle of inclination changes.

Due to which, naturally, it becomes a little harder to perform the exercise. All the same muscle groups take part in the work. Therefore, the benefit from such a variation will definitely be higher than from a wall.

Pectoral push-ups

The bench is almost the final leading exercise before the classical variation. The closer the torso takes a parallel position to the floor, the more the target muscles are loaded.

In push-ups from a bench, a more significant load is placed on the muscles, and here you can also try varying the load on the chest or triceps.

As for the technique of execution, it is identical to the technique from the wall. The only thing is that it will be more difficult to maintain an even position of the body:

Close-grip push-ups are a great way to target your triceps, giving them maximum stress. With this variation, the arms must be placed so that when performing the movement they are pressed as close as possible to the body, and the elbows do not diverge to the sides. It is useful for girls because it effectively tightens the skin in the triceps area.
Bench push-ups with a wide grip - allows you to effectively load the pectoral muscles. It is equally useful for both boys and girls, as it helps to tighten and make the pectoral muscles voluminous. With this variation, your hands should be positioned wider than your shoulders. There is also no need to place it too wide, as you may lose your balance. And the range of movement will be very short.

In addition, this variation can be used as a warm-up to warm up the muscles. Ideal for performance in a wide variety of conditions.

Therefore, if it is not possible to train in the gym, then wall push-ups should definitely be included in your training program.

Technique for push-ups from knees with wide arms

To perform push-ups from your knees, it is better to use a soft rubberized mat or place a towel under your joints for maximum comfort.

Place your palms on the floor wider than your shoulder joints, bring your knees together and rest them on the floor. In the starting position, it is important to build a straight line of the torso and hips, supporting the spine and pelvis with the help of the core muscles - buttocks, abdominal and lower back muscles.
Do not stiffen your neck; under no circumstances raise your shoulders to your head, hiding your neck. This is a common mistake made by beginners.
As you inhale, bend your arms, lowering your shoulders parallel to the floor. The elbows are turned to the sides. The lower back should not sag. The chest approaches the floor as close as possible, but does not touch.
As you exhale, using the muscles of your chest and arms, push up from the floor and return to the starting position.

Common Mistakes

By avoiding mistakes, the effectiveness of the exercise increases and the risk of injury decreases. In the case of push-ups, it is recommended to avoid the following mistakes:

Violation of the straightness of the body. This includes sagging, arching in the lower back, curvature of the neck, legs, etc. The body must be strictly one straight line and nothing else.
Conducting a warm-up. The exercise should be performed only after the muscles have warmed up. Otherwise, you may get a sprain.
No sudden movements. All movements must be controlled.
Observe breathing. It is not recommended to hold your breath, as this can lead to increased blood pressure.
Keep your wrists straight. During the exercise, they should not be bent or twisted, as this can create a fairly high risk of injury.
If pain or discomfort occurs, it is recommended to immediately stop the exercise and find out what the problem may be.

Technique for performing push-ups from the knees with a narrow position of the arms

Place your palms under your shoulder joints, rest your knees on the floor, aligning your torso and hips in one line. Keep your stomach and buttocks tight.
As you inhale, bend your arms so that your elbows are as close to your body as possible, do not spread them to the sides throughout the entire approach.
Exhale and do push-ups, straining your triceps and pectoral muscles, and fully straighten your elbows at the top point.

Recommendations

Even if these options are difficult at the initial stage of training, you can always make the technique easier by placing your palms on a slight elevation. This will remove some of the load from the shoulder girdle, but the main tension will be concentrated in the lower part of the pectoral muscles.

To strengthen muscles, perform 10-15 repetitions in 3 sets.
To lose weight, perform the maximum number of repetitions - from 15 to 25 for 3-4 approaches.

Contraindications and possible harm

Push-ups can only be harmful to those who have problems with the shoulder or elbow joint. If you ignore the recommendations and still start training and focus on push-ups, the problem may worsen.

If there are no health problems, then push-ups will not cause any harm, the main thing is to strictly follow all the recommendations and repeat the movements as described in the instructions. Push-ups will bring great benefits, but there is one caveat. Push-ups actively develop the chest muscles, they visually enlarge and lift the chest.

If a girl already has well-developed pectoral muscles, then her breasts do not look very beautiful. But light push-ups on your knees will not pump up your pectoral muscles.

How to replace push-ups with emphasis on your knees

If you can’t do push-ups even once, you need to strengthen the target muscles and ligaments with isolation exercises. Over time, when all the muscles become toned, it will be easier to do push-ups. You can also use preparatory push-ups - from a table or wall. Read more about wall push-ups →

List of preparatory exercises:

Reduction of arms in the “butterfly” simulator.
Dumbbell bench press.
Extension of arms with dumbbells or in a crossover.
Curling arms with dumbbells.
Standing dumbbell press.
Barbell row to the chin.

Perform the exercises 15 times in 3 sets, over time the muscles will adapt and be ready for push-ups.

How should I do push-ups

It all depends on the training goal. Let's say you've already lost weight and are now working on split programs. Then it makes sense to dedicate a separate training day to push-ups. Supplement them with, for example, plyometrics or cardio and get a full-fledged workout. On the remaining training days, work other muscles in isolation or train other basic exercises - squats, deadlifts, presses and pull-ups.

If you are in the midst of losing weight and/or getting in shape after a long break from training, you will not have to work so much on technique and endurance, but simply study according to the “all in one” system. The last option will not give you a wild increase in endurance, but it will help you lose weight and tighten your figure. In a weight loss situation, it makes sense to build a set of push-ups into your regular strength program, which you perform three times a week.