I’ve had the pleasure of being a fitness professional for over ten years now. I’ve studied with the tops in this industry and gained certifications and accreditations that are highly recognized on a national level. It’s safe to say that I understand how to teach people to exercise safely and effectively and what should and should not be done.
Sadly, there are so many lies, mistruths, and misinformation out there that many people tend to do things that are either ill advised or not very productive for what they’ve set out to achieve.
Incredibly, it’s even sadder that many inexperienced fitness instructors are reading the same newsstand magazines as the general public and are using that as their guide to train their clients.
My intention for this article is to talk about why women and, in some cases, men should not be wasting their time attempting a push-up on their knees. I’ve found a better way to not only get a stronger upper body, but also a more practical and functional movement that will help you out in everyday activities too.
A Bad Case of I-Can’t-Itis
Nothing bothers me more than when someone says “I can’t do it.” It doesn’t matter what it is, but if the words coming out of their mouths are “I CAN’T” then they are resigned to defeating themselves right at the very start.
This phrase comes up many times during my evaluation of a new client’s upper body strength.
I ask them to show me how they do a push up. Amazingly, 8 out of 10 times people have said that they can’t do a “real” push-up and asked if they could do them on their knees instead.
My answer to that is a resounding NO!!!
I’m not trying to be a hard ass, but if a person can only knock out repetition after repetition of kneeling push-ups and can’t push their entire body weight off the ground at least once…then all that effort was squandered.
Fortunately, I like to think that I’ve found a better way.
My frustrations turned out to be my starting point.
Each time I’m introduced to a new problem, dilemma, or predicament, I’ve learned a lesson. Sometimes it was painful, sometimes it was a bit embarrassing and sometimes a light bulb would go off inside my head and make me ask why I hadn’t thought of that sooner…but most times these lessons have had life-changing consequences.
Here’s what I’ve learned…
If someone is not physically strong enough to perform a basic push-up, you look for a way to “modify” that movement. You never regress and make it less effective.
An Incline push-up is the perfect modification for a weak upper body.
Grab hold of a stationary object that is about mid-chest height and perform your push-ups there. The object doesn’t matter. It could be a barbell racked on a machine in the gym or the kitchen counter sink in your home.
The idea is to be able to lower your body in a straight alignment towards the object and then push away maintaining that same positioning. The inclined push-up will make it a bit easier than a traditional floor push-up because it creates less stress on the moving joints and muscles.
Once you’ve been able to perform 15 – 20 perfectly positioned reps, challenge yourself a little more by lowering the object. Then once that becomes easier, lower it again. Eventually, you will find yourself on the floor pumping out push-up after push-up after push-up.
This is a tried and true practice I have replicated numerous times over the years for many clients. There has never been a setback. There has never been an injury and there has always been improvement towards their upper body strength.
So, there you go. Get up off your knees and stop pretending that you are doing pushups when you really aren’t.… in the comment section below I’d love to hear some of your thoughts on what YOU’VE done to strengthen YOUR body.
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Hi nice blog
I can see a lot of effort has been put in.