Pushups (Modified)
The modified push-up keeps everything about the floor push-up except the pivot point — knees down instead of toes — which reduces the load your arms must press while preserving the full chest range of motion. It is the standard bridge for beginners building toward their first full push-up. Coached by Maddy (NASM-CPT) — these are the exact form cues he gives on every client's first week.
Muscles worked
Sets & reps by goal
| Goal | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | 4 sets x 3-6 slow reps with a 2-sec pause at the bottom | 2 min |
| Muscle | 3-4 sets x 9-12 reps | 60-90 sec |
| Endurance | 2-3 sets x 18-27 reps | 30-45 sec |
Level — Beginner
Beginner — the classic stepping stone; keep the full range of motion and it builds directly into the toe version.
Proper form — 5 cues
- From hands and knees, walk the hands forward until your body leans into a ramp from head to knees.
- Set hands slightly wider than shoulders and screw them into the floor for tension.
- Brace the trunk so the ramp line stays unbroken — no folding at the hips.
- Lower the chest between the hands until it nearly touches, elbows sweeping back at 45 degrees.
- Press away to full arm extension, pushing the floor down and slightly forward.
Breathing: Inhale as the chest lowers, exhale as you press back to the start.
The 3 mistakes Maddy corrects most
How to program pushups (modified)
| Goal | Sets | Reps | Tempo | Rest | RPE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength — beginner | 3 | 5-6 slow, 2 s bottom pause | 2-2-1-0 | 2 min | 7 |
| Strength — standard | 4 | 3-6 with 2 s bottom pause | 2-2-X-0 | 2 min | 7-8 |
| Strength — advanced | 4 | 4-6 with 3 s lowering, knees far back | 3-2-1-0 | 2 min | 8 |
| Hypertrophy — beginner | 3 | 8-10 | 2-0-1-0 | 90 s | 7 |
| Hypertrophy — standard | 3-4 | 9-12 | 2-0-1-0 | 60-90 s | 8 |
| Hypertrophy — advanced | 4 | 10-12 with 3 s lowering | 3-0-1-0 | 60-90 s | 8 |
| Endurance — beginner | 2 | 14-18 | steady rhythm | 45 s | 6 |
| Endurance — standard | 2-3 | 18-27 | steady rhythm | 30-45 s | 7 |
| Endurance — advanced | 3 | 22-27 or 45-60 s continuous | brisk, hips locked in line | 30-45 s | 7-8 |
| Beginner on-ramp — week 1-2 | 2 | 5-6 wall or high-incline push-ups | slow and controlled | 90 s | 4-5 |
| Beginner on-ramp — week 3-4 | 3 | 6-8 knee push-ups, partial to full depth | 2-1-1-0 | 60-90 s | 5-6 |
| Deload / technique | 2 | 6-8 easy reps, focus on trunk line | 3-1-1-0 | 90 s | 4-5 |
Common questions
Are knee push-ups just an easier push-up or a different exercise?
Same exercise, lighter load. Force-platform research puts the knee version at roughly 49 percent of bodyweight through the hands versus about 64 percent for the full push-up, with the same muscles pressing through the same range. That makes it a legitimate loading step — like a lighter barbell — rather than a lesser movement.
Knee push-ups or incline push-ups — which progression is better?
Both work; they scale differently. Incline push-ups keep the full-body plank line intact and let you progress in small steps by lowering the surface, which is why many coaches prefer them. Knee push-ups need no equipment and are easy to drop into mid-set when full reps run out. A practical approach uses inclines as the main progression and knees as the in-set fallback.
How do I go from knee push-ups to full push-ups?
Grease the transition from both ends. Keep building knee push-up volume to sets of 12 to 15 deep reps, and separately practise lowering from a full push-up position as slowly as you can — five seconds down — then resetting. When you can control three slow negatives, start attempting single full reps while fresh, adding one rep at a time across weeks.
Related exercises
Harder: Incline Pushups
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