The push-up is a classic exercise most of us learned way back in gym class, and it’s stood the test of time as a symbol of strength and physical fitness.
Lately, push-ups have received even more attention than usual, thanks to viral TikTok challenges and one launched in August by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., which involves doing 100 push-ups (and 50 pull-ups) in under 10 minutes.
Experts largely don’t recommend that level of intensity for the average person, but they widely agree on the benefits of push-ups in general. “They’re the perfect exercise,” said Liz Hilliard, a certified Pilates teacher and owner of Hilliard Studio Method in Charlotte, North Carolina.
John Hinson, MD, a Florida-based board-certified orthopedic surgeon, agreed. “It’s difficult to identify a single exercise that engages as many body areas as a push-up,” he said.
But here’s the thing: Push-ups aren’t for everyone. Some people can’t do them due to physical limitations—and others simply find them unpleasant.
The good news is you can modify a push-up to reap the same rewards and build your way up to doing more. Here’s what Hilliard, Hinson, and three other experts told Health is the best way to tweak a push-up.
Before we get into how to modify a push-up to gain the same perks, it’s important to understand how a push-up changes your body for the better.
You might think of push-ups as arm exercises, but they do a lot more than just buff up your biceps. “Push-ups are a bodyweight exercise that builds strength in several areas at once,” said Denise Chakoian, a master trainer and the founder and owner of CORE in Providence, Rhode Island.
According to Chakoian, the movement works like this: When you lower your body during a push-up, the chest and shoulders control the descent while the elbows bend. As you press back up, the chest and triceps do most of the work. Your core and legs stay tight so your hips don’t drop or rise.
That’s how you get an exercise that works your core, legs, chest, shoulders, and back of the arms—all at once.
But the particular focus on the upper body is precisely what makes push-ups so difficult, explained Milica McDowell, PT, DPT, C-EP, a Montana-based physical therapist and exercise physiologist. “Many individuals struggle with adequate chest and shoulder strength or lack adequate wrist mobility to do them with proper form,” she said.
If you have a physical limitation that makes push-ups especially challenging, such as an injury affecting your back or elbow, it’s best to talk to a doctor about the right modification for you.
But if you simply find push-ups uncomfortable or awkward, you can still get the bodyweight-strengthening benefits of the exercise by doing a modified version.
For true beginners, experts agreed the ideal starting point is a wall push-up.
The reason is simple: It still works the same muscles—but it’s the easiest variation to do, said Matthew Cifelli, DPT, PT, a physical therapist based in New Jersey. Out of all the potential modifications, you’re closest to a vertical standing position and farthest from horizontal.
In other words, this version puts the least amount of pressure on the body, and therefore requires the least amount of strength.
To do a correct wall push-up, follow these steps:
- Stand facing a wall with your palms flat against it, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep your feet slightly apart and your body in a straight line.
- Bend your elbows to slowly lower your chest toward the wall.
- Push back to your starting position, keeping your core engaged and avoiding any sagging in the hips.
One area to pay particular attention to is the placement of your feet, Cifelli noted. “If your feet are closer to the wall, the less intense it is,” he explained. “If your feet are farther away from the wall, the more intense it is. The goal would be as you gain strength, control, and confidence, you’d walk your feet away from the wall.”
When you’ve mastered the wall push-up, you might be ready to level up. Experts agree that the next step is the incline push-up, a slightly more challenging modification. To do it, place your palms against a sturdy, stationary surface, such as a kitchen counter, the back of a couch, a heavy chair, or a weight bench. Follow the same instructions as the wall push-up. A rule of thumb to remember: the closer the surface is to the floor, the harder the exercise becomes.
For an even tougher option, try the knees-down push-up next. Start in a plank position, then lower your knees to the ground. Engage your core, bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the floor, and then push back up.
With these modifications, Hilliard said, just about anyone can find push-up success. “I don’t care if you’re 20 or 92, you can do a push-up and there’s one for you,” she said. “If it’s the wall, against a chair or table, on the ground, on your knees, or with straight legs, everybody can do one.”
