How to : How to Do Push Ups If You Can’t Now

Attempt a knee push up. Place a mat on the floor. Get on your hands and knees. Move your hands forward until your body is positioned diagonally relative to the floor. Crisscross your calves and raise your feet up until they are suspended in the air. With your back straight, slowly lower your upper body to the ground until your elbows are bent at a 90-degree angle. Then slowly push back up to the starting position. Your arms should be straight with a slight bend at the elbow. This is one knee push up.^[5]

Try a negative push up. Place a mat on the floor. Start in a high plank position as if you are about to do a real push up. Do not lock your elbows; they should be slightly bent. Then slowly lower your body all the way to the ground until it is resting on the mat. This is one negative push up.^[6]

Do a positive push up. Place a mat on the floor. Lie stomach-down on the mat. Place your hands flat on the floor slightly under your chest. Slowly push up to the high plank position. Hold this position for five seconds and then lower yourself back to the ground. This is one positive push up.^[7]

Try a one-arm tricep extension. Stand straight with your feet slightly apart. Grab a dumbbell with one hand and raise it above your head. Your arm should be straight with your elbow slightly bent. Slowly lower the dumbbell behind your head until your elbow is bent at a 90-degree angle. Then slowly raise the dumbbell above your head back to the starting position. This is one extension.^[8]

Do a palms-in shoulder press. Grab two dumbbells and stand with your feet slightly apart. Raise the dumbbells to shoulder level and hold them there. Your palms should be facing each other at this point. Slowly raise the dumbbells above your head until your arms are straight with your elbows slightly bent. Then slowly lower them back down to shoulder level. This is one shoulder press.^[9]

Give a forearm plank a try. Place a mat on the floor and lie stomach-down on it. Place your forearms on the floor and raise yourself up on your toes. In this position, your elbows should be under and aligned with your shoulders. You can either place your palms flat on the floor, or clench them into fists. This is the plank position. Hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds.^[10]

Begin in a high plank position. Place a mat on the floor and get on your hands and knees. Your arms should be straight and your hands should be positioned underneath your shoulders. Then straighten out your legs and ground your toes into the floor. Now you are in a high plank position.^[12]

Tighten your abdomen and buttocks. Doing this will ensure that your back remains straight as you do your push ups. If not, then make sure your back is straight. You do not want your bottom to be sagging or sticking up in the air.

Lower yourself to the ground. Slowly lower yourself to the ground until your elbows are bent at a 90-degree angle. As you lower yourself, do not look straight down. Instead, focus your eyes on a point about two to three feet ahead of you. This will help keep your neck in a neutral position. ^[13]

Push back up. Do this once your elbows hit the 90-degree angle. Slowly push back up to the starting position. Congratulations, you just completed one push up! Start with three sets of five to eight push ups. Practice this three times a week.^[15]