- Aug 19
- 3 min read

Pushups! Nothing gets the job done quite like a pushup.
We're talking about an exercise that requires zero equipment, yet challenges our chest, triceps, shoulders and core muscles in a way that no other exercise can. Almost every culture in the world uses traditional pushups as a way to assess upper body muscular endurance, and for good reason. It's also great for causing hypertrophy, aka creating lean muscle tissue.
Pushups are challenging, and that's what makes them such a great exercise. Every able-bodied person should be able to complete at least a dozen pushups within a minute. People sometimes try and fail to complete a few pushups, and then decide (or are coached) to do the pushups on their knees. This can be good for teaching the person what it feels like to have flexion in their elbows. It can also teach them what it feels like to support their upper body with their triceps, and it can build some muscular endurance in the triceps as well.
However, knee pushups are an entirely differently exercise to pushups. The trainee does not have to support a significant portion of their bodyweight. With their knees on the ground, the trainee cannot fully engage all of their front core muscles, aka their anterior chain. What ends up happening is trainees will do several dozen knee pushups -- sometimes 30 or more repetitions, but still cannot complete a handful of real pushups. That's because there is no actual progression between the two exercises. The most direct way to get better at pushups is to execute pushups.
The most important element is learning to support yourself in a plank position with the arms extended. Individuals who struggle to maintain a straight spine and midsection in that plank position will struggle to complete a pushup. The struggle has nothing to do with their triceps and chest if they are able to complete several dozen knee pushups. The struggle is actually their core strength and core endurance. Specifically, the trainee typically has weakness in their transverse abdominus, or the lower part of their torso. That portion of their core is being asked to support the weight of their lower body, and that's what presents their greatest challenge in completing the pushup.
One way to get a stronger core for pushups is to start with your body flat on the ground, and learn to contract your core from there. Now, think of your core as every single muscle between your armpits to your knee pits. They all work in unison to stabilize your body in many positions. Squeeze your inner thighs together slightly. Feel your glutes contract. Use your midsection muscle to tighten up, as you imagine your muscles contracting like the wringing of a towel. Contract the upper back muscles, as you feel your shoulder blades shifting down into a locked position. Then, you can place your hands just outside of shoulder width and press yourself up until your arms are locked out. Maintain that tension on your entire core, then lower yourself back to the ground and relax. Reset and try again. This variation of pushup, sometimes called floor pushups, will directly lead to you being able to do real pushups!
Another variation for getting better pushups is to do partial pushups. Start in the upright plank position, arms fully extended. Tighten all of your core muscles, as you did in the floor pushups. Start from your legs and work your way up to your back and chest. Maintain that core tightness, and then bend your elbows to lower yourself as low as you can comfortably go. Don't be afraid of falling! Then press yourself back up to the upright plank position. Aim to do 12 partial pushups at a time. Every 3 to four days, try again. You can even use your phone to record yourself and see how low you're going. Go lower and lower until those partial pushups because full pullups!