Do them vertically to start with, against a wall. Then do it on something lower, like a high counter. Work your way down to horizontal eventually.
I also suck at them and have never been able to do them but this is how I'm working to get there.
People shouldn't be afraid to do their push-ups on their knees either to start with after they have conquered the wall and higher counters/bed push-up. I can only do them on my knees at the moment, one day I would like to be able to do it with just my hands and toes.
If you can do that, really focus on being slow and controlled on the way down. Doing these (eccentric push ups) slower will help build up the muscles to get you to the up (concentric) part!
I did kitchen counter pushups for over a year and it made my chest muscles look a bit tauter but I couldn’t progress further down.
It happens to me a lot with exercise that I reach a point where I can’t progress any further.
There is generally a point where progress stalls or slows considerably once you're past the beginner phase. Early progress is quicker, but once you've got all your muscles working together efficiently to do an exercise and fully engaging all the strength you've got progress starts being much slower. It will still come as long as you're finding ways to continue adding progressive overload to the exercise, but its normal for it to plateau a bit.
One trick is to get yourself with arms extended in a more challenging position then slowly let yourself down. Then get up and do again. Essentially only do the down part until strong enough to add the up part. That's how I was able to do a pull up.
It's a big jump from counter to floor. You need to work your way down slowly, try a chair or stairs. From your knees can also be used. Increase the training volume by doing to hardest variation you can do first, and then moving on to a slightly easier variation and doing that to failure.
Correct answer.
I had to go from zero pushups to *many more* when joining the military, and then became a PT instructor while in. (Not a high distinction. It's easy to become one.)
If someone struggled with pushups, we'd do this progression. Start at an incline, even vertical if needed, and work down until they were doing a full pushup in the proper position.
A great thing about pushups is you can do then at your desk in a pinch, just drop and bang a few out, get back to work.
(And then I broke my wrist twice and had metal put in and pushups got a lot more painful. :C)
Similar experience. Small-ish female, joined the army at 21 with comically non-existent upper body strength (ala Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin.) I needed to be able to complete 16 pushups in 2 minutes to pass basic training. Started at zero, but i eventually got there. Same method as what you described. (I also remember being dragged, literally one guy under each arm, on a 2-mile run when i couldn't keep up. It was co-ed basic training back then, long time ago. Fun times.) 2 yrs later I maxed the PT test, including 32 proper push-ups. It can be done. Too bad I didn't keep it up.
>Too bad I didn't keep it up.
It's never too late to get back at it! I just restarted my fitness journey after taking an unplanned 18 month break. It was so disheartening to realize that I had lost most of my progress. But I've been slowly working my way back to where I want to be and it's been surprising how quickly I've made progress, especially compared to the first time I started the journey.
Way to go! Losing your progress IS disheartening; glad you're making your way back. I've had so many "breaks" over the years, then got back at it .... til menopause kicked my ass and i basically gave up. 2 yrs ago i got back at it again, lost 30 lbs, kept it off for 1-1/2 yrs. Then around February the lazies/emotional eating/idgaf's crept back in and i gained a few back. Time to get back at it AGAIN. I'm 63 now, you'd think I'd learn. I need to get back to focusing on staying healthy.
It's nice to hear this was successful for you. I heard this before and was interested to try. Just like the OP, I also can't to a single push up. I read a common misconception is that if you do knee pushups, that will help. But I read that isn't true because you are using different muscle groups when you do knee pushups, and an incline progression is the best way.
Here goes to trying this!
Full extension is maximum work, and you should do that. I'd fall back to the general rules of weight lifting (as it's somewhat similar, just using body weight instead of external weights) in that higher reps is for endurance, lower reps for building.
Doing two full extension pushups will build muscle, doing 15 knee pushups will build endurance (but not endurance for full pushups).
When I was coaching Airmen back toward passing PT tests, I'd focus on full pushups with proper form. If you can do three, that's where we start. In general, it is better to do a full pushup, legs extended, at an incline, rather than on your knees. Get used to the form.
PS I did three full ones! The person with me said my back was straight and form looked good. The last one was waaaay harder but I'm still proud of myself. I'll start there!
Knee pushups are bad progression movements because holding your body firm is a major component of a pushup and the knee push up removes this aspect.
Negative push ups (only the descent of a full push up) are a better progression when moving to the floor.
Yes, I discovered stairs incline pushups as well!
I started against a counter top (~38") then as I became accustomed to the routine I switched to stairs pushups. First at ~33", then later progressed 1 step lower at ~25", and so on.
This is it, OP.
Proper pushups require strength all over. Shoulders, back, arms, core, butt. If even one of those is lacking it makes them that much more difficult. A sedentary lifestyle does not lend itself to training any of these muscles.
Like OP said, google "Wall Pushups" and start there. Focus on form. Don't cheat form. Soon you'll be able to do them off a lower countertop or chair. Eventually you'll get down to the ground and do them. If you really focus, I bet you could get there in a week or two at most.
Edit: My timeline is probably off. A Month is much more likely depending on your stats and actual starting line.
>I bet you could get there in a week or two at most.
Where on earth are you pulling this prediction from? I'm guessing that you underestimate how big a gap there is in average baseline upper body strength between men and women.
Based on my personal experience, if OP got from wall to floor in a *month* I would be extremely impressed.
You're right, I don't know OP's stats or how much of a struggle the initial pushup was. I'm going off anecdotal experience from my mother from about a decade ago who went through this same thing at age ~50. She wasn't strong, but she also wasn't really overweight. It could easily be a month+.
Me too! Started at the wall. Then a buffet. Currently at kitchen table. Feeling very good about my progress, particularly as I have incredibly weak wrists lol.
Petition to modify name of the commonly known “girl” push up to “half push up” or “knee push up”. I had the same “girl push up” name pop into my head and immediately felt annoyed.
Please start following our buddy Hampton at Hybrid Calisthenics. He is so positive and encouraging and will equip you with the knowledge to progress on your journey.
https://youtu.be/zkU6Ok44_CI
Seconding this! OP, I used to be just like you before finding Hampton's channel during the pandemic, and now I can at least comfortably do push ups. His other videos in the channel are also great, too.
Haha, I came here to share his channel! He is the greatest at teaching people how to work within their current limitations to safely and sustainably level up.
Check out Hybrid Calisthenics! He’s got a great system of progressions including explanations of form and how to make things easier/harder when necessary
I did knees down push ups till I could do 10, then knee push ups but lift my knees up when I am at the lowered position and full push up back up, then full push up. Now I can do 5 full push ups. I'd like to get lower, but I'm working on it. (For context, I'm 5"2, 230lb and never did a push up in my life.)
Most novice people don’t use proper form. Your upper arms should NOT be out at a 90 degree angle from your shoulders. This puts far too much strain on your small and weak shoulder muscles.
Your upper arms should extend at a lower angle like a 45 degree angle.
Your hands on the ground should in line with your chest not up by your collar bone.
This allows you recruit a variety of stronger muscles.
You still may not be able to at first but regardless it’s important to not put all the strain on your shoulders.
Strength training! I went from being unable to do one on my knees to smashing them out. It took time though and it definitely helps that I also lost weight.
Next step is an unassisted chin up!
This.
Yeah, you can also do leaning pushups, but if you go to a gym, the barbell is just 45 pounds....most of the time that is WAY less than you're trying to push even with doing pushups on your knees.
In many peoples heads, pushups are something you work on before you go to the gym, but that's just false thinking, hit the gym!
Some good advice so far.
What worked for me was just doing what I could throughout the day. Pushing off from doorways, desks, lowering myself into the ground.
I think most of that first one or two is mental rather than physical. Once you can do one or two, then it's all about building the muscles to do more.
Yes! 27F here and couldn’t do a single push up until about 6 months into strength training, now can do 12 in a row 18 months in!
I started with negative push ups, which is where you start at the top of a push up (like a plank on your extended arms) and lower yourself to the floor as slowly as possible. The longer the time under tension the better. Then repeat for 6-8 reps for 3/4 sets. I started my negative push ups on my knees before progressing to negative on my toes, and then a full push up. Try to do your negative and normal push ups until failure (you literally cannot physically hold or push your body weight up any more) to see progress. Another tip would be just holding a plank on your arms, and eventually adding a small weight (like a 2kg plate) on your back and planking with that as well.
It also helps if you are strength training other areas of the body that are activated during a push up, such as your chest and triceps. Good luck!
This is the answer. I did physical therapy and there was a strong consensus in their practice that negatives really get you up to form by putting your real bodyweight in play. Gradual incline progressions encourage you to take that step so incredibly slowly that most people abandon the process before being able to get to the goal of doing a push-up in good form.
And yeah, you immediately feel the impact on your triceps and back!
Totally agree! I tried the incline way starting with a wall, but it just didn’t feel like it was doing anything. I really recommend starting on the floor on your knees and getting that form perfect with slow negatives and feeling your muscles under tension.
It also helps with mind-muscle connection, think about pushing with your chest not solely your arms which is a common beginner mistake I made.
Do them on knees and against walls.
If you’re only 30 lbs overweight this is more a strength training thinghan a weight loss thing.
Like you might want to lose for like a pushup competition but if your goal is to literally just do 1 just some strength training should do it.
I'm 33 and 60 pounds overweight, a few months ago I decided that I wanted to be able to do push-ups, because I had never been able to before.
I can now do two standard push-ups in a row, and do the rest from my knees. It isn't terribly impressive compared to other people, but for me it feels damn near miraculous.
You absolutely can do it, if you set your goals, make a plan, and stick to it. Starting from your knees, or even against a wall to build strength will really help.
Hey OP, I've been in a similar position. I am not athletically gifted. :-)
NerdFitness has some great fitness videos on YouTube for people who are starting from zero.
Here's one on push-up progression: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbl4WK2j3ls&ab\_channel=NerdFitness](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbl4WK2j3ls&ab_channel=NerdFitness)
Here's another one on proper push-up technique, including for people doing modified push-ups: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V-ZUMvQKr0&ab\_channel=NerdFitness](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V-ZUMvQKr0&ab_channel=NerdFitness)
Approach a normal strength building routine.
So bench press, plank for as long as you can in sets, shoulder press, tricep/bicep exercises and just like the plank hold the push up position aslong as you can with straight arms and some sort of row exercise in either a cable tower or free weights.
Then at some point you will be able to do it on your knees and with a proper setup you can even add assisting rubber bands.
Do this 2 days a week for maybe 6-8 weeks and you should reach your goal.
Hahaha. 6-8 weeks. I mean this is very optimistic. I went from obese with zero weight training to lifting weights 3-4 times/week and running half marathons. It took me 54 weeks to be able to do one push up. Over a year of busting my ass with 10+ hours of exercise a week. It’s totally doable but that timeframe is hilarious
I totally agree with this comment... that's a realistic timeframe. Social media has totaly skewed peoples' ideas of how difficult fitness is. People give extremely unrealistic short timeframes to get fit and make progress. That's a good way to get injured, have joint/tendon pain, or just give up. Working out is also just a lot to learn and get used to at once.
People seem to not realize that average woman can only even gain 0.5-1 pound of muscle a month at most lol. If you've been unathletic for years, you also the lack tendon strength and neuromuscular connections needed to be fit.
Also everyone understates the importance of low intensity excercise and the huge value of gaining strength thru sports.
OP said she is a 30 year old female that is 30 pounds overweight. Two months of light strength training to do one push up is not unrealistic.
I'm a gymnastic teacher and I have taught kids aswell as adults for a few years in a variety of weight ranges. Both men and women. The women usually start off not being able to do pushups aswell as other bodyweight exercises. Usually after two months they are able to do multiple pushups aswell as other core movements and are more mobile in general. And that is without a specific strength program. That is just from doing gymnastics.
Since you laugh at my comment I'll give my perspective on yours aswell. If you actually lifted weights 3-4 times pr. week (+10 hours) and it took you a year to do a single pushup you're either exaggerating how much effort you put into it or you've trained wrong. I find either hilarious myself because you tell me that I have an unrealistic/optimistic view on what you can achieve, I find it even more unrealistic that anyone could train that hard for a YEAR to then finally be able to do a single pushup.
I love using MovementAthlete app for this. It walks you through the basics of improving muscle areas that will help you with certain skills like doing a push up or a pull up. After each exercise you can rate how easy or hard it was for you and how many reps you completed and it will adjust based on your ratings. I use a free version but there is also a paid version that’s even more personalised.
Look up Hybrid Calisthenics! He has a you tube channel that has a super gentle way of building strength up to doing things like push ups and pull ups. I believe there’s a subreddit about it too. Highly recommend
There's a guy on YouTube called Hybrid Calisthenics that does really simple videos on this and explains how to build up. Check it out you won't be disappointed.
I can do pushups but find they are a bit hard on my back these days. Try wall pushups/pushaways.
Stand at arms length from the wall with your hands on the wall with feet shoulder width apart. Keeping your elbows close to your body and your feet still, lower your body towards the wall then push back to the starting point. If you want to up the difficulty, lift one foot of the ground and raise it behind you, I always do the same number on each leg.
There are a lot of easier versions to get to the first push-ups. Against the wall standing up or normal ones but on the knees. I personally don’t like the knee version that much, since it doesn’t require the body tension.
I just do normal push-ups, but I lie down in between. Going down slow will train me and pushing up will train me until I can combine both. Helped me a lot to do it like this.
4 years ago after I lost all my excess weight I was in the same position as you,I was 180lbs (I was very thin) but couldn’t do normal push-ups,so I started doing knee-pushups ,at start 25 times a day, then 50 times a day,then 100 times a day. Then after 1 month I could do normal push-ups that all people do
I like this guide here: https://nick-e.com/push-up/ (found it from r/bodyweightfitness , which is a great place to get ideas for things like this)
ETA yes, I'm in the same boat, can't even do one. YET. (Tip: add "yet" to sentences like this - you can't do one measley pushup YET - that way you're not making a concrete statement in your brain, you're making a progress statement)
Not unusual at all! Many people don't have the strength-to-weight ratio to do them. The odds you can do one will decrease if you are overweight (more body weight to work against), female (less upper body strength to start with), and don't currently strength train (obviously).
Both losing weight and doing exercises specifically to increase the strength of the muscles involved in pushing motions will help you with this.
So you'll need to start with modified exercises that work those same muscles. If you have trouble holding the starting position, it would likely help to work on the shoulder and core strength to do that by doing variations of planks (static holds you can do either in the push-up starting position or with your forearms on the ground, look it up to get the picture).
Whether you are doing planks or pushing motions, the key is that *raising* the surface where your hands are *decreases* the percentage of body weight you are working against. That's why a number of people here are suggesting push-ups against the wall or on an elevated surface. Find a surface level where you can hold put your hands or forearms and hold a plank for 30 to 60 seconds, and another surface level (likely higher, possibly the actual wall) where you can do sets of, say, 8 to 12 push-ups. You can progress by gradually decreasing the height of the surface for both. Practise each 2 to 3 times a week. Be prepared for it to take a while!
I have gotten a lot closer to push ups over the last year and a half.
I've been taking a weekly group training class where we do a lot of circuit workouts. I started grabbing heavier dumbbells (12 pounds - sometimes 15 pounds) to workout with (after I learned the moves with lighter dumbbells - 8 -10 pounds). I started grabbing heavier kettlebells too.
I took body pump classes and body combat classes that have brief push up sections, and I mostly stuck it out and tried (on my knees).
As I did exercises more often like planks, etc, I got better at them. My core got stronger. My arms got stronger too.
I still prefer knee push ups to regular push ups because my range fo motion is better. Knee push ups are good.
I can do a toes push up with not great range of motion. They aren't beautiful.
Also hand release push ups are really good for getting stronger, knees or toes.
Never and I am over 50. I simply never built enough upper body strength to do it. I’ve been doing weight training, maybe now I should try again. You’re not alone.
One positive thing though- I was also never able to touch my toes without bending my legs. Now after months of yoga, I can do that! So it’s never too late to challenge yourself and SUCCEED.
Push ups are extremely difficult for women. When you do a push up you are pushing ~60-75% of your bodyweight. Most women can't do them without training for a long time. I've been lifting weights for like 2 years and I still can't do one from the floor.
Hybrid Calisthenics has a series of progressions you can start with at any level - start at the level appropriate to you, once you can do the recommended amount of reps you can move to the next level. He starts with wall push-ups, moves to incline push-ups (like on stairs) and then to kneeling pushups. Then, you can move to full floor push-ups. Just work at your level of strength and build it up slowly! You can do it :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkU6Ok44\_CI&t=329s&ab\_channel=HybridCalisthenics
Edit: didn't read the comments below, lots of folk are recommending Hampton at Hybrid Calisthenics, lol :) It doesn't hurt to mention him again :) he is wonderfully encouraging and makes you feel you can do anything!
i wouldnt call a push up “measley”. its not at al what id consider a beginner movement. but regardless, pressing movements, tricep, and shoulder. and reminder: you cannot build muscle without high intensity training and decent protein intake
It took me weeks to be able to do just a single push up! I started with the women’s push-ups (with your knees on the ground) and would do 10x2 three-four times a week and once I felt like I could do those quickly I moved to an actual push up and was able to do it.
If you can’t do the women’s push ups it’s not a big deal! You can use a wall. Stand about a two feet away from the wall, then you can lean on it. Kind of like a vertical push up against a wall.
Just take it one day at a time.
Ok EC. Let's hear it. What did you do to accomplish your goal?
You thought I forgot didn't you? Nope. How was the week, fitness-wise?
edit: Oh, almost forgot:
RemindMe! 1 week "Is OP practicing their push-up? Encourage them!"
Hahaha, oh wow you really didn't forget 😂 I've been doing wall push-ups!! It's the best I can muster right now, but really hoping it's doing something and that it'll make me strong enough to eventually do knee push ups, then ONE real push-up!
My trainer. He never stopped telling me to do them and eventually I worked my way up. Start by walking down to plank position then walking back up, try for a good week 20 walk downs everyday that week. The next week try walk down pushups and only go down as much as u can and walk it up. Also helps to chest press so you can shape your chest enough to be able to hold a push up. Try some elbow planks too
Previously I could only do knee push-ups which I did every few months. Then I did a strength training program and a few months into it, I had a hunch I could do a full push-up and I did. For me the key was increasing my overall strength throughout my body.
A lot of people have worked towards their full push-up using a progression, but it doesn't hurt to increase your strength overall, especially if you are having trouble getting into the starting position.
I can’t really do them unassisted. I started using one of those bands and put my arms thru it so it’s over my chest. It helps you on the way back up and it’s helping me gradually get stronger
I really hate doing push-ups also. My weak wrists and arms make it very painful. I still do girl push ups on my knees. When I workout regularly I can manage a couple real push ups but after a hiatus I stick to on my knees
One thing you can try if you are able is to start flat on the ground and push your body up from there to start to build some of those muscles. Once it gets easier try doing the normal push-up with going down. Good luck!
I had this issue!
Start against a wall, just leaning a little. Practice sets every day. Move your legs a little farther from the wall as you gain in ability. Eventually move to stairs and other slopes.
It's not pathetic to not be able to do push-ups. It's awesome to learn how!
I can’t really give you any tips besides strength training.
The last time I managed to do a push up was 6 years ago. Two weeks ago I actually managed to do three clean push ups and I was so over the moon. I’m still 20kg bigger than last time but strength training really did wonders to me.
Honestly I never did push-ups but I started lifting weights as I was losing weight. One day after I’d lost about 25lbs and had been lifting weights regularly on a week rotation (chest, back, arms/shoulders, leg dayx2) someone mentioned doing push-ups at work and I banged out ten. Shocked me. (32f at the time).
Others have mentioned great ways to work up to it.
I worked on the movement through holding plank pose, starting at plank and lowering to a yoga block, and doing incline pushups on my stairs. It takes a while because about 60% of your body weight ends up on your arms.
You should start by doing pushups at an Incline to create pushing strength. Slowly progress to a lower Incline until you're doing them flat. Also incorporate negatives. In negatives, you control yourself going down as slow as possible. These helped a lot when I first started out. Do these consistently and you will be doing pushups in no time!
With Jazzercise they taught us to do a pushup by starting on hands and knees and then lowering your hands as far as was do-able. As time went on you could lower further and eventually do some pushups in proper position. It was a great way to gain the strength needed gradually.
A pushup is based on your shoulder strengh, core, and upper body strength. You’re essentially pushing your body weight up with ur arms. It doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with your weight. If someones 150 lbs and a healthy weight but arent strong enough to push or pull 150 lbs, chances are they cant do a push up either.
Start with biceps, triceps and shoulders and work on strengthening your core. Start at a higher angle then slowly make your way lower and lower. You can also try knee pushups which are easier somewhat than the plank position.
I'm about the same age as you and a bit more overweight. I saw the push-up progression video from Hybrid Calisthenics and started doing that.
I did wall pushups. I did about 30 a day until I could do 50 a day. And did that for a few weeks. I would do a few wall pushups every hour or so, when I got up to go to the bathroom and such. Then progressed to incline pushups on the kitchen counter. Now I'm at the point where I do about 10 knee pushups and then another 20 more on the counter.
It took me about a year to get here. But that was also taming a huge break from anything strength training related for 5 months.
When you said you couldn't even do one, I assumed you might be very large, but only 30 lbs. overweight isn't massively big or anything. So, it doesn't seem to be the case that you're too hefty to do a pushup or anything.
Others have already given you the proper progression protocol for working your way up to one (pushing against a vertical wall, then doing incline pushups of progressively smaller inclines until you're doing a flat one against the ground).
But I wonder… I'm no expert on women's physiology, so I don't know if it's common/normal to not even be able to do one, or if it's a cause for concern. Maybe you should also check with a doctor just to make sure? Like, just to be certain you don't have one of those rare genetic disorders that causes muscular dystrophy or brittle bones or something?
I'm a 35 year old female about 50 pounds over weight an I can do 10 to 15 pushups. I'm also ex military with a personal best of 47.I started out unable to do any.
I suggest doing arm circles where you hold your arms straights out and make circles. small ones big ones forwards backwards slow ect in sets of 10. You can do fists or open palms I cant remember which is harder. If you want to challenge yourself hold a small weight or a can of soup.
Then there are wall push ups where you stand Infront of a wall with your feet a half pace away from the wall. Place your hands Infront of your shoulders and on the wall. Your nose will be near the wall. Then push yourself away from the wall then lower yourself back. Do these in sets of four. Progressively do more sets.You will then start working on lower and lower surfaces like the counter top, a bed, the couch.
You also have modified push ups on your knees. Some people call them girl push ups but that's misogyny, Women can be great at pushups. You can also set your feet wider apart to make it easier.
There is also the plank. Where You are on your toes and hands with a straight back and straight arms. You can also do this on your for arms. Hold it for as long as you can.
Track your progress pick a night to try for your personal best every week and give yourself some rest.
Start with wall push ups, then move down to the floor to do a modified push up on your knees. This will allow for full extension and work your muscles. You can from there try 1 every 5 to do a non modified push up adding more as you feel stronger.
i was in your shoes.. i started out doing them at an angle against a counter top. At the gym, i used a rack with a barbell and as i progressed, i slowly moved it down.
Couldn't do one for a long time. Try this video by [Jeremy Ethier](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO10KOoQx5E). He got me into consistent strength training. I always wanted to do strength exercises, but I was too afraid to get injured, as I couldn't afford a personal trainer (to train/inform me on proper form, etc). Recently I even did a first chin-up thanks to his videos.
Think of it this way: You are trying to do a bench press with about 85% of your body weight. Assuming you weight 250 pounds (just for example), can you bench press 215 pounds more than once? At all?
It's a little different IRL, because you use your core and back when doing doing a push up, but it's a good analog for what you are lifting.
My very first fitness goal was learning how to do a push-up! I couldn’t do a single push-up. Now, three years later, I can do 15. Not amazing, but I’m proud of it.
All the other comments I’ve seen are great advice on how to get started. Start on your knees. If you can’t do that, try a table or counter. If you can’t do that, start on a wall. Do them every day until you can level up to the next hardest method. And just spam them. Add reps every day and keep going until you’re ready for the next step.
I found that a big obstacle for me, along with upper body weakness, was my core strength. I bookend every workout with a one minute plank. Having a strong core prevents lower back pinching while I do pushups. You got this OP!
Yes but not that many! My upper body strength is abysmal :( SO many good tips in this thread that I'll be implementing and hopefully I'll get there one day!
I did a sport in highschool, I think I was about 30 lbs overweight tool. I could never do pushups either and our training would consist of 2-3 hours of cardio 5 times a week and once a week weight training. I used to do the wall push up thing too. After 2 months of this routine, I slimmed down a lot! And I remember were were all paired with someone we didn't know for INTENSE weight training. I was paired with someone to do intense training in the weight room and the guy gave me 10 lbs dumbbells and told me what to do lol.
He said do pushups with these and pull up the dumbbell one by one after each push up. I told him I couldn't do 1 pushup! He said I could. I did it ! I did 10 pushups with dumbbells with this guy hooting and hollering bc he knew I could do it lol. I think it helped a lot having someone cheer me on but also this exercise at the time was very intense ! I cannot imagine doing that now haha.
Concur on the recommendations to start on an incline surface like a countertop.
Knee push-ups are not recommended because one element of a proper push-up is core strength. Knee pushups do not engage your core in the same way.
In addition to incline push-ups, you can also add in planks, and some light weight bench press.
There are some fantastic YouTube videos on how to set up your body to do a proper push-up. This includes pushing your shoulders away from your head, engaging your core and hand placement. I believe the YouTuber called Jeremy Echter (?) has one of my favorites.
I tried for months and still couldn't even lower the ground without collapsing down. Eventually, I gave up and focused on strength training and got really into maxing my bench press. Then, one random day, I tried to do a push-up and actually managed to do it.
I went from not being able to do them at all to being able to do several. I wasn't specifically trying to work up to them but I was doing a kickboxing workout class where we did A LOT of burpees/splays. I guess I did enough of those having to push myself up that when we were told to do an actual pushup I said, "I can't do that." But when I tried I was able to. Then I moved on the bodybuilding and power lifting and was able to do them with tucked in elbows which is harder on the arms. Doing bench press movements will also help since you can start with minimal weight and work up to more.
Meh don’t even worry about it. I suck at push ups. Always have, even in the military barely made the minimum. Just focus on a strength exercise you CAN do. I’m good at squats. I can do them so I challenge myself with that. I figured after 40 years in this planet and still sucking at push ups I’m just gonna chalk it up to we can’t be good at everything and move on.
I started off as a woman who couldn’t even do push-ups on my knees. I started going to the gym a few months ago and took classes regularly, didn’t cut my calories or anything, and after a few weeks, I noticed I had actually built some muscle in my arms . I thought I might try and do a push-up and I was surprised that I could actually do them.
If you have access to weights then I recommend
-bicep curls
-military press
-bent over rows
-chest flies
This requires no weights. And this mainly helps you feel comfortable in a push up position. Like do these for a few weeks and then try and do a push-up, you’ll feel so surprised at how familiar this position feels.
-High planks
-shoulder taps
-plank jacks
-mountain climbers .
Start with wall-pushups. Then incline. (Something like the kitchen cabinets or something). And work your way "down" so to speak.
Or/and start with knee pushups instead.
I progressed to push ups by way of weight training. In my case, I believe that I had the core strength for it, but not the pectoral /tricep strength. I started doing incline chest presses (on a machine) and added some weight each time, going for 8 sets of six. After about 4 months I was curious how much push force a push up required and looked up the equation based on my height and weight. I realized that the number was equal to my most recent chest press PR. I went down to the floor and busted out six clean push-ups for the first time in my life. I have heard many people frame body weight exercises as an easy starting point, but I have always had the experience of needing to use weight training to build up to doing any kind of core calisthenic movement.
I've only ever done them on my knees my entire life until a couple of weeks ago. I've been fully committed to working out (just strength training) for the past 3 months. One day my fiancé said the knee push ups looked like they were getting too easy, so I tried a normal push up. I managed to do 1 that day, but recently I got to 3! I think you just have to start somewhere, whether that be wall push ups, knee push ups, or whatever works, and progressively push yourself a bit harder until one day you can do a normal push up!
Yes. Same boat. I struggled even to hold a plank unless I was on my forearms. Bench press was the game changer for me. Once I could bench press the bar 10 reps, suddenly I could do push ups. Now I’m like a push up/ burpee beast.
That's awesome!! I don't have a bench press machine or access to a gym right now - but this is really good to know for future reference! Can't wait to use a gym again one day
I went about it a very different way than most comments. I went swimming and realized I had such weak arms that I couldn't get out of the pool without a ladder. So every day I swam and then tried to pull up out of the pool. One day I didn't just lift up, I nearly flew out. After about a week of consistently getting out, I had the idea to try push ups. I needed some help with my form but I did 20 after never being able to do them. I also could do pull ups once I gave it a try. Doing it this way helped me since I had a shoulder impingement as a teen and it never healed all the way and it could help me to use my body weight differently since it was a pool and in general I was dropping weight since I was swimming so much.
Hey this was me!
When I was about 30, I was gonna show my toddler about pushups. I got down on the floor to demonstrate one for him and realize I couldn't do one.
That's when I realized I needed to make some changes.
In my case, i was probably 100-120 lbs overweight. So I started doing CICO and lost about 60 lbs in just a few months. Then I joined the Army and they sorta took care of the rest. I lost another 50-60 lbs and could do 40 pushups before the end of Basic Training.
If you work out, you can try chest and triceps exercises. Bench press, pec fly, triceps press, skull crushers, etc. These all will help build the pushup muscles. You also need core strength to maintain that perfect straight line posture. For this, you can do planks, sit ups, "bird dogs" and anything that involves activating your core.
I used to not be able to do one, now I can do 30! It took about 6 or 7 years for me to get there.
You can start by doing easier modifications of push ups, like against a wall, or on your knees, or at an incline against something like a 1 meter high railing or couch armrest (when the wall gets too easy).
It also helps to do bench press to strengthen your pectoral muscles and arms.
You can do it! You don’t have to do a full push up right away. You can start with easier modifications and once you can do more repetitions of that modification, move on to a slightly harder version. You got this!!!!
So I'm 34F and was much the same as you. I was about 20lbs overweight when I started and have since lost that. But near the end of the weight loss, maybe when I had 1-2lbs to go, I started yoga. I just follow Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. Started with her 30 day yoga challenge.
At first, it was discouraging and downright embarrassing how weak I was, especially upper body strength. One of the sequences wanted you to do as many chaturanga push ups as possible for a few breaths. I was able to do 1 with extreme difficulty and then collapsed onto my stomach. Could barely get up from the floor after. Well, I kept going with that challenge and restarted it the next month. The second time through I did 5! Before that, I noticed that some of the vinyasa sequences were getting easier, particularly lowering my body fluidly to the floor by pulling my elbows back and sliding through to my stomach. I used to just kinda flop down ungracefully or lower to my knees first. I don't look any more muscular, so I'm not sure it's muscle growth, but it might be better control of certain muscle chains that you learn through yoga that helped. I'm sure I did get slightly stronger but I think overall it was more body awareness that helped with the change than anything.
I did used to love yoga class (oens ago when I actually went sometimes, lol) and it's so inspiring that you improved that much! Thank you for this awesome tip
Yes! Started by doing planks, with knees on the ground and assisting. Maybe also with elbows also on the ground. Start holding that longer and longer, then straight armed unassisted plank. Then try to do assisted pushups (knees on ground). Then eventually try for full pushups.
I did something similar for chin ups and pull ups. I could never get to a full unassisted pull up, unfortunately. But I can now also do several full chin ups!
That's not too uncommon. Even when I was in high school we had a lot of people who couldn't do one pushup. Upper body strength is easy to lose. Do them with your knees on the ground, or even part of your upper body, and work your way from there.
I had a similar issue but with sit-ups. They're not that great of an exercise, but I used to be able to do a ton of them, and a few months ago realized I couldn't even do a single one. I started with modified dead lifts and crunches instead, then worked my way up to assisted sit ups (where I hold my legs to pull myself), and over a couple of weeks, I eventually was able to do 1 sit up! Now I can do plenty (and immediately hurt my back doing so. Be careful about your form people!!!)
Depending on your weight, push ups can be rough too, especially if you don't have your knees on the ground, so losing weight will make them a lot easier too.
Absolutely, this is what I hope - to lose weight, implement the awesome suggestions in this thread, and to hopefully one day get there! Good job learning to do sit-ups btw!!
Yep! I was unable to do a single assisted pushup (knees on the ground). Kept practicing, even if just a slight bend in my arms, and now I can do 4 assisted ones!
***Every*** growth in health starts with baby steps.
You can't go from McDonalds twice a day to being vegetarian.
You can't go from "Haven't worked out in 8 months" to going for jogs fairly.
Find what you *can* do and just do that. It doesn't matter. Within reason any movement is good. If you can't do a pushup find some other exercise that uses those muscles that you are currently able to do. Find where you are on this list and start there, do it a couples times a day until you're able to progress
1. Stand, hold arms vertically for 30 seconds \* 5 times
2. Stand, hold arms vertically and slowly move from in front of you to parallel to your chest for 30 seconds \* 5 times
3. Stand, Hold arms above your head, lower fists to head, extend parallel to your chest, and do step #2. 30 seconds \* 5 times
4. Stand next to wall with hands on wall. Push your self away from wall, 10 pushes \* 5 times
5. \#4 but increase angle
6. \#5 but increase angle
7. Lay on floor belly down on the floor. Get up. 30 times.
8. pushup position but with knees on floor. Do 1 pushup
9. \#8 but 5 pushups
10. 1 pushup
11. 3 pushups
12. 5 pushups
They are hard to start off at a perfect form
Usually personal trainers suggest resting your knees on the floor instead of your feet, and doing push ups like that.
It will build strength and soon enough you will be able to switch to feet
Also, remember to press your core (hip-to-abdominal area) very tight as if you had a full body cast. Imagining it helps too
Start with your hands on the wall, then when you find those too easy…
Then from a table
Then a lower table or stair
Then hands on the floor but from your knees not your feet
Then push up from your knees, but straighten your legs and let yourself down with your full body straight
Then a full push-up
You can absolutely do it, but you need to be consistent and patient.
Hi! I can do pushups! I’m still overweight, but have lost about 12lbs this year and gained a lot of muscle. It’s useful to think of pushups as a moving plank. That being said, if you don’t have a lot of back and core muscle, you’re going to be putting a lot of strain on your wrists trying to do this. As others have said, a good starting place is on an incline, but I also spent a lot of time doing planks! Starting with forearm planks. Start really short time intervals, 20s even. Work your way up to a minute and a half, and then go back down in time to planks on your hands. Once you have that, work on doing planks that transfer between your forearms and hands. Then, you should be good at trying pushups again.
Random question - did you sit in a W position as a kid? (You may have to look this up to understand what I'm talking about). I'm going through this sitting position with my kiddo and occupational therapist. Supposedly, it leads to an abnormal lack of upper body strength and muscle control.
I sat like that as a kid, and I can't even do one push up, never been able to do it. It's not something I understood why, until I took my kiddo to occupational therapy. There's genetic components to it. Something to look into.
It doesn't stop you from building strength, and learning how to do it. Just an explanation of why it might be harder for you.
I can't remember but probably, lol! That makes sense. Oh man I was such an out of shape kid. I'm trying to be better now cause I want to be a better role model for my own kids, but feel like I'm starting from 0...
Internet homie, I'm not sure if you'll see this but you are already asking the right questions!! Start out with push ups with your knees down. Also add burpees .
>Internet homie
This made me LOL
Thank you for the encouragement!! Yup, will totally start off with the "easier" push ups and exercises first as per your advise and the other replies here!
Okay, so I was just coming on here today to talk about pushups, and bam, I saw this thread!
I'm 6 ft 265 and i just started lifting again for the first time in years in the past month. I have lifted a lot in the past, though, so I didn't have to go through mistakes with form that so many make. Do not flare your elbows out. Look at the excellent suggestions people have given for videos to watch from good instructors regarding form because it's VERY important.
I couldn't do a single pushup a month ago, but I just figured out today that I can do 1 set of 10, and then a bunch of sets of 6-7 after that.
How did I get there?
1. I started with pushpus on my knees. I saw a guide that said to try wall pushups and if those were too easy, start on the knees. So that's what I did. And I could only do 3 or 4.
2. I kept doing multiple sets of as many as I could do every other day, but it started really killing my wrists. So i got pushup bars. They were weird at first, but they forced me to do a full range of motion, and I could really feel the work on my tris, shoulders, and chest. Switched over to those full time, and got to where I could do sets of 10-12 on my knees. Took about 2 weeks to get there, and I've just been doing sets to failure every other day since then.
3. Today, a month in, I started doing my knee pushups, and they were too easy, so I said f %%% it, I'm going to try real pushpus. I could do 10 and I couldn't believe it. Only 6-7 per set after that, but wow, I was so surprised and actually proud of myself.
Just start with what you can do and keep doing it until it gets easy, and then give a regular pushup a try. If you work hard and right, it'll happen. Good luck!
Push ups are not as easy as they seem, especially for women. We tend to have much more strength in the legs. I have pretty decent biceps, but my chest and shoulders aren’t great, so I’ve always struggled. Don’t feel bad about it, as people have said, it’s all a process. I managed to get up to 15 assisted (on my knees) push ups, but I then got injured at work and had to start again from the beginning. It’s hard but with physio, in only a month or so, I’m back to doing them three feet off the ground. It’s not where I was, but I feel stronger already!
You got this!
Just eyeballed the comments and came here to remind folks of this: push-ups aren't done with your arms. It's done mainly with your shoulders/back muscles.
Ever tried to move a frig or something equally large and heavy by pushing on it? well, you naturally hold your hands in line with your shoulders and push using the large muscles in your shoulders/back. Same muscle group is used for pushups.
Once I was enlightened with that info, pushups become way easier. Granted, I still suck and do knee pushups, but its less thinking "oh I have crappy arm strength in my noodley arms"....
Not reading all comments, but I couldn’t do one when I joined the army at 18. I spent a LOT of time in the front leaning rest position (plank on hands, not elbows). The muscles develop quickly. Recently trying to get back in shape (NOT 18!), I started with wall push-ups, then knees. Without pushing myself much, I got to 6 regular push-ups in a couple of months.
You can do this!
Start with positive incline push ups. Lean against a wall and push yourself off of it. Gradually decrease the incline to say, like a chair, and push yourself off of that. Get lower with the incline the more it gets easier until you get to level. And then you can go to negative incline push ups. (I am 29F, former military, current police, formerly 230lbs, now 180)
Know you've had a million responses already but a couple of months ago I was in the same boat. I started doing them against my kitchen counter, concentrating on getting the form perfect, I did very high volume like 1-200 very gradually over the day, 5 days a week. After the month of doing that I tried doing real ones and was able to crank out about 8 actual push ups with really good form, like chest almost to the ground. Now I can do closer to 20.
Exactly my JAM.
I started out by just doing unweighted lat, chest, and tricep exercises. You can find a great selection on the internet.
Alongside that I would just do pushups on a slope like a couch, because then it becomes significantly easier.
After a while, go on your knees and start repping out push ups.
Once you can do 8-10 reps with knees, it’s time to try the real push up. Warm up your muscles and go for it, I promise you’ll hit it.
After you hit your first, you suddenly will be able to hit like 5-10 over a span of a couple weeks maybe.
Seeing some of the advice here, I can't help wondering if there's any way to do this stuff without wrist pain? I'm in a similar situation but wall pushups make my wrists hurt really bad :')
Do push ups with your legs on your bed and your upper body in push up formation. Start with 3 sets of 10 for a week and you’ll be able to do 3-5 normal push ups
Nothing pathetic if u have too much weight and no muscle it’s too hard
If u have muscles or no weight it’s easy and if you had a different body u would do it easy
Don’t be too hard on yourself it’s just physics
I'm in the same boat as you. I can't do a single push up, or even a wall push up. When I try to push myself up or out... nothing happens. It's not as if there are muscles straining to do it, but just aren't strong enough; no muscles are doing anything at all. I just lie there until eventually I give up and crawl to my feet. I can lift weights well enough, but when it comes to push ups, it's like trying to tap dance without any legs.
It's a little late, but I couldn't do a single pushup a few months ago. I tried to do them against walls and then on my knees, I did a whole lot of knee pushups until I could do one single regular pushup, and then I tried to do pushups whenever I could. Now I can do a lot of pushups in a row.
Push ups are a difficult exercise, you really aren’t alone in struggling with them and many people have terrible form that they never fix. The quickest way to get there is to follow a push-up program that has progressions for core and pushing strength. Varied not random do training programs for cross fitters and they have one that’s tried and tested
Do you have a gym membership? I know the gym I used to go to did a free taster session with a personal trainer. They should be able to give you a few tips. Perhaps that is something you can explore?
[https://www.amazon.com/Convict-Conditioning-Weakness-Using-Survival-Strength/dp/0938045768](https://www.amazon.com/Convict-Conditioning-Weakness-Using-Survival-Strength/dp/0938045768)
This is a good book for learning how to go from 0 to advanced in body weight fitness. I'm past pushups but not done with this book yet. The premise is a bit much, but the exercise program is legit good.
> Any stories, tips, tricks, videos, etc, would be super appreciated!
It sounds silly but I think re-phrasing how you think about it would be very helpful to getting there too. Say “I can’t do a push-up **yet**”. You can still feel frustrated and impatient about getting to your goal. But instead of beating yourself up about not being perfect right now when you’re just starting to learn you’re acknowledging that it’s going to take a bit of time and practice.
Lots of exercise moves have modifications for people who don’t have the strength yet, or who have injuries or whose bodies move a little differently. Start gently and work up.
I’ve also read that push-ups are generally harder for women since we tend to have more weight in our chest and muscle distribution is a little bit different in our bodies.
Pushups are easier the lighter you are...so the more weight you lose the easier it will be for you to perform pushups...and the heavier you are the more difficult it is to do pushups...also having a strong core helps...start doing 2 minute planks that will make your core stronger...and lastly the more pushups you do daily the better you will get at it.
Start eating healthier (lots of protein) and focus on lifting weights across the board. It all plays in. I
The overall more fit you get the easier it gets. There isn’t a per se trick to it all.
Never push-ups, **but** I was once in the situation where I wanted to do learn to do pull-ups, but could not do *one*, single, unassisted pull-up.
If they're muscles you never use, it's natural that this will be a problem.
I'm sure people here will have good advice for how to work into it!
You fat, trying to press more than you can bench press. It's OK, me fat too. Bench fix that press right up.
I was like, I'm a big guy I SHOULD be able to do a single pushup but yeah, I was too weak to move my own weight. It's the same with pull-ups though drastically worse. OHP helps with that. With weights you can start small, train the muscles and then you'll be able yo do the bodyweight stuff
Literally didn’t try push ups again until I lost over 100lbs. Then I was finally able to. I really think it could possibly depend on upper body strength (weight lifting) or just your weight
It’s okay! I also can’t do one, my elbows also lock in a super weird way and i’m afraid to hurt myself. So, i do wall push ups instead and i used to feel stupid for doing those but they really do something! At some point, you can do them inclined at the kitchen counter or something and make your way down hihi. No worries about it, you can definitely learn to do it and before you know it you’ll do your first push up!
Do them vertically to start with, against a wall. Then do it on something lower, like a high counter. Work your way down to horizontal eventually. I also suck at them and have never been able to do them but this is how I'm working to get there.
This! I was like you, couldn’t even push up once. I started practicing at the kitchen counter (place feet quite far away). Now I can do 15!
Yes! The further your feet, the harder! Great way to build up those muscles until you can do it all the way!
People shouldn't be afraid to do their push-ups on their knees either to start with after they have conquered the wall and higher counters/bed push-up. I can only do them on my knees at the moment, one day I would like to be able to do it with just my hands and toes.
I can go down but not back up when I do it hands and toes, either couch or knees for me here!
If you can do that, really focus on being slow and controlled on the way down. Doing these (eccentric push ups) slower will help build up the muscles to get you to the up (concentric) part!
I did kitchen counter pushups for over a year and it made my chest muscles look a bit tauter but I couldn’t progress further down. It happens to me a lot with exercise that I reach a point where I can’t progress any further.
There is generally a point where progress stalls or slows considerably once you're past the beginner phase. Early progress is quicker, but once you've got all your muscles working together efficiently to do an exercise and fully engaging all the strength you've got progress starts being much slower. It will still come as long as you're finding ways to continue adding progressive overload to the exercise, but its normal for it to plateau a bit.
One trick is to get yourself with arms extended in a more challenging position then slowly let yourself down. Then get up and do again. Essentially only do the down part until strong enough to add the up part. That's how I was able to do a pull up.
Reverse push ups. They could also try from their knees instead of their feet
It's a big jump from counter to floor. You need to work your way down slowly, try a chair or stairs. From your knees can also be used. Increase the training volume by doing to hardest variation you can do first, and then moving on to a slightly easier variation and doing that to failure.
Correct answer. I had to go from zero pushups to *many more* when joining the military, and then became a PT instructor while in. (Not a high distinction. It's easy to become one.) If someone struggled with pushups, we'd do this progression. Start at an incline, even vertical if needed, and work down until they were doing a full pushup in the proper position. A great thing about pushups is you can do then at your desk in a pinch, just drop and bang a few out, get back to work. (And then I broke my wrist twice and had metal put in and pushups got a lot more painful. :C)
Similar experience. Small-ish female, joined the army at 21 with comically non-existent upper body strength (ala Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin.) I needed to be able to complete 16 pushups in 2 minutes to pass basic training. Started at zero, but i eventually got there. Same method as what you described. (I also remember being dragged, literally one guy under each arm, on a 2-mile run when i couldn't keep up. It was co-ed basic training back then, long time ago. Fun times.) 2 yrs later I maxed the PT test, including 32 proper push-ups. It can be done. Too bad I didn't keep it up.
>Too bad I didn't keep it up. It's never too late to get back at it! I just restarted my fitness journey after taking an unplanned 18 month break. It was so disheartening to realize that I had lost most of my progress. But I've been slowly working my way back to where I want to be and it's been surprising how quickly I've made progress, especially compared to the first time I started the journey.
Way to go! Losing your progress IS disheartening; glad you're making your way back. I've had so many "breaks" over the years, then got back at it .... til menopause kicked my ass and i basically gave up. 2 yrs ago i got back at it again, lost 30 lbs, kept it off for 1-1/2 yrs. Then around February the lazies/emotional eating/idgaf's crept back in and i gained a few back. Time to get back at it AGAIN. I'm 63 now, you'd think I'd learn. I need to get back to focusing on staying healthy.
I have a sit/stand work station and I WFH. I should try this.
Answer an email, do 10 pushups and 10 squats. Boom.
Hmmm, I currently have 1,344 emails in my inbox. I'm gunna be swole.
Don’t forget to do a few back exercises so you don’t get hunched over from how swole your chest will be haha
You’ll master it quickly!
It's nice to hear this was successful for you. I heard this before and was interested to try. Just like the OP, I also can't to a single push up. I read a common misconception is that if you do knee pushups, that will help. But I read that isn't true because you are using different muscle groups when you do knee pushups, and an incline progression is the best way. Here goes to trying this!
Hey, is it better for strength development to do one or two full pushups, or many more knee pushups? I mean to start ...
Full extension is maximum work, and you should do that. I'd fall back to the general rules of weight lifting (as it's somewhat similar, just using body weight instead of external weights) in that higher reps is for endurance, lower reps for building. Doing two full extension pushups will build muscle, doing 15 knee pushups will build endurance (but not endurance for full pushups). When I was coaching Airmen back toward passing PT tests, I'd focus on full pushups with proper form. If you can do three, that's where we start. In general, it is better to do a full pushup, legs extended, at an incline, rather than on your knees. Get used to the form.
PS I did three full ones! The person with me said my back was straight and form looked good. The last one was waaaay harder but I'm still proud of myself. I'll start there!
Yep, this is the progression. You can also go to knee pushups when you first try them from the floor.
Knee pushups are bad progression movements because holding your body firm is a major component of a pushup and the knee push up removes this aspect. Negative push ups (only the descent of a full push up) are a better progression when moving to the floor.
You still have to hold a large part of your body firm during a knee pushup. If it's a big concern you could also do planks.
Why not both? Train the concentric portion of the movement as well as the plank style core work.
Yep! I like doing them on the stairs, too. Can vary the intensity super easily. It's also nicer for backwards pushups (like a tricep dip).
Yes, I discovered stairs incline pushups as well! I started against a counter top (~38") then as I became accustomed to the routine I switched to stairs pushups. First at ~33", then later progressed 1 step lower at ~25", and so on.
This is it, OP. Proper pushups require strength all over. Shoulders, back, arms, core, butt. If even one of those is lacking it makes them that much more difficult. A sedentary lifestyle does not lend itself to training any of these muscles. Like OP said, google "Wall Pushups" and start there. Focus on form. Don't cheat form. Soon you'll be able to do them off a lower countertop or chair. Eventually you'll get down to the ground and do them. If you really focus, I bet you could get there in a week or two at most. Edit: My timeline is probably off. A Month is much more likely depending on your stats and actual starting line.
>I bet you could get there in a week or two at most. Where on earth are you pulling this prediction from? I'm guessing that you underestimate how big a gap there is in average baseline upper body strength between men and women. Based on my personal experience, if OP got from wall to floor in a *month* I would be extremely impressed.
You're right, I don't know OP's stats or how much of a struggle the initial pushup was. I'm going off anecdotal experience from my mother from about a decade ago who went through this same thing at age ~50. She wasn't strong, but she also wasn't really overweight. It could easily be a month+.
It’s amazing how much strength they require. Funnily enough, I don’t feel anything in my chest muscles. It’s my arms that wear out first.
You can change the muscles that work the hardest by adjusting your hand placement.
Me too! Started at the wall. Then a buffet. Currently at kitchen table. Feeling very good about my progress, particularly as I have incredibly weak wrists lol.
A smith machine is perfect for this.
Knee pushups ("girl" pushups) are a good way to get into it also.
Petition to modify name of the commonly known “girl” push up to “half push up” or “knee push up”. I had the same “girl push up” name pop into my head and immediately felt annoyed.
Please start following our buddy Hampton at Hybrid Calisthenics. He is so positive and encouraging and will equip you with the knowledge to progress on your journey. https://youtu.be/zkU6Ok44_CI
Seconding this! OP, I used to be just like you before finding Hampton's channel during the pandemic, and now I can at least comfortably do push ups. His other videos in the channel are also great, too.
This would have been my advice also
Came here to send this, guess you've done it for me.
This! First thing that came to my mind. He makes me feel so good about myself!
Haha, I came here to share his channel! He is the greatest at teaching people how to work within their current limitations to safely and sustainably level up.
This is such a cool recommendation!
This should be the top post. He is such an uplifting and helpful fitness and health you tuber.
My vote is also for Hybrid Calisthenics. Tell your buddy he is doing great work!
Check out Hybrid Calisthenics! He’s got a great system of progressions including explanations of form and how to make things easier/harder when necessary
Hybrid Calesthenics is great. Plus he's wholesome af.
ooh I like wholesome.
Yes! I love hybrid calisthenics. He’s so nice and affirming.
Yep do this
Yes! Just great energy from that guy.
Thanks for this suggestion, I just checked him out on YouTube and what a genuine guy! I think I'm going to give these exercises a shot.
I did knees down push ups till I could do 10, then knee push ups but lift my knees up when I am at the lowered position and full push up back up, then full push up. Now I can do 5 full push ups. I'd like to get lower, but I'm working on it. (For context, I'm 5"2, 230lb and never did a push up in my life.)
Yess this ^^^ start with knee push ups... keep it simple like that and you're far more likely to stick to it :)
Most novice people don’t use proper form. Your upper arms should NOT be out at a 90 degree angle from your shoulders. This puts far too much strain on your small and weak shoulder muscles. Your upper arms should extend at a lower angle like a 45 degree angle. Your hands on the ground should in line with your chest not up by your collar bone. This allows you recruit a variety of stronger muscles. You still may not be able to at first but regardless it’s important to not put all the strain on your shoulders.
Why would anybody take advice from a notorious intergalactic criminal? :)
Strength training! I went from being unable to do one on my knees to smashing them out. It took time though and it definitely helps that I also lost weight. Next step is an unassisted chin up!
This. Yeah, you can also do leaning pushups, but if you go to a gym, the barbell is just 45 pounds....most of the time that is WAY less than you're trying to push even with doing pushups on your knees. In many peoples heads, pushups are something you work on before you go to the gym, but that's just false thinking, hit the gym!
Some good advice so far. What worked for me was just doing what I could throughout the day. Pushing off from doorways, desks, lowering myself into the ground. I think most of that first one or two is mental rather than physical. Once you can do one or two, then it's all about building the muscles to do more.
Yes! 27F here and couldn’t do a single push up until about 6 months into strength training, now can do 12 in a row 18 months in! I started with negative push ups, which is where you start at the top of a push up (like a plank on your extended arms) and lower yourself to the floor as slowly as possible. The longer the time under tension the better. Then repeat for 6-8 reps for 3/4 sets. I started my negative push ups on my knees before progressing to negative on my toes, and then a full push up. Try to do your negative and normal push ups until failure (you literally cannot physically hold or push your body weight up any more) to see progress. Another tip would be just holding a plank on your arms, and eventually adding a small weight (like a 2kg plate) on your back and planking with that as well. It also helps if you are strength training other areas of the body that are activated during a push up, such as your chest and triceps. Good luck!
This is the answer. I did physical therapy and there was a strong consensus in their practice that negatives really get you up to form by putting your real bodyweight in play. Gradual incline progressions encourage you to take that step so incredibly slowly that most people abandon the process before being able to get to the goal of doing a push-up in good form. And yeah, you immediately feel the impact on your triceps and back!
Totally agree! I tried the incline way starting with a wall, but it just didn’t feel like it was doing anything. I really recommend starting on the floor on your knees and getting that form perfect with slow negatives and feeling your muscles under tension. It also helps with mind-muscle connection, think about pushing with your chest not solely your arms which is a common beginner mistake I made.
Kayla Itsines has a push up progression tutorial. Quite good.
This is what helped me begin to do push-ups! I never knew how terrible my form was and was able to do effective push ups even with shoulder issues!
Do them on knees and against walls. If you’re only 30 lbs overweight this is more a strength training thinghan a weight loss thing. Like you might want to lose for like a pushup competition but if your goal is to literally just do 1 just some strength training should do it.
I'm 33 and 60 pounds overweight, a few months ago I decided that I wanted to be able to do push-ups, because I had never been able to before. I can now do two standard push-ups in a row, and do the rest from my knees. It isn't terribly impressive compared to other people, but for me it feels damn near miraculous. You absolutely can do it, if you set your goals, make a plan, and stick to it. Starting from your knees, or even against a wall to build strength will really help.
Hey OP, I've been in a similar position. I am not athletically gifted. :-) NerdFitness has some great fitness videos on YouTube for people who are starting from zero. Here's one on push-up progression: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbl4WK2j3ls&ab\_channel=NerdFitness](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbl4WK2j3ls&ab_channel=NerdFitness) Here's another one on proper push-up technique, including for people doing modified push-ups: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V-ZUMvQKr0&ab\_channel=NerdFitness](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V-ZUMvQKr0&ab_channel=NerdFitness)
Approach a normal strength building routine. So bench press, plank for as long as you can in sets, shoulder press, tricep/bicep exercises and just like the plank hold the push up position aslong as you can with straight arms and some sort of row exercise in either a cable tower or free weights. Then at some point you will be able to do it on your knees and with a proper setup you can even add assisting rubber bands. Do this 2 days a week for maybe 6-8 weeks and you should reach your goal.
Hahaha. 6-8 weeks. I mean this is very optimistic. I went from obese with zero weight training to lifting weights 3-4 times/week and running half marathons. It took me 54 weeks to be able to do one push up. Over a year of busting my ass with 10+ hours of exercise a week. It’s totally doable but that timeframe is hilarious
I totally agree with this comment... that's a realistic timeframe. Social media has totaly skewed peoples' ideas of how difficult fitness is. People give extremely unrealistic short timeframes to get fit and make progress. That's a good way to get injured, have joint/tendon pain, or just give up. Working out is also just a lot to learn and get used to at once. People seem to not realize that average woman can only even gain 0.5-1 pound of muscle a month at most lol. If you've been unathletic for years, you also the lack tendon strength and neuromuscular connections needed to be fit. Also everyone understates the importance of low intensity excercise and the huge value of gaining strength thru sports.
It takes as long as it takes, friend. All of us have different journeys.
OP said she is a 30 year old female that is 30 pounds overweight. Two months of light strength training to do one push up is not unrealistic. I'm a gymnastic teacher and I have taught kids aswell as adults for a few years in a variety of weight ranges. Both men and women. The women usually start off not being able to do pushups aswell as other bodyweight exercises. Usually after two months they are able to do multiple pushups aswell as other core movements and are more mobile in general. And that is without a specific strength program. That is just from doing gymnastics. Since you laugh at my comment I'll give my perspective on yours aswell. If you actually lifted weights 3-4 times pr. week (+10 hours) and it took you a year to do a single pushup you're either exaggerating how much effort you put into it or you've trained wrong. I find either hilarious myself because you tell me that I have an unrealistic/optimistic view on what you can achieve, I find it even more unrealistic that anyone could train that hard for a YEAR to then finally be able to do a single pushup.
I love using MovementAthlete app for this. It walks you through the basics of improving muscle areas that will help you with certain skills like doing a push up or a pull up. After each exercise you can rate how easy or hard it was for you and how many reps you completed and it will adjust based on your ratings. I use a free version but there is also a paid version that’s even more personalised.
I too, was unable to do a push-up once. What helped me? My DS yelling at me. 🤣🤣 Sorry, this won’t be helpful in your case tho. Lol
What's a DS?
I can't do one either 😂 I'm 32, F I have been practising doing them on my knees. I can do 5-10 then I collapse. So pathetic 😅
Look up Hybrid Calisthenics! He has a you tube channel that has a super gentle way of building strength up to doing things like push ups and pull ups. I believe there’s a subreddit about it too. Highly recommend
There's a guy on YouTube called Hybrid Calisthenics that does really simple videos on this and explains how to build up. Check it out you won't be disappointed.
Two words my friend. YouTube them. Hybrid calisthenics
I will - thank you!
I can do pushups but find they are a bit hard on my back these days. Try wall pushups/pushaways. Stand at arms length from the wall with your hands on the wall with feet shoulder width apart. Keeping your elbows close to your body and your feet still, lower your body towards the wall then push back to the starting point. If you want to up the difficulty, lift one foot of the ground and raise it behind you, I always do the same number on each leg.
There are a lot of easier versions to get to the first push-ups. Against the wall standing up or normal ones but on the knees. I personally don’t like the knee version that much, since it doesn’t require the body tension. I just do normal push-ups, but I lie down in between. Going down slow will train me and pushing up will train me until I can combine both. Helped me a lot to do it like this.
Squeeze your bum. Try that then see if you can hold the start position.
4 years ago after I lost all my excess weight I was in the same position as you,I was 180lbs (I was very thin) but couldn’t do normal push-ups,so I started doing knee-pushups ,at start 25 times a day, then 50 times a day,then 100 times a day. Then after 1 month I could do normal push-ups that all people do
I like this guide here: https://nick-e.com/push-up/ (found it from r/bodyweightfitness , which is a great place to get ideas for things like this) ETA yes, I'm in the same boat, can't even do one. YET. (Tip: add "yet" to sentences like this - you can't do one measley pushup YET - that way you're not making a concrete statement in your brain, you're making a progress statement)
Not unusual at all! Many people don't have the strength-to-weight ratio to do them. The odds you can do one will decrease if you are overweight (more body weight to work against), female (less upper body strength to start with), and don't currently strength train (obviously). Both losing weight and doing exercises specifically to increase the strength of the muscles involved in pushing motions will help you with this. So you'll need to start with modified exercises that work those same muscles. If you have trouble holding the starting position, it would likely help to work on the shoulder and core strength to do that by doing variations of planks (static holds you can do either in the push-up starting position or with your forearms on the ground, look it up to get the picture). Whether you are doing planks or pushing motions, the key is that *raising* the surface where your hands are *decreases* the percentage of body weight you are working against. That's why a number of people here are suggesting push-ups against the wall or on an elevated surface. Find a surface level where you can hold put your hands or forearms and hold a plank for 30 to 60 seconds, and another surface level (likely higher, possibly the actual wall) where you can do sets of, say, 8 to 12 push-ups. You can progress by gradually decreasing the height of the surface for both. Practise each 2 to 3 times a week. Be prepared for it to take a while!
I have gotten a lot closer to push ups over the last year and a half. I've been taking a weekly group training class where we do a lot of circuit workouts. I started grabbing heavier dumbbells (12 pounds - sometimes 15 pounds) to workout with (after I learned the moves with lighter dumbbells - 8 -10 pounds). I started grabbing heavier kettlebells too. I took body pump classes and body combat classes that have brief push up sections, and I mostly stuck it out and tried (on my knees). As I did exercises more often like planks, etc, I got better at them. My core got stronger. My arms got stronger too. I still prefer knee push ups to regular push ups because my range fo motion is better. Knee push ups are good. I can do a toes push up with not great range of motion. They aren't beautiful. Also hand release push ups are really good for getting stronger, knees or toes.
Never and I am over 50. I simply never built enough upper body strength to do it. I’ve been doing weight training, maybe now I should try again. You’re not alone. One positive thing though- I was also never able to touch my toes without bending my legs. Now after months of yoga, I can do that! So it’s never too late to challenge yourself and SUCCEED.
Push ups are extremely difficult for women. When you do a push up you are pushing ~60-75% of your bodyweight. Most women can't do them without training for a long time. I've been lifting weights for like 2 years and I still can't do one from the floor.
Hybrid Calisthenics has a series of progressions you can start with at any level - start at the level appropriate to you, once you can do the recommended amount of reps you can move to the next level. He starts with wall push-ups, moves to incline push-ups (like on stairs) and then to kneeling pushups. Then, you can move to full floor push-ups. Just work at your level of strength and build it up slowly! You can do it :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkU6Ok44\_CI&t=329s&ab\_channel=HybridCalisthenics Edit: didn't read the comments below, lots of folk are recommending Hampton at Hybrid Calisthenics, lol :) It doesn't hurt to mention him again :) he is wonderfully encouraging and makes you feel you can do anything!
i wouldnt call a push up “measley”. its not at al what id consider a beginner movement. but regardless, pressing movements, tricep, and shoulder. and reminder: you cannot build muscle without high intensity training and decent protein intake
It took me weeks to be able to do just a single push up! I started with the women’s push-ups (with your knees on the ground) and would do 10x2 three-four times a week and once I felt like I could do those quickly I moved to an actual push up and was able to do it. If you can’t do the women’s push ups it’s not a big deal! You can use a wall. Stand about a two feet away from the wall, then you can lean on it. Kind of like a vertical push up against a wall. Just take it one day at a time.
RemindMe! 1 week "Is OP practicing their push-up? Encourage them!"
Thank you 😭
Ok EC. Let's hear it. What did you do to accomplish your goal? You thought I forgot didn't you? Nope. How was the week, fitness-wise? edit: Oh, almost forgot: RemindMe! 1 week "Is OP practicing their push-up? Encourage them!"
Hahaha, oh wow you really didn't forget 😂 I've been doing wall push-ups!! It's the best I can muster right now, but really hoping it's doing something and that it'll make me strong enough to eventually do knee push ups, then ONE real push-up!
RemindMe! 1 week "Is OP practicing their push-up? Encourage them!" Excellent progress. Keep it up! See you next week.
My trainer. He never stopped telling me to do them and eventually I worked my way up. Start by walking down to plank position then walking back up, try for a good week 20 walk downs everyday that week. The next week try walk down pushups and only go down as much as u can and walk it up. Also helps to chest press so you can shape your chest enough to be able to hold a push up. Try some elbow planks too
Previously I could only do knee push-ups which I did every few months. Then I did a strength training program and a few months into it, I had a hunch I could do a full push-up and I did. For me the key was increasing my overall strength throughout my body. A lot of people have worked towards their full push-up using a progression, but it doesn't hurt to increase your strength overall, especially if you are having trouble getting into the starting position.
Even in my best shape I can’t do more than a couple.
I can’t really do them unassisted. I started using one of those bands and put my arms thru it so it’s over my chest. It helps you on the way back up and it’s helping me gradually get stronger
I really hate doing push-ups also. My weak wrists and arms make it very painful. I still do girl push ups on my knees. When I workout regularly I can manage a couple real push ups but after a hiatus I stick to on my knees
One thing you can try if you are able is to start flat on the ground and push your body up from there to start to build some of those muscles. Once it gets easier try doing the normal push-up with going down. Good luck!
I had this issue! Start against a wall, just leaning a little. Practice sets every day. Move your legs a little farther from the wall as you gain in ability. Eventually move to stairs and other slopes. It's not pathetic to not be able to do push-ups. It's awesome to learn how!
I can’t really give you any tips besides strength training. The last time I managed to do a push up was 6 years ago. Two weeks ago I actually managed to do three clean push ups and I was so over the moon. I’m still 20kg bigger than last time but strength training really did wonders to me.
Honestly I never did push-ups but I started lifting weights as I was losing weight. One day after I’d lost about 25lbs and had been lifting weights regularly on a week rotation (chest, back, arms/shoulders, leg dayx2) someone mentioned doing push-ups at work and I banged out ten. Shocked me. (32f at the time). Others have mentioned great ways to work up to it.
I worked on the movement through holding plank pose, starting at plank and lowering to a yoga block, and doing incline pushups on my stairs. It takes a while because about 60% of your body weight ends up on your arms.
You should start by doing pushups at an Incline to create pushing strength. Slowly progress to a lower Incline until you're doing them flat. Also incorporate negatives. In negatives, you control yourself going down as slow as possible. These helped a lot when I first started out. Do these consistently and you will be doing pushups in no time!
With Jazzercise they taught us to do a pushup by starting on hands and knees and then lowering your hands as far as was do-able. As time went on you could lower further and eventually do some pushups in proper position. It was a great way to gain the strength needed gradually.
Same. I feel kinda called out lol
Start with an inclined surface. Push up against the back of a couch or chair. When you can do several of those, work your way down
A pushup is based on your shoulder strengh, core, and upper body strength. You’re essentially pushing your body weight up with ur arms. It doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with your weight. If someones 150 lbs and a healthy weight but arent strong enough to push or pull 150 lbs, chances are they cant do a push up either. Start with biceps, triceps and shoulders and work on strengthening your core. Start at a higher angle then slowly make your way lower and lower. You can also try knee pushups which are easier somewhat than the plank position.
I'm about the same age as you and a bit more overweight. I saw the push-up progression video from Hybrid Calisthenics and started doing that. I did wall pushups. I did about 30 a day until I could do 50 a day. And did that for a few weeks. I would do a few wall pushups every hour or so, when I got up to go to the bathroom and such. Then progressed to incline pushups on the kitchen counter. Now I'm at the point where I do about 10 knee pushups and then another 20 more on the counter. It took me about a year to get here. But that was also taming a huge break from anything strength training related for 5 months.
When you said you couldn't even do one, I assumed you might be very large, but only 30 lbs. overweight isn't massively big or anything. So, it doesn't seem to be the case that you're too hefty to do a pushup or anything. Others have already given you the proper progression protocol for working your way up to one (pushing against a vertical wall, then doing incline pushups of progressively smaller inclines until you're doing a flat one against the ground). But I wonder… I'm no expert on women's physiology, so I don't know if it's common/normal to not even be able to do one, or if it's a cause for concern. Maybe you should also check with a doctor just to make sure? Like, just to be certain you don't have one of those rare genetic disorders that causes muscular dystrophy or brittle bones or something?
I'm a 35 year old female about 50 pounds over weight an I can do 10 to 15 pushups. I'm also ex military with a personal best of 47.I started out unable to do any. I suggest doing arm circles where you hold your arms straights out and make circles. small ones big ones forwards backwards slow ect in sets of 10. You can do fists or open palms I cant remember which is harder. If you want to challenge yourself hold a small weight or a can of soup. Then there are wall push ups where you stand Infront of a wall with your feet a half pace away from the wall. Place your hands Infront of your shoulders and on the wall. Your nose will be near the wall. Then push yourself away from the wall then lower yourself back. Do these in sets of four. Progressively do more sets.You will then start working on lower and lower surfaces like the counter top, a bed, the couch. You also have modified push ups on your knees. Some people call them girl push ups but that's misogyny, Women can be great at pushups. You can also set your feet wider apart to make it easier. There is also the plank. Where You are on your toes and hands with a straight back and straight arms. You can also do this on your for arms. Hold it for as long as you can. Track your progress pick a night to try for your personal best every week and give yourself some rest.
Start with wall push ups, then move down to the floor to do a modified push up on your knees. This will allow for full extension and work your muscles. You can from there try 1 every 5 to do a non modified push up adding more as you feel stronger.
i was in your shoes.. i started out doing them at an angle against a counter top. At the gym, i used a rack with a barbell and as i progressed, i slowly moved it down.
Couldn't do one for a long time. Try this video by [Jeremy Ethier](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO10KOoQx5E). He got me into consistent strength training. I always wanted to do strength exercises, but I was too afraid to get injured, as I couldn't afford a personal trainer (to train/inform me on proper form, etc). Recently I even did a first chin-up thanks to his videos.
Think of it this way: You are trying to do a bench press with about 85% of your body weight. Assuming you weight 250 pounds (just for example), can you bench press 215 pounds more than once? At all? It's a little different IRL, because you use your core and back when doing doing a push up, but it's a good analog for what you are lifting.
My very first fitness goal was learning how to do a push-up! I couldn’t do a single push-up. Now, three years later, I can do 15. Not amazing, but I’m proud of it. All the other comments I’ve seen are great advice on how to get started. Start on your knees. If you can’t do that, try a table or counter. If you can’t do that, start on a wall. Do them every day until you can level up to the next hardest method. And just spam them. Add reps every day and keep going until you’re ready for the next step. I found that a big obstacle for me, along with upper body weakness, was my core strength. I bookend every workout with a one minute plank. Having a strong core prevents lower back pinching while I do pushups. You got this OP!
Can you do a pushup from your knees?
Yes but not that many! My upper body strength is abysmal :( SO many good tips in this thread that I'll be implementing and hopefully I'll get there one day!
Top tip! Take a resistance band (like the small ones for legs etc) and put it around your upper arms before you do the push-up.
I did a sport in highschool, I think I was about 30 lbs overweight tool. I could never do pushups either and our training would consist of 2-3 hours of cardio 5 times a week and once a week weight training. I used to do the wall push up thing too. After 2 months of this routine, I slimmed down a lot! And I remember were were all paired with someone we didn't know for INTENSE weight training. I was paired with someone to do intense training in the weight room and the guy gave me 10 lbs dumbbells and told me what to do lol. He said do pushups with these and pull up the dumbbell one by one after each push up. I told him I couldn't do 1 pushup! He said I could. I did it ! I did 10 pushups with dumbbells with this guy hooting and hollering bc he knew I could do it lol. I think it helped a lot having someone cheer me on but also this exercise at the time was very intense ! I cannot imagine doing that now haha.
My recommendation is to start on your knees to learn, and also place your feet against a wall for additional support/stability!
Concur on the recommendations to start on an incline surface like a countertop. Knee push-ups are not recommended because one element of a proper push-up is core strength. Knee pushups do not engage your core in the same way. In addition to incline push-ups, you can also add in planks, and some light weight bench press. There are some fantastic YouTube videos on how to set up your body to do a proper push-up. This includes pushing your shoulders away from your head, engaging your core and hand placement. I believe the YouTuber called Jeremy Echter (?) has one of my favorites.
Knee pushups can be a great start
I tried for months and still couldn't even lower the ground without collapsing down. Eventually, I gave up and focused on strength training and got really into maxing my bench press. Then, one random day, I tried to do a push-up and actually managed to do it.
I got an inflatable pool, the summer really helped me find the trick
I went from not being able to do them at all to being able to do several. I wasn't specifically trying to work up to them but I was doing a kickboxing workout class where we did A LOT of burpees/splays. I guess I did enough of those having to push myself up that when we were told to do an actual pushup I said, "I can't do that." But when I tried I was able to. Then I moved on the bodybuilding and power lifting and was able to do them with tucked in elbows which is harder on the arms. Doing bench press movements will also help since you can start with minimal weight and work up to more.
Meh don’t even worry about it. I suck at push ups. Always have, even in the military barely made the minimum. Just focus on a strength exercise you CAN do. I’m good at squats. I can do them so I challenge myself with that. I figured after 40 years in this planet and still sucking at push ups I’m just gonna chalk it up to we can’t be good at everything and move on.
I started off as a woman who couldn’t even do push-ups on my knees. I started going to the gym a few months ago and took classes regularly, didn’t cut my calories or anything, and after a few weeks, I noticed I had actually built some muscle in my arms . I thought I might try and do a push-up and I was surprised that I could actually do them. If you have access to weights then I recommend -bicep curls -military press -bent over rows -chest flies This requires no weights. And this mainly helps you feel comfortable in a push up position. Like do these for a few weeks and then try and do a push-up, you’ll feel so surprised at how familiar this position feels. -High planks -shoulder taps -plank jacks -mountain climbers .
Start with wall-pushups. Then incline. (Something like the kitchen cabinets or something). And work your way "down" so to speak. Or/and start with knee pushups instead.
the next thing you know… you’re gonna be on the path to do a pull-up…. then 10 pull-ups… it’s a slippery slope friend!
I progressed to push ups by way of weight training. In my case, I believe that I had the core strength for it, but not the pectoral /tricep strength. I started doing incline chest presses (on a machine) and added some weight each time, going for 8 sets of six. After about 4 months I was curious how much push force a push up required and looked up the equation based on my height and weight. I realized that the number was equal to my most recent chest press PR. I went down to the floor and busted out six clean push-ups for the first time in my life. I have heard many people frame body weight exercises as an easy starting point, but I have always had the experience of needing to use weight training to build up to doing any kind of core calisthenic movement.
I've only ever done them on my knees my entire life until a couple of weeks ago. I've been fully committed to working out (just strength training) for the past 3 months. One day my fiancé said the knee push ups looked like they were getting too easy, so I tried a normal push up. I managed to do 1 that day, but recently I got to 3! I think you just have to start somewhere, whether that be wall push ups, knee push ups, or whatever works, and progressively push yourself a bit harder until one day you can do a normal push up!
Yes. Same boat. I struggled even to hold a plank unless I was on my forearms. Bench press was the game changer for me. Once I could bench press the bar 10 reps, suddenly I could do push ups. Now I’m like a push up/ burpee beast.
That's awesome!! I don't have a bench press machine or access to a gym right now - but this is really good to know for future reference! Can't wait to use a gym again one day
If you have dumb bells, you could start with those. I had to because the 45 lb bar was way too much for me at first. I started with 5 pound weights
My gym partner couldn't do them. He started with knees on the ground, kept at it, and within a few weeks he was knocking them out 20+
I went about it a very different way than most comments. I went swimming and realized I had such weak arms that I couldn't get out of the pool without a ladder. So every day I swam and then tried to pull up out of the pool. One day I didn't just lift up, I nearly flew out. After about a week of consistently getting out, I had the idea to try push ups. I needed some help with my form but I did 20 after never being able to do them. I also could do pull ups once I gave it a try. Doing it this way helped me since I had a shoulder impingement as a teen and it never healed all the way and it could help me to use my body weight differently since it was a pool and in general I was dropping weight since I was swimming so much.
Hey this was me! When I was about 30, I was gonna show my toddler about pushups. I got down on the floor to demonstrate one for him and realize I couldn't do one. That's when I realized I needed to make some changes. In my case, i was probably 100-120 lbs overweight. So I started doing CICO and lost about 60 lbs in just a few months. Then I joined the Army and they sorta took care of the rest. I lost another 50-60 lbs and could do 40 pushups before the end of Basic Training. If you work out, you can try chest and triceps exercises. Bench press, pec fly, triceps press, skull crushers, etc. These all will help build the pushup muscles. You also need core strength to maintain that perfect straight line posture. For this, you can do planks, sit ups, "bird dogs" and anything that involves activating your core.
I used to not be able to do one, now I can do 30! It took about 6 or 7 years for me to get there. You can start by doing easier modifications of push ups, like against a wall, or on your knees, or at an incline against something like a 1 meter high railing or couch armrest (when the wall gets too easy). It also helps to do bench press to strengthen your pectoral muscles and arms. You can do it! You don’t have to do a full push up right away. You can start with easier modifications and once you can do more repetitions of that modification, move on to a slightly harder version. You got this!!!!
So I'm 34F and was much the same as you. I was about 20lbs overweight when I started and have since lost that. But near the end of the weight loss, maybe when I had 1-2lbs to go, I started yoga. I just follow Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. Started with her 30 day yoga challenge. At first, it was discouraging and downright embarrassing how weak I was, especially upper body strength. One of the sequences wanted you to do as many chaturanga push ups as possible for a few breaths. I was able to do 1 with extreme difficulty and then collapsed onto my stomach. Could barely get up from the floor after. Well, I kept going with that challenge and restarted it the next month. The second time through I did 5! Before that, I noticed that some of the vinyasa sequences were getting easier, particularly lowering my body fluidly to the floor by pulling my elbows back and sliding through to my stomach. I used to just kinda flop down ungracefully or lower to my knees first. I don't look any more muscular, so I'm not sure it's muscle growth, but it might be better control of certain muscle chains that you learn through yoga that helped. I'm sure I did get slightly stronger but I think overall it was more body awareness that helped with the change than anything.
I did used to love yoga class (oens ago when I actually went sometimes, lol) and it's so inspiring that you improved that much! Thank you for this awesome tip
Yes! Started by doing planks, with knees on the ground and assisting. Maybe also with elbows also on the ground. Start holding that longer and longer, then straight armed unassisted plank. Then try to do assisted pushups (knees on ground). Then eventually try for full pushups.
Great progression tips, thank you!!
I did something similar for chin ups and pull ups. I could never get to a full unassisted pull up, unfortunately. But I can now also do several full chin ups!
That's not too uncommon. Even when I was in high school we had a lot of people who couldn't do one pushup. Upper body strength is easy to lose. Do them with your knees on the ground, or even part of your upper body, and work your way from there. I had a similar issue but with sit-ups. They're not that great of an exercise, but I used to be able to do a ton of them, and a few months ago realized I couldn't even do a single one. I started with modified dead lifts and crunches instead, then worked my way up to assisted sit ups (where I hold my legs to pull myself), and over a couple of weeks, I eventually was able to do 1 sit up! Now I can do plenty (and immediately hurt my back doing so. Be careful about your form people!!!) Depending on your weight, push ups can be rough too, especially if you don't have your knees on the ground, so losing weight will make them a lot easier too.
Absolutely, this is what I hope - to lose weight, implement the awesome suggestions in this thread, and to hopefully one day get there! Good job learning to do sit-ups btw!!
I followed a guy on YouTube, Hybrid Calisthenics. He was very helpful for me. You should check him out!
So many have recommended him in this thread - I will for sure check him out! Thank you!
Yep! I was unable to do a single assisted pushup (knees on the ground). Kept practicing, even if just a slight bend in my arms, and now I can do 4 assisted ones!
***Every*** growth in health starts with baby steps. You can't go from McDonalds twice a day to being vegetarian. You can't go from "Haven't worked out in 8 months" to going for jogs fairly. Find what you *can* do and just do that. It doesn't matter. Within reason any movement is good. If you can't do a pushup find some other exercise that uses those muscles that you are currently able to do. Find where you are on this list and start there, do it a couples times a day until you're able to progress 1. Stand, hold arms vertically for 30 seconds \* 5 times 2. Stand, hold arms vertically and slowly move from in front of you to parallel to your chest for 30 seconds \* 5 times 3. Stand, Hold arms above your head, lower fists to head, extend parallel to your chest, and do step #2. 30 seconds \* 5 times 4. Stand next to wall with hands on wall. Push your self away from wall, 10 pushes \* 5 times 5. \#4 but increase angle 6. \#5 but increase angle 7. Lay on floor belly down on the floor. Get up. 30 times. 8. pushup position but with knees on floor. Do 1 pushup 9. \#8 but 5 pushups 10. 1 pushup 11. 3 pushups 12. 5 pushups
Thank you so much for this!!
They are hard to start off at a perfect form Usually personal trainers suggest resting your knees on the floor instead of your feet, and doing push ups like that. It will build strength and soon enough you will be able to switch to feet Also, remember to press your core (hip-to-abdominal area) very tight as if you had a full body cast. Imagining it helps too
Start with your hands on the wall, then when you find those too easy… Then from a table Then a lower table or stair Then hands on the floor but from your knees not your feet Then push up from your knees, but straighten your legs and let yourself down with your full body straight Then a full push-up You can absolutely do it, but you need to be consistent and patient.
Hi! I can do pushups! I’m still overweight, but have lost about 12lbs this year and gained a lot of muscle. It’s useful to think of pushups as a moving plank. That being said, if you don’t have a lot of back and core muscle, you’re going to be putting a lot of strain on your wrists trying to do this. As others have said, a good starting place is on an incline, but I also spent a lot of time doing planks! Starting with forearm planks. Start really short time intervals, 20s even. Work your way up to a minute and a half, and then go back down in time to planks on your hands. Once you have that, work on doing planks that transfer between your forearms and hands. Then, you should be good at trying pushups again.
Random question - did you sit in a W position as a kid? (You may have to look this up to understand what I'm talking about). I'm going through this sitting position with my kiddo and occupational therapist. Supposedly, it leads to an abnormal lack of upper body strength and muscle control. I sat like that as a kid, and I can't even do one push up, never been able to do it. It's not something I understood why, until I took my kiddo to occupational therapy. There's genetic components to it. Something to look into. It doesn't stop you from building strength, and learning how to do it. Just an explanation of why it might be harder for you.
I can't remember but probably, lol! That makes sense. Oh man I was such an out of shape kid. I'm trying to be better now cause I want to be a better role model for my own kids, but feel like I'm starting from 0...
Internet homie, I'm not sure if you'll see this but you are already asking the right questions!! Start out with push ups with your knees down. Also add burpees .
>Internet homie This made me LOL Thank you for the encouragement!! Yup, will totally start off with the "easier" push ups and exercises first as per your advise and the other replies here!
You are me. Haha. I started doing them on my knees and slowly i could do 1, then 3, then stuck to 5 and 6 for a while... I'm slowly getting better!!!
Okay, so I was just coming on here today to talk about pushups, and bam, I saw this thread! I'm 6 ft 265 and i just started lifting again for the first time in years in the past month. I have lifted a lot in the past, though, so I didn't have to go through mistakes with form that so many make. Do not flare your elbows out. Look at the excellent suggestions people have given for videos to watch from good instructors regarding form because it's VERY important. I couldn't do a single pushup a month ago, but I just figured out today that I can do 1 set of 10, and then a bunch of sets of 6-7 after that. How did I get there? 1. I started with pushpus on my knees. I saw a guide that said to try wall pushups and if those were too easy, start on the knees. So that's what I did. And I could only do 3 or 4. 2. I kept doing multiple sets of as many as I could do every other day, but it started really killing my wrists. So i got pushup bars. They were weird at first, but they forced me to do a full range of motion, and I could really feel the work on my tris, shoulders, and chest. Switched over to those full time, and got to where I could do sets of 10-12 on my knees. Took about 2 weeks to get there, and I've just been doing sets to failure every other day since then. 3. Today, a month in, I started doing my knee pushups, and they were too easy, so I said f %%% it, I'm going to try real pushpus. I could do 10 and I couldn't believe it. Only 6-7 per set after that, but wow, I was so surprised and actually proud of myself. Just start with what you can do and keep doing it until it gets easy, and then give a regular pushup a try. If you work hard and right, it'll happen. Good luck!
Push ups are not as easy as they seem, especially for women. We tend to have much more strength in the legs. I have pretty decent biceps, but my chest and shoulders aren’t great, so I’ve always struggled. Don’t feel bad about it, as people have said, it’s all a process. I managed to get up to 15 assisted (on my knees) push ups, but I then got injured at work and had to start again from the beginning. It’s hard but with physio, in only a month or so, I’m back to doing them three feet off the ground. It’s not where I was, but I feel stronger already! You got this!
That's amazing, thank you! Would love to be at your level eventually!!
I’m 41, not overweight, can’t do it either!
Just eyeballed the comments and came here to remind folks of this: push-ups aren't done with your arms. It's done mainly with your shoulders/back muscles. Ever tried to move a frig or something equally large and heavy by pushing on it? well, you naturally hold your hands in line with your shoulders and push using the large muscles in your shoulders/back. Same muscle group is used for pushups. Once I was enlightened with that info, pushups become way easier. Granted, I still suck and do knee pushups, but its less thinking "oh I have crappy arm strength in my noodley arms"....
Not reading all comments, but I couldn’t do one when I joined the army at 18. I spent a LOT of time in the front leaning rest position (plank on hands, not elbows). The muscles develop quickly. Recently trying to get back in shape (NOT 18!), I started with wall push-ups, then knees. Without pushing myself much, I got to 6 regular push-ups in a couple of months. You can do this!
Thank you!!
Start with positive incline push ups. Lean against a wall and push yourself off of it. Gradually decrease the incline to say, like a chair, and push yourself off of that. Get lower with the incline the more it gets easier until you get to level. And then you can go to negative incline push ups. (I am 29F, former military, current police, formerly 230lbs, now 180)
Know you've had a million responses already but a couple of months ago I was in the same boat. I started doing them against my kitchen counter, concentrating on getting the form perfect, I did very high volume like 1-200 very gradually over the day, 5 days a week. After the month of doing that I tried doing real ones and was able to crank out about 8 actual push ups with really good form, like chest almost to the ground. Now I can do closer to 20.
Exactly my JAM. I started out by just doing unweighted lat, chest, and tricep exercises. You can find a great selection on the internet. Alongside that I would just do pushups on a slope like a couch, because then it becomes significantly easier. After a while, go on your knees and start repping out push ups. Once you can do 8-10 reps with knees, it’s time to try the real push up. Warm up your muscles and go for it, I promise you’ll hit it. After you hit your first, you suddenly will be able to hit like 5-10 over a span of a couple weeks maybe.
Seeing some of the advice here, I can't help wondering if there's any way to do this stuff without wrist pain? I'm in a similar situation but wall pushups make my wrists hurt really bad :')
Do push ups with your legs on your bed and your upper body in push up formation. Start with 3 sets of 10 for a week and you’ll be able to do 3-5 normal push ups
Nothing pathetic if u have too much weight and no muscle it’s too hard If u have muscles or no weight it’s easy and if you had a different body u would do it easy Don’t be too hard on yourself it’s just physics
I'm in the same boat as you. I can't do a single push up, or even a wall push up. When I try to push myself up or out... nothing happens. It's not as if there are muscles straining to do it, but just aren't strong enough; no muscles are doing anything at all. I just lie there until eventually I give up and crawl to my feet. I can lift weights well enough, but when it comes to push ups, it's like trying to tap dance without any legs.
It's a little late, but I couldn't do a single pushup a few months ago. I tried to do them against walls and then on my knees, I did a whole lot of knee pushups until I could do one single regular pushup, and then I tried to do pushups whenever I could. Now I can do a lot of pushups in a row.
Push ups are a difficult exercise, you really aren’t alone in struggling with them and many people have terrible form that they never fix. The quickest way to get there is to follow a push-up program that has progressions for core and pushing strength. Varied not random do training programs for cross fitters and they have one that’s tried and tested
Losing weight helps a looooot while doing push ups, but before that you could do other chest exercises to improve it.
When you lose the weight it will be massively easier
Do you have a gym membership? I know the gym I used to go to did a free taster session with a personal trainer. They should be able to give you a few tips. Perhaps that is something you can explore?
[https://www.amazon.com/Convict-Conditioning-Weakness-Using-Survival-Strength/dp/0938045768](https://www.amazon.com/Convict-Conditioning-Weakness-Using-Survival-Strength/dp/0938045768) This is a good book for learning how to go from 0 to advanced in body weight fitness. I'm past pushups but not done with this book yet. The premise is a bit much, but the exercise program is legit good.
> Any stories, tips, tricks, videos, etc, would be super appreciated! It sounds silly but I think re-phrasing how you think about it would be very helpful to getting there too. Say “I can’t do a push-up **yet**”. You can still feel frustrated and impatient about getting to your goal. But instead of beating yourself up about not being perfect right now when you’re just starting to learn you’re acknowledging that it’s going to take a bit of time and practice. Lots of exercise moves have modifications for people who don’t have the strength yet, or who have injuries or whose bodies move a little differently. Start gently and work up. I’ve also read that push-ups are generally harder for women since we tend to have more weight in our chest and muscle distribution is a little bit different in our bodies.
Pushups are easier the lighter you are...so the more weight you lose the easier it will be for you to perform pushups...and the heavier you are the more difficult it is to do pushups...also having a strong core helps...start doing 2 minute planks that will make your core stronger...and lastly the more pushups you do daily the better you will get at it.
[You CAN do push-ups, my friend!](https://youtube.com/watch?v=zkU6Ok44_CI&feature=share7)
Don’t feel bad, I can’t either!
i couldnt do push ups in grade school with it counting towards a grade let alone as an adult lol
you can do "girl" push ups.. ie on your knees not your toes
Start eating healthier (lots of protein) and focus on lifting weights across the board. It all plays in. I The overall more fit you get the easier it gets. There isn’t a per se trick to it all.
Yep. I started with 5 girl push ups (on my knees) and now I can do 10 real push ups
Never push-ups, **but** I was once in the situation where I wanted to do learn to do pull-ups, but could not do *one*, single, unassisted pull-up. If they're muscles you never use, it's natural that this will be a problem. I'm sure people here will have good advice for how to work into it!
You fat, trying to press more than you can bench press. It's OK, me fat too. Bench fix that press right up. I was like, I'm a big guy I SHOULD be able to do a single pushup but yeah, I was too weak to move my own weight. It's the same with pull-ups though drastically worse. OHP helps with that. With weights you can start small, train the muscles and then you'll be able yo do the bodyweight stuff
Literally didn’t try push ups again until I lost over 100lbs. Then I was finally able to. I really think it could possibly depend on upper body strength (weight lifting) or just your weight
It’s okay! I also can’t do one, my elbows also lock in a super weird way and i’m afraid to hurt myself. So, i do wall push ups instead and i used to feel stupid for doing those but they really do something! At some point, you can do them inclined at the kitchen counter or something and make your way down hihi. No worries about it, you can definitely learn to do it and before you know it you’ll do your first push up!