Short answer: Place your knees behind your hips, create a straight line from knees through shoulders and lower your chest between your hands. Avoid sitting your hips back; chest and hips should travel together.
Knee push-ups reduce the effective body lever, making the floor movement more manageable. They are useful when performed as a rigid-body press rather than a kneeling bow.
How to do knee push-ups
- Start in a high plank, lower the knees and move them slightly back.
- Cross the ankles only if comfortable.
- Brace the trunk and set hands just outside shoulder width.
- Lower until the chest approaches the floor.
- Press up with shoulders and hips rising together.
Knee versus incline push-ups
Knee reps provide floor practice but shorten the body lever. Incline push-ups preserve the head-to-heel plank and allow smaller difficulty changes. Use the version that gives you 6–15 clean reps; combining both can work well.
Progress to full push-ups
Build to 3 sets of 12–15, add slow negative push-ups, and practice low inclines. Test one full rep only after warming up. Return to repeatable training instead of turning every session into a maximum attempt.
Common mistakes
Hips folded back, hands far ahead, flared elbows and shallow range reduce transfer to a full rep. Film a side view and compare it with the push-up form checklist.
Train 3–4 sets of 6–15 two or three days per week. When all sets are clean, add negatives or lower your incline.
Turn the bridge to floor reps into a campaign
RepSaga makes every completed set visible through battles, streaks and milestones while you build toward full push-ups.
Frequently asked
Are knee push-ups bad?
No. They are a valid regression when alignment and range are controlled.
How many knee push-ups equal one regular push-up?
There is no reliable conversion. Track each variation separately and progress by technique and difficulty.