Knee push-up
A push-up from the knees. The same press through the full range, with less of your weight on your arms.
TrainsChest
NeedsBodyweight
The movement
2 stages
Top
01 Top
Knees on the floor, one straight line from the head to the knees, hands under the shoulders.
02 Bottom
Chest just above the floor, elbows about 45° from the torso, hips still in line.
How to do it
Setup
- Kneel on the floor and place your hands slightly wider than your shoulders, fingers pointing forward.
- Walk your hands forward and lift your feet so your body forms one straight line from your head to your knees.
- Squeeze your glutes and tighten your stomach before the first rep.
Execution
- Bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the floor, elbows about 45° from your torso.
- Stop just above the floor without resting on it.
- Press the floor away until your arms are fully straight.
- Keep your hips in line with your shoulders and knees on each rep.
BreathingInhale on the way down, exhale as you press up.
Cues and mistakes
Check every rep
- Hips stay in line with the shoulders and knees, never bent back.
- Chest reaches the floor before the chin does.
- Hands stay under the shoulders at the top of each rep.
What goes wrong
- Bending at the hips so the chest drops while the arms barely move.
- Hands placed too far forward, which turns the rep into a shoulder press.
- Stopping well short of the floor once the set gets hard.
Safety
- Knees on a hard floor get sore quickly. Fold a towel or a mat under them.
General guidance, not medical advice. See how Setkit works.
Notes
The knee push-up shortens the body you have to press. With your knees on the floor the arms lift roughly half your weight instead of two thirds. The chest, shoulders and triceps still get the full movement, at a load a beginner can repeat for sets of ten. The elbows, the hand position and the depth are the same as a full push-up, which is why strength built here carries across.
What it does not train is the trunk. A full push-up asks your stomach and glutes to hold a line from the heels, and the knee version removes most of that demand. Keep the hips in line anyway. The common fault is bending at the hips so the chest sinks while the arms barely move, and that rep trains nothing at all.
Treat it as a stepping stone with a clear exit. Once three sets of fifteen clean reps feel comfortable, move your knees off the floor, even if the first full set is only three reps. The incline push-up is the other route to the same place, and it suits people who prefer to keep the whole body straight from the start.