Close Grip Push Up (on Knees)

1. Start on your knees with your hands placed close together, narrower than shoulder-width.
2. Keep your back straight and core braced, forming a straight line from your head to your knees.
3. Position your elbows close to your torso rather than flared out.
4. Slowly bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the floor.
5. Lower until your chest is close to your hands, keeping your elbows tracking backward.
6. Press through your palms to extend your elbows and push back up to the start.
7. Keep your hips from sagging or piking throughout the set.

Common Mistakes

• Letting the hips sag: Allowing your lower back to dip removes core tension and strains the spine. Keep a straight line from your head to your knees throughout the movement.
• Flaring the elbows outward: Letting your elbows point away from your body shifts the emphasis off the triceps and onto the shoulders. Keep your elbows close to your torso as you lower.
• Placing the hands too wide: A grip wider than shoulder-width turns this into a standard push up and reduces triceps focus. Keep your hands close together, directly under your chest.
• Only lowering partway: Stopping the descent early shortens the range of motion and limits muscle engagement. Lower until your chest nearly touches your hands before pressing back up.

Programming Tips

Use the close grip push up on knees after your pressing work, in a home circuit, or as the main triceps exercise when you train without equipment, doing 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps with 60 seconds rest. It builds triceps and chest strength with about half of your bodyweight through the arms, the right starting point before a full close grip push up.

Place your hands directly under the chest with the fingers pointing forward, squeeze the glutes and lock the hips in line with the knees before the first rep. You are lifting roughly 40 to 50 percent of your bodyweight; once 15 reps feel easy on all sets, progress by slowing the descent to 3 seconds or moving to the full close grip push up for sets of 5 to 8. The most common fault is piking at the hips to shorten the lever, which hides weak triceps, so keep a straight line from head to knees and film a set from the side to check.

Common Questions

Are knee push ups effective?

Yes, they train the same muscles as full push ups with less load and build the strength to progress. Research shows muscle activation patterns are similar, so treat them as a legitimate regression rather than a lesser exercise.

What is the difference between close grip push ups and diamond push ups?

Close grip push ups place the hands narrower than the shoulders but not touching, while diamond push ups bring the index fingers and thumbs together. The diamond version loads the wrists and elbows more, so the close grip is the friendlier starting point.

How many knee push ups should I be able to do?

A reasonable first goal is 10 clean reps, then 3 sets of 15. Once you can do 15 close grip reps on your knees, you are ready to work on the full version.