13 Best Knee Push-ups Variations for Beginners

Doing pushups on the knees is the easiest and safest way to strengthen and tone upper body muscles, particularly the chest, arms, shoulder, and core.

You can do knee pushups in myriad ways to hit the many muscles throughout the upper body.

They are low-impact strength exercises and suitable for all fitness levels, especially for beginners and females.

They are also great for anyone who has joint pain issues or past injuries because they don’t put much pressure on the joints.

Bent-knee pushups are easy to perform, but you still need to do them with proper form for maximum results.

Form and Technique

Here are some tips and techniques that help you perform kneeling pushups effectively.

1. Your hip stability depends on core and glutes strength during knee pushups. So keeping them tight throughout the movement will help you perform each movement safely and effectively.
2. Place your knees on a mat, folded towel, or pillow to avoid discomfort.
3. Position your hands firmly on the ground and make sure your body weight evenly distributes on your knees and hands to avoid knee or wrist strain.

Muscles Worked During Knee Pushups

Doing kneeling pushups is an effective way to hit several muscles at once. Here is the list of all muscle groups involved during the kneeling pushups.

1. Chest– Chest muscles are involved in almost every pushup variation, whether you do it on your knees or toes.
2. Triceps– The three-headed muscles located on the back of your upper arms. They are engaged the most when you perform narrow and diamond pushups.
3. Core– The core is the midsection of the torso, which mainly includes the abs and oblique. Pushups do not primarily target these muscles but activate them to some extent, especially during the Spiderman, Archer, and Deficit pushups.
4. Biceps– The bicep is a two-headed muscle located on the front of the upper arm. It also works when you do knuckle and diamond pushups.
5. Shoulders– Many pushups also target the anterior deltoid, the front part of the shoulder.

The 13 Best Knee Push Ups for Beginners

1. Narrow Pushups

Muscles worked: Chest and Triceps

Benefits: Narrow pushups help develop strong arms and chest, especially triceps muscles. It also increases your strength to perform some advanced variations of kneeling pushups.

Steps to do it:

• Start with your hands and knees on the ground.
• Keep your hands shorter than shoulder-width apart and arms straight underneath your chest.
• Maintain a flat back and brace your abdominal muscles. That’s the start.
• Bend your elbows, lower your chest toward the ground, and press back until your arms are fully straight. That’s one rep.
• Do as many as you like.
• Perform each rep in a controlled manner.

2. Standard Push-up

Muscles worked: Chest

Benefits: The standard pushup is excellent for those who want to focus on their chest muscles more than their triceps. It also levels up your strength to perform normal pushups on your toes.

Steps to do it:

• Get on all fours with your arms straight below your shoulders.
• Looking forward, lower your chest toward the floor as low as possible and then push back to the start. This is your one rep.
• Repeat for the desired number of times.

3. Diamond Knee Push-ups

Muscles worked: Triceps

Benefits: The diamond pushups help sculpt your tricep muscles at home without equipment. It also hits the chest and anterior deltoid.

Steps to do it:

• Place your hands together on the ground in a triangle shape, and ensure your arms are straight below your chest.
• Keep your feet as usual, with your toes facing inside.
• Bring your chest low until it comes in ground contact, and then contracting your triceps, extend your arms fully. This is your one rep.
• Try to perform as many repetitions as you can.

4. Incline Push-ups

Muscles worked: Upper Chest

Benefits: The incline knee pushups are suitable for beginners. It bolsters a couple of muscles at once, such as the upper chest, shoulders, and arms.

Steps to do it:

• Sit on your knees in front of a higher object, for example, a chair.
• Lean your torso forward and place your hands on the chair, shoulder-width apart.
• Bend your elbows, bring your chest close to the chair and then extend your elbows to return to the start. That’s one rep.
• Repeat for the desired number of times.

5. Deficit Pushup

Muscles worked: Triceps and Chest

Benefits: It provides good stretch in your pectoral muscles and helps build a defined chest using your body weight only.

Steps to do it:

• Grab a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip.
• Place them on the ground below your shoulder and keep your arms straight with your palms facing each other.
• Bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the ground, as low as possible and then press back to the start.
• Perform the desired number of reps and sets.

6. Push-ups Plus

Muscles worked: Upper Body

Benefits: It is the easiest way to hit many muscles throughout the upper body, including traps and delts.

A study has shown pushups plus is a good exercise for activating the serratus anterior and can be effective for shoulder rehabilitation.¹Horsak B, Kiener M, Pötzelsberger A, Siragy T. Serratus anterior and trapezius muscle activity during knee pushup plus and knee-plus exercises performed on a stable, an unstable surface and during sling-suspension. Phys Ther Sport. 2017;23:86-92. doi:10.1016/j.ptsp.2016.08.003

Steps to do it:

• Start with your hands and knees on the ground.
• Make sure your arms are straight below your shoulders and knees below your hips.
• Bending your elbows, bring your chest down as low toward the ground as possible, and then push yourself up. Once your body is straight, push your back up toward the ceiling.
• Hold for a couple of seconds and then return back to the normal position. That’s one repetition.
• Do as many reps as you like.

7. Knuckle Push up

Muscles worked: Arms and Chest

Benefits: The knuckle pushups may be hard on your fingers, but they help build strong forearms, improve wrist strength, and add definition to your arms muscle.

Steps to do it:

• Close your fist and get on all fours.
• Keep your arms straight below your shoulders with your hands shoulder-width apart.
• Bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the floor and then extend your arms fully to complete one rep.
• Repeat for the desired number of times.
• You can use a mat or soft clothes to keep your hands on it.

8. Forearm to High Plank Pushup

Muscles worked: Arms, Shoulder, and Core

Benefits: The plank pushup is a great exercise for developing core stability while improving strength in your entire upper body.

Steps to do it:

• Start in a high plank position.
• To execute this movement, lower your left forearm on the floor, followed by the right. Now you’re in a forearm plank.
• Reverse the movement to complete your first rep.
• Do it as many times as you like.

9. Wide pushup

Muscles worked: Chest

Benefits: The wide pushup effectively stretches out the chest muscles and elicits decent activation in the pectorals.

Steps to do it:

• Keep your hands wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Bend your elbows and lower your chest close to the floor.
• Hold for a couple of seconds, then press back to the starting position. This is your one rep, do as many as you can.

10. Kneeling Archer Push-up

Muscles worked: Upper Body

Benefits: The Archer pushup targets the entire chest, shoulder, and triceps. It is a unilateral exercise that allows you to work more on your inferior side and improve strength imbalance.

Steps to do it:

• Sit on all fours and keep your arms wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Pushing through your left hand, bring your shoulder to the right until your left arm is straight. Your right arm will be bent, and the elbow will be tucked at your side.
• Pause for a moment and return to your torso in the middle.
• Repeat on the opposite side to complete one rep.
• Perform as many reps and sets as you like.

11. Staggered Push Ups

Muscles worked: Chest, Arms, and Shoulder

Benefits: It works out your upper body from a different angle than the above exercises and helps increase strength, mobility, and muscle coordination.

Steps to do it:

1. Sit on your knees and place your hands on the ground in a staggered position with one arm forward and one arm back.
2. Perform as many pushups as you like, and then switch your hand’s position to perform on the opposite chest.

12. Scapula Push Ups

Muscles worked: Shoulder and Back

Benefits: There are only a few pushups that work out the upper back and posterior delt, and one scapula pushup is one of them. It works the upper and middle back as you retract your scapula during the movement.

Steps to do it:

1. Sit on your knees and place your hands on the floor below your shoulders.
2. Brace your core and maintain a straight line from head to hips.
3. Contracting your back muscle, bring your chest out toward the floor.
4. Pause for a moment and then lift your upper back toward the ceiling.
5. Perform each rep in a slow and controlled manner.

13. Spiderman Push Ups

Muscles worked: Chest, Arms, Shoulder, and Core

Benefits: Spiderman pushup is an advanced exercise but a great way to bolster entire upper body muscles at once, particularly the chest, obliques, front delt, and triceps. It doesn’t only build muscle but also improves overall balance and aerobic fitness.

Steps to do it:

1. Start in an up position of a standard knee pushup.
2. Bending your elbows, lower your chest toward the floor and bring your right knee toward your right elbow simultaneously.
3. Push yourself back to return to the starting position.
4. Repeat the same on the opposite side to complete one rep.

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Are Knee Pushups Effective?

Knee pushups are effective for toning and strengthening muscles multiple muscles throughout the upper body, particularly the chest, triceps, and shoulders.

They are easy to perform and put less load on the joints, so people of all ages can do them to improve their fitness level.

Doing pushups on the knees is also a great way to regain your strength from previous injuries.

How Many Knee Pushups Can You Do Every Day?

You can do as many pushups as you like. For example, I perform approximately 100-120 pushups every training day when I work out at home.

Usually, the number depends on your strength and physical fitness. For example, if you can do 100 pushups (a combination of different pushups) every day, do it.

Doing pushups daily can help you tone muscle and improve body composition.

However, you should discontinue/reduce pushups number if you feel discomfort in your body.

Final Thoughts

Doing physical exercises like pushups every day is an excellent way to build and maintain upper body strength.

Pushups also help you develop balance and stability, as well as improve cardiovascular function.

It’s best to combine knee pushups with other bodyweight exercises to develop body composition at home.

Once you become good at the above exercises, you can try the following workouts:

• Calisthenics Push Workout for Beginner
• 13 Best Bodyweight Push Exercises to Build Muscles

References

• 1
  Horsak B, Kiener M, Pötzelsberger A, Siragy T. Serratus anterior and trapezius muscle activity during knee pushup plus and knee-plus exercises performed on a stable, an unstable surface and during sling-suspension. Phys Ther Sport. 2017;23:86-92. doi:10.1016/j.ptsp.2016.08.003