Push-ups are a great chest and shoulder exercise that can literally be done anywhere. But I know a lot of people don’t do them because they feel the can’t do traditional push-ups. Well I am here to let you know that there are several different modifications that you can do to work your way up to traditional push-ups.

Modification 1:

As you can see, I’m pretty close to standing up for this modification. I actually have to lean forward and balance on my toes to create the same angle that you would have in a plank position. Other than that, you do a push-up exactly as you would on the ground. You lead with your chest and stop when your elbow reach a 90 degree angle.

Modification 2:

For this modification, the spot where I place my hands is much closer to the ground than in the previous modification. Notice that I am still up on my toes to maintain the proper plank position.

Modification 3:

Knee push-ups are the closest thing to a traditional push-up. They can be just as beneficial and challenging as a traditional push-up IF you have good form. I find that when I cross my feet it makes it easier to keep my back in a straight line. As you can see in the video, I use my knees to rock down towards the floor with my chest leading.

With the traditional push-up, a lot of the elements of the previous modifications remain important. You want your back to stay in as straight as a line as possible. Your butt needs to be tucked in and not pushed out. You are balancing on your toes and lead with your chest towards a 90 degree angle with your arms.

My chest and shoulders still hurt from filming all these modifications. All told I did 80 push-ups in one single workout followed 24 hours late by a very push-up/burpee heavy XIT workout.