Knee push-ups for women are well suited for those who are just starting to train, as well as those who are not adapted to high loads, but want to get effective results over time. This type of load is basic for the pectoral muscles and is used in women's exercise sets. This movement can be performed wherever it is convenient for you - the main thing is to be able to interest yourself.
The first results obtained are a strong motivator, forcing you to continue training and achieve your goals.
Using the right approach, you can work all muscle groups with push-ups. In particular, include different ways of performing this exercise, distributing the load on different muscle groups. Push-ups are a multifunctional exercise ideal for improving physical fitness. Knee push-ups for girls can be an independent workout, or can be used as an addition to a set of exercises.
In addition to this type, there are 3 more lightweight variations of push-ups for beginners, for those who are too early to perform classic ones.
Benefits and harms
- Knee push-ups for girls allow them to practice this useful exercise even in the absence of good physical fitness;
- They perfectly load the muscles of the arms, making their outlines more prominent and beautiful;
- Exercise helps strengthen the pectoral muscles, which is especially important for women after 30 years of age or after breastfeeding, when the natural shape of the breast loses its seductive outline.
There is no harm in this exercise, unless you practice it if there are contraindications, or in a condition with which sports training cannot be compared (poor health, exacerbation of chronic diseases, after operations, with fever, etc.). Athletes with injuries to the joints and ligaments of the arms or shoulder, those who are overweight, or those with high blood pressure should do push-ups with particular caution.
Desired result
When the number of push-ups from the knees reaches 8-10, you can move on to the next stage: work with straight legs, trying to hold for a couple of seconds with bent arms, controlling the position of the lower back and head - a clear straight line. Over time, increase the “hanging” time, breathing evenly at this moment.
Knowing that success is directly proportional to the effort put in, those who want to get a strong and resilient body will control the integrity of the process. As a result, the coveted Chaturanga Dandasana will no longer seem like something transcendental and painfully unattainable. And an obedient and beautiful body will confirm the correctness of the path.
What muscles work?
Before we tell girls how to do push-ups on their knees correctly, let’s find out which muscles are involved:
- Triceps;
- Anterior and middle delta bundles;
- Large pectorals;
- Press;
- Back.
As you can see, the main muscles of the arms are working, which means this exercise is very effective for pumping them up. And in order to pump up your butt muscles, try doing wall squats.
Why should I do push-ups from my toes?
First of all, 1 minute of full push-ups allows you to get rid of 9 kcal of often unnecessary energy. So, if you do push-ups, you can forget about the concept of a “very strict, almost food-free diet.” Most of my clients perform 40-60 push-ups per training cycle and consume 1600-1800 kcal. At the same time, yes, they are losing weight. You can also say goodbye to those wonderful group workouts that I know you only attend to burn off excess energy. And, yes, in your life there will be much less “wasting calories” and more of life itself.
Secondly, push-ups build the entire body. When you take the plank position for push-ups, the core muscles, abs, front and back surfaces of the thighs, back, and buttocks are included in the work. And as soon as you start moving, the work goes to the pectoralis major muscles, biceps, triceps and, sometimes, even deltoids. In short, you can forget about the dull swings of light dumbbells. By the way, they were also not invented for the strongest and most beautiful part of humanity.
Third, push-ups change your metabolism. They allow the body to spend energy a little differently, and at rest you begin to expend much more than, for example, your friend who does not exercise her muscles and still suffers from knee push-ups.
Fourth, this exercise really lifts your chest. Well, you won’t be able to pump up Lola Ferrari’s bust, but you can quite easily put in order what your mother gave you. And don’t listen to horror stories about “downloaded” mammary glands - they are invented by plastic surgeons to support business.
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Execution technique
The knee push-up technique for women is not very different from the algorithm for the traditional form of exercise. The only exception is focusing on your knees rather than your toes.
- Do a warm-up - warm up the target muscles;
- Take the starting position: lying on your outstretched arms and knees, cross your legs and lift them up;
- As you inhale, lower yourself smoothly, try to touch your chest to the floor;
- If you want to pump up your pectoral muscles, spread your elbows; if the main focus needs to be on the triceps, place them along the body;
- As you exhale, slowly rise up, returning to the starting position.
- Perform 3 sets of 20 reps.
Knee push-up technique for girls
You need to take a lying position, then raise your body with support on your knees and hands. To perform push-ups, your hands should be spread slightly wider than your shoulders and at the same time “look” with your palms forward. They should be placed under the upper chest. Keep things straight from your knees to your head.
Now we begin to rise and fall on our hands, trying to keep our spine straight. Even if you don’t manage to do it the first time, it is better to devote time to controlling the spine, but do fewer repetitions than to achieve a large number of them, not paying attention to the posture.
You need to start doing this exercise slowly, exercising control over the whole body. Movements must be performed without jerking, without using the force of inertia. There is no need to retract your shoulder blades. It's better to lower them.
Variations
The technique for performing knee push-ups may vary slightly, depending on the way the athlete’s hands are positioned and the speed:
- Wide stance of the arms (palms placed on the floor wider than shoulder width) helps to load the pectoral muscles;
- Narrow stance (including diamond position, when the thumbs and index fingers touch on the floor to form a diamond) puts the main emphasis on the triceps;
- Push-ups from the knees for girls with a delay at the bottom help increase the load - as soon as you feel that you can easily do push-ups, fix your position at the lowest point for a couple of seconds. This will put more stress on the target muscles;
- The farther you place your knees, the more difficult it will be to do push-ups. Therefore, if you decide to switch to the traditional form of exercise, start moving your knees away. Gradually you will reach the emphasis on your toes and you will no longer need lightweight push-ups.
What does the width of the hand position affect?
By changing the grip width, you can emphasize the load on different muscle groups. Let's look at the two most common options.
With a narrow hand position
By using different types of hand positions, you can increase the effectiveness of your workout. An exercise with a narrow grip of hands no wider than the shoulders, or so-called diamond push-ups from the knees, makes it possible to work the triceps. Further, the load will be distributed to the chest and shoulder girdle.
- We place our hands shoulder-width apart and rest them on the floor;
- We stand with our knees on the floor;
- We bend our legs;
- We straighten our arms completely and perform the movement, leaning on our hands and knees;
- We lower ourselves smoothly, bending our elbows;
- We perform the required number of repetitions.
See also: Top 5 exercises with dumbbells for arms How to reduce arm size with 3 simple movements?
With arms wide
When placing your arms wider than your shoulders, the chest muscles are worked. Women love to do this option - it is useful for the muscles that support the breasts.
If you do it regularly, it will help keep your breasts in good shape and prevent them from sagging .
The arms and shoulder girdle are less loaded when performing push-ups from the knees with a wide grip. Make sure your lower back doesn't sag. In all other respects, the exercise is performed in the same way as the previous one.
Who is the exercise suitable for?
Undoubtedly, this technique is suitable for women, as well as beginner athletes with weak muscles. But this does not mean that push-ups on the knees are not suitable for men - they can also practice them. After all, men also have poor physical fitness, conditions in which heavy loads are contraindicated, periods when there is no need to focus on the arms, but one cannot completely leave them alone.
Women value the exercise for its invaluable help in pumping up the pectoral muscles, because beauty is a terrible force.
Load distribution across muscles
Wide-grip push-ups are often called chest push-ups. At least this makes it clear which muscles receive the load in this exercise.
Technique for performing the exercise. Works the middle part of the chest and a little lower.
Muscle work looks like this:
- The pectoralis major muscles (especially their outer part) do the main work.
- The triceps work in synergy with the pecs, but with a wide stance they play a secondary role.
- The deltoid muscles (anterior bundles) are additionally involved.
- The core stabilizer muscles (abs, back, legs) help maintain the torso in a straight position and work statically.
In general, with push-ups you can work on various muscles of the body, but if your goal is to pump up your chest, then you should choose push-ups with wide arms. If we place our palms narrowly and press our elbows to the body, the triceps take on the main work, while the pecs play a secondary role.
As for women, it should be said that the development of the pectoral (pectoral) muscles makes the chest visually more voluminous, but does not affect the size of the bust. Training these muscles is necessary for the harmonious development of the body, the development of strength and endurance.
Exercise is useful not only for men, but also for women.
Since the back of the arms is traditionally a problem area for women, it is recommended to combine push-ups with a wide palm position (for the chest) and a narrow palm position (for the triceps).
Regular push-up training allows you to achieve the following results:
- Developing the strength of the chest muscles, increasing their volume (some effect when training without weights and pronounced growth when training with weights), drawing the relief of the upper body.
- Additional strengthening of shoulders and triceps, static core training.
- Increases endurance and overall fitness level.
- Increased blood circulation, which is especially important during sedentary work.
- Like any other physical activity, push-ups help improve your mood and combat stress.
As for contraindications to performing the exercise, they include injuries to the shoulder joints or wrists. Otherwise, push-ups are quite safe if you follow the correct technique. We will talk further about what points should be taken into account.
What to replace it with?
So, we found out how to properly do push-ups on the knees for girls, but do you want to know what other lightweight variations of push-ups exist that this type can be replaced with?
- You can do wall push-ups;
- Or practice push-ups from a bench.
Try it - these methods are also not complicated, but very effective. They will help you diversify your workout and prevent your muscles from slacking off from work.
Well, now you know how to do push-ups on your knees for girls and guys, we hope this exercise will become your favorite. In conclusion, we advise you not to get stuck on the same workouts and regularly increase the load. This is the only way you will build a great figure and be able to maintain excellent health.
How should I do push-ups
It all depends on the training goal. Let's say you've already lost weight and are now working on split programs. Then it makes sense to dedicate a separate training day to push-ups. Supplement them with, for example, plyometrics or cardio and get a full-fledged workout. On the remaining training days, work other muscles in isolation or train other basic exercises - squats, deadlifts, presses and pull-ups.
If you are in the midst of losing weight and/or getting in shape after a long break from training, you will not have to work so much on technique and endurance, but simply study according to the “all in one” system. The last option will not give you a wild increase in endurance, but it will help you lose weight and tighten your figure. In a weight loss situation, it makes sense to build a set of push-ups into your regular strength program, which you perform three times a week.
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