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Chris Freytag demonstrating how to do a push-up on your knees for beginners.

Let’s be honest: doing a classic push-up is hard, especially if you’re just getting into a fitness routine! Sometimes, you don’t have the strength needed to perform a full push-up, and that’s okay—and that’s where a modified push-up comes in handy.

Modifying an exercise is a great way to build up your strength towards the more advanced version. Learning how to do modified push-ups can help you build enough strength to do a full push-up someday, which is a powerful functional strength training move. (They’re definitely worth putting in the work!)

After you’ve worked through modified push-ups, give regular push-ups a try and see how much stronger you’ve gotten!

muscle strength vs muscle endurance woman squatting

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Table of Contents

Modified Push-Up Instructions

Here’s how to do a modified push-up:

  1. Begin in a kneeling position on a mat with your hands below your shoulders and your knees behind your hips so that your back is angled and long.
  2. Tuck your toes under, tighten your abdominals, and bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the floor. Keep your gaze in front of your fingertips so your neck stays long.
  3. Press your chest back up to the starting position.
  4. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tip: While performing modified push-ups, make sure to keep your spine long and straight, and don’t stare down at the ground! Keep your gaze about 6 inches in front of your fingertips, which will also help you maintain a straight spine.

When you lower down, make sure those elbows get to 90 degrees so you can achieve maximum results from this exercise.

Benefits of Modified Push-Ups

There are many benefits to modified push-ups and just as many reasons you should incorporate them into your workouts.

Push-ups are one of the best exercises anyone can do, but women especially! It’s an all-in-one exercise, where you get the benefit of toning your arms, chest, shoulders, and core. Push-ups tone up your entire upper body, all the while helping you torch calories and reveal toned and tight arms, shoulders, and abs.

Here are just a few benefits of modified push-ups:

Sculpted Arms

Beautiful, strong, sculpted arms can be as simple as practicing modified push-ups or push-ups several times a week. Theoretically, you could sculpt your arms without ever picking up weights if you do modified push-ups.

Of course, training in various ways is a better choice to modified push-ups can be one of many exercises you do for your biceps, triceps, and shoulders.

They Will Train You For Full Push-Ups

Modified push-ups are a gateway to doing a full push-up. Many people, especially women, really struggle with learning how to do a proper push-up. To train your muscles for full push-ups, do modified push-ups several times a week.

Modified push-ups and full push-ups use identical muscles. The only difference is that you have your knees on the ground to take some weight off your upper body. Once you can do several modified push-ups, start incorporating one or two full push-ups into each set. Gradually, you can increase that number.

Strong Chest And Upper Back

Chest and back exercises are not easy to come by. Modified push-ups tackle both of these when done correctly. Make sure you don’t shrug your shoulders or stick your elbows out to the side of your body. Pull your elbows back at an angle and squeeze your lats (“latissimus dorsi”). These are the back muscles you will want to focus on using for a proper push-up.

Works Your Core

You might not think an arm exercise like a push-up would work your core, but do your best to keep your core tight as you perform the repetitions, and you’ll notice just how much your core is activated. Push-ups are great because while your biceps, triceps, shoulders, and chest are all getting a boost, you are also toning and tightening your core!

Easy Ways to Incorporate Modified Push-Ups Into Your Workouts

Modified push-ups are a fantastic upper-body exercise! You could do them on their own, or combine them with other exercises for an overall workout boost. Here are some ideas to make that happen:

Use Modified Push-Ups in an Upper Body Workout Plan

Working your upper body muscles can be an intense training session. Use this series for your upper body, and you’ll feel it the next day. Get a set of dumbbells and do each exercise for the number of repetitions listed with just a few seconds in between to rest.

Use Modified Push-Ups In a Full-Body Strength Challenge

Incorporate this move with other moves for a full-body strength session. Try each of the movements below for the given number of reps.

Use Modified Push-Ups In Your Circuit Training

Circuits are a fun way to exercise and get your strength and cardio in simultaneously. The idea behind circuits is to go from one move, or one “station,” to the next with little or no rest in between. Check this out:

Total Body Circuit Training Workout:

Move directly from one exercise to the next with little to no break in between. Rest for 1 minute at the end, then repeat the sequence.

Rest 1 minute. Repeat. Stretch.

How Many Calories Do Modified Push-Ups Burn?

People often ask how many calories they are burning in their workouts. Modified push-ups will generally burn about 100 calories for every 10 minutes you are working. Focus less on burning calories and more on building the muscles in your upper body, which will help you burn more calories overall. 

Other Exercises Similar to Modified Push-Ups

If you like the idea of getting a great cardio move right in the comfort of your own home, try these too!

Targets: shoulders, arm, core