How to do push-ups if you’re not strong enough right now

Don’t worry if you can’t do push-ups the way you normally would right now. There are many different exercises you can do before you upgrade to a traditional push-up. If you’re new to the practice, you can do push-ups against the wall, push-ups in a crawling position, or side push-ups. Once you’ve mastered these push-ups, you’ll move on to knee-high push-ups and one-way down or one-up push-ups. By developing the muscle groups involved in pushups, such as your shoulders, chest, and abs, you’ll be closer to a traditional push-up.

Table of Contents

Push-ups for beginners

Start with push-ups against the wall. Stand facing a wall, distance 1 – 1.2 meters. Rest your hands on the wall and extend your arms at shoulder height. Slowly bend your elbows to bring your body closer to the wall. When your chest touches or almost touches the wall, push yourself up until your arms are almost straight. It’s a beat of a wall push-up. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Do three sets, 5 – 20 reps each. You will do push-ups against the wall 3 times a week.

Push-ups in the crawling position. Spread a mattress on the floor. Get into a crawling position on your knees and hands. Keep arms and back straight, knees bent 90 degrees. Slowly lower your upper body to the floor. When your nose is almost touching the mattress, slowly push your arms back to the starting position. It’s a beat of a bull push-up. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Do three sets, 5-10 reps each. You will do push-ups in the crawling position 3 times a week.
Remember to keep your back straight throughout the exercise.

Keep up the progress

Practice knee push-ups. Place a mattress on the floor. Get into a crawling position on your knees and hands. Move your arms forward until your body is lying on your side with respect to the floor. Cross your calves and lift your feet into the air. With your back straight, slowly lower your upper body to the ground until your elbows are bent 90 degrees. Then, slowly push yourself back to the starting position. Arms should be kept straight and elbows slightly bent. It’s a beat of the knee push-up. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Remember to keep your back straight and core tight while performing this exercise.
You can place a towel or pillow under the knee to avoid pain.
Do three sets, 5-10 reps each. You will do knee push-ups 3 times a week.

Do one-way push-ups. Place a mattress on the floor. Start in an overhead plank position as if you were doing a regular push-up. Do not straighten the elbow completely, but slightly bend it. Then, slowly lower your body as low as you can until it touches the mattress. It’s a beat of a one-way push-up. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Do three sets, 5-10 reps each. Each week you will do push-ups one way down to 3 sessions.
Remember to squeeze your abs while you do this exercise.

Do one-way push-ups. Place a mattress on the floor and lie face down on the mattress. Place your hands on the floor and below your chest. Slowly push up to get into an overhead plank position. Hold this position for 5 seconds and then drop to the floor. It’s a beat of a one-way push-up. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Do three sets, 5-10 reps each. You will do one-way push-ups 3 times a week.
If you can’t push yourself as high as you can to get into an overhead plank, simply push up to a height you’re comfortable with.

Develop muscle groups

Practice stretching the biceps with one hand. Stand straight with your feet naturally extended. Hold a dumbbell in one hand and raise it overhead. You need to keep your arms straight with your elbows slightly bent. Slowly lower the dumbbell behind your head until your elbows are bent at a 90-degree angle. Then, slowly raise the weight overhead to return to the starting position. It’s a beat of the biceps stretch. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Start with 1.5-2kg dumbbells.
Do three sets, 5 – 10 reps/set for each hand. Do this exercise three times per week and gradually increase to 15 reps/set.
Then slowly increase the weight and decrease the number of reps until you can only do 6 -10 reps in the right position.

Push weights overhead with palms facing in. Hold two dumbbells in both hands with your feet naturally extended. Raise the weight to shoulder level and hold the weight there. By this time the palms are facing each other. Slowly raise the weight overhead until your arms are straight and your elbows are slightly bent. Then, slowly lower the dumbbells down to shoulder level. This is a beat of overhead push-ups. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Start with 1.5-2kg dumbbells.
Do three sets, 5-10 reps/set. Each week you will practice lifting weights over the head 3 times. As with the biceps stretch, you will gradually increase to 15 reps/set, then increase the weight and decrease the number of reps.

Take a low plank position (forearm plank). Place a mattress on the floor and lie on your stomach on it. Rest your forearms on the floor and lift yourself up on your toes. In this position, the elbows will be below and in line with the shoulders. You can choose to extend your palm or create a fist. This is a low plank position. Hold this pose for 15 – 30 seconds. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Make sure your forearms are shoulder-width apart and your feet are naturally extended.
Always remember to keep your back straight and your abs tight. Do not let the buttocks sag or protrude too high.
If you’re having trouble squeezing your glutes, imagine someone about to kick your ass. Thinking that will make you squeeze your glutes.
Practice 3 sets, each round 15 – 30 seconds. You will do plank 3 times a week. Slowly increase to one minute for each set.

Do a traditional push-up

Start in an overhead plank position. Spread a mattress on the floor and rest on your knees and hands. You will keep your arms straight and your hands directly below your shoulders. Then, straighten your legs and rest your feet on the floor. You are now in an overhead plank position. ^{[10] X Research Source}

The feet should be extended naturally in this position.

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Tighten your abs and glutes. Doing this step will help you keep your back straight while doing push-ups. If not, you need to make sure your back is kept straight. You should not let your buttocks sag or rise too high.

Lower down to the ground. Slowly lower yourself to the ground until your elbows are bent 90 degrees. While lowering your body, do not look directly at the ground. Instead, focus on a spot 50-70cm above eye level. This will help your neck stay in a neutral position. ^{[11] X Research Source}

If your home has a mirror resting on the floor, you can do push-ups in front of the mirror. Look in the mirror while you lower your body to make sure your back is kept straight during the procedure.
Inhale as you lower yourself to the ground.

Push back up. Push your body up as your elbows bend to 90 degrees. Slowly push yourself back to the starting position. Congratulations, you’ve completed a traditional push-up beat. Do three sets, 5-8 reps each. You will do push-ups 3 times a week. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Remember to keep your back straight while doing push-ups.
Exhale as you push up.

Steps

Push-ups for beginners

Keep up the progress

Develop muscle groups

Do a traditional push-up

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