Kneeling Push Up: how to do it perfectly and the three most common mistakes.

Summary

This instructional video introduces viewers to the proper technique for performing knee press-ups, guided by Liv. The video covers how to position hands, maintain a straight body line from knees to head, and properly engage the core and glutes. The instructor emphasizes avoiding common mistakes such as losing the body’s straight alignment or dropping the head and back. The video concludes with a review of the correct form and highlights the importance of proper body posture throughout the exercise.

Takeaways

• 🧍‍♀️ Start in a flat position with hands placed wider than shoulder-width and just below the shoulders.
• 🧎‍♀️ Transition to the starting position by pushing up onto the knees while maintaining a straight body line from knees to head.
• 🏋️‍♀️ Engage the core by tucking the stomach in, tensing the glutes, and keeping the body tall with the chest out.
• 📏 Ensure the body remains straight and in line from the knees to the head throughout the exercise.
• 🤸‍♀️ Bend the elbows to lower the body, keeping a few inches off the ground to avoid collapsing.
• 👀 Keep the head aligned and looking down to maintain a straight body line.
• 🙅‍♀️ Avoid common mistakes such as losing the straight body line by allowing the hips to sag or thrust forward.
• 🚫 Prevent dropping the head and rounding the back while going down; maintain a tall chest posture.
• 🔁 Practice the correct form by repeating the movement and focusing on the technique.
• 👋 Thank the viewer for watching and express hope that the information provided is useful.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?

The main focus of the video is to demonstrate how to perform a knee press-up exercise correctly.

What is the initial position for starting the knee press-up?

The initial position involves laying flat and then pushing up onto the knees to get into the starting position.

How should the hands be positioned for the knee press-up?

The hands should be placed just wider than shoulder width apart and just below the shoulders.

What is the importance of maintaining a straight body line from the knees to the head during the knee press-up?

Maintaining a straight body line ensures proper form and alignment, which helps in effectively targeting the right muscles and preventing injuries.

What are the specific body parts that should be engaged during the knee press-up setup?

During the setup, one should tuck their stomach in, tense their glutes, and keep their chest out while staying tall.

What is the correct movement when going down during the knee press-up?

When going down, the elbows should be bent to lower the body, ensuring not to collapse and maintaining a few inches off the ground before pushing back up.

Why is it important to keep the head tall and looking down during the knee press-up?

Keeping the head tall and looking down helps maintain a neutral spine and proper form, which is crucial for preventing neck strain and ensuring the exercise is effective.

What are some common mistakes made during the knee press-up?

Common mistakes include losing the straight line with the hips moving back or too far forward, and dropping the head and scrunching the back while going down.

How can one correct the mistake of losing the straight line during the knee press-up?

To correct this, one should ensure their hips are aligned with their shoulders and knees, maintaining a straight line throughout the exercise.

What should one do to avoid dropping the head and scrunching the back during the knee press-up?

To avoid this, one should focus on keeping the head in a neutral position, looking down, and maintaining a tall chest and back as they lower themselves.

What is the purpose of demonstrating common mistakes in the video?

Demonstrating common mistakes helps viewers to identify and correct them in their own form, leading to a safer and more effective exercise performance.

Outlines

00:00

🏋️‍♀️ Knee Press Up Demonstration

The video begins with an introduction to a Get Exercise Confident video featuring Liv, who demonstrates the knee press up exercise. Liv starts by laying flat and placing her hands wider than shoulder-width apart, just below her shoulders. She then moves onto her knees to establish the starting position. The focus is on maintaining a straight body line from the knees to the head, with an emphasis on tucking the stomach, tensing the glutes, and keeping the chest out. The exercise involves bending the elbows to lower the body and then pushing back up while maintaining this straight line. Attention is given to keeping the head tall and looking down during the movement. Common mistakes, such as losing the straight body line and dropping the head, are discussed, with a demonstration of both incorrect and correct form.

Keywords

💡Knee Press Up

A 'Knee Press Up' is a modified version of the traditional push-up exercise that is often recommended for beginners or those with limited upper body strength. It involves performing push-ups from the knees rather than from a plank position, which reduces the amount of body weight being supported, making the exercise more accessible. In the script, Liv demonstrates the correct form for a knee press up, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a straight body line from the knees to the head and engaging the core muscles.

💡Starting Position

The 'starting position' refers to the initial setup before commencing an exercise. For the knee press up, it involves getting into a kneeling position with hands placed wider than shoulder-width apart and just below the shoulders. This position sets the foundation for proper form and execution of the exercise. The script highlights the need for a straight body alignment and engagement of the core muscles as part of the starting position.

💡Straight Body Line

A 'straight body line' is a fundamental principle in many bodyweight exercises, including the knee press up. It refers to maintaining a straight alignment from the head down to the knees or feet, which helps to ensure that the exercise is performed with proper form and that the body's weight is evenly distributed. In the script, the importance of a straight body line is emphasized to prevent injury and to effectively target the intended muscle groups.

💡Engage Core

To 'engage the core' means to consciously activate the abdominal and lower back muscles to provide stability and support to the spine during an exercise. In the context of the knee press up, engaging the core helps to maintain the straight body line and protect the back from injury. The script instructs Liv to 'tuck her stomach in' and 'tense her glutes' as part of engaging her core.

💡Bend Elbows

In the script, 'bend elbows' refers to the action of lowering the body towards the ground by bending the elbows during the knee press up. This is a crucial part of the exercise movement and is where the primary work on the arms, chest, and shoulders is done. The script advises to avoid 'collapsing' or dropping the body too low, which could lead to poor form and potential injury.

💡Common Mistakes

'Common mistakes' in the context of the video refers to the typical errors that people make while performing the knee press up, which can lead to ineffective exercise or increased risk of injury. The script identifies two primary mistakes: losing the straight body line and dropping the head, which can cause the back to scrunch up. By identifying and correcting these mistakes, the video aims to help viewers perform the exercise with better form.

💡Hip Alignment

Proper 'hip alignment' is critical in maintaining the straight body line during the knee press up. The script points out that a common mistake is allowing the hips to sag backward or tilt too far forward, which disrupts the straight line and can lead to imbalances and strain. Correct hip alignment ensures that the exercise is performed with optimal form and effectiveness.

💡Tuck Stomach

To 'tuck the stomach' is an instruction given to engage the abdominal muscles and draw the navel towards the spine. This action helps in stabilizing the core and maintaining the straight body line during the knee press up. The script uses this term to describe part of the setup for the exercise, emphasizing the importance of a strong core for proper execution.

💡Glutes

The 'glutes' refer to the gluteal muscles, which are the muscles responsible for hip extension and play a key role in many lower body and core exercises. In the script, 'tense her glutes' is an instruction to activate these muscles to support the lower back and maintain a straight line from the knees to the head during the knee press up.

💡Nice and Tall

The phrase 'nice and tall' is used in the script to describe the desired posture during the knee press up, particularly when referring to the head and chest. It means to maintain a lifted and elongated position, which helps to keep the spine in a neutral position and prevent rounding of the back. This posture is crucial for preventing injury and ensuring that the exercise is performed with proper form.

💡Looking Down

In the context of the knee press up, 'looking down' refers to the direction in which one should be gazing during the exercise. The script mentions that Liv should look down as she performs the movement, which helps to maintain a neutral neck position and avoid strain. This detail is important for overall body alignment and comfort during the exercise.

Highlights

Introduction to the video and the exercise focus: knee press-up technique.

Liv lays flat, positioning her hands just wider than shoulder-width apart and below her shoulders for proper form.

Liv pushes up onto her knees to get into the starting position, keeping her body straight from knees to head.

Key focus: Stomach tucked in, glutes tight, chest out for proper posture during the knee press-up.

Liv demonstrates the proper technique of bending elbows to go down while maintaining a straight body line.

Emphasis on avoiding collapse at the bottom of the movement by staying a few inches above the ground before pushing back up.

Maintaining a straight body position is critical, with a reminder to keep the head looking down while performing the movement.

Discussion of common mistakes: hips coming too far back or forward, disrupting the straight line from knees to shoulders.

Another common mistake: Dropping the head and scrunching up the back, which compromises posture.

Reminder to keep the chest out and the body tall throughout the movement to maintain proper form.

Liv corrects her posture by ensuring the body stays straight and aligned during the press-up.

The video emphasizes the importance of proper alignment and avoiding mistakes for effective knee press-ups.

Demonstration of incorrect form and how it affects the exercise, compared to the correct technique.

Key takeaway: Focus on maintaining body alignment to prevent injuries and optimize the workout.

Conclusion: Encouragement to practice the correct knee press-up technique and avoid common mistakes.

Transcripts

Hi there and welcome to this Get Exercise Confident video.

Today I'm with Liv and we're going to show you how to do the knee press up.

So to begin with Liv's going to lay flat.

She's going to put her hands just wider than shoulder width apart and just below her shoulders

like this.

So it's just wider and just below her shoulders.

She's then going to push up onto her knees to get the starting position.

Now from here, what we want to make sure is that her body is in a straight position from

her knees to her head.

So that's really good.

So she's going to tuck her stomach in, tense her glutes and stay nice and tall and keep

her chest out.

Great, so nice and straight, stomach in, glutes tight and nice and tall.

So that's the set up position.

So now she's going to go down.

To do this she's going to bend her elbows, to get to the bottom and then come up.

Just relax there for a second.

So as she goes down she's going to make sure she doesn't collapse.

So if you go down, she's going to stay a few inches off and then come up, really good.

And she's keeping this nice straight body.

She's also making sure her head is nice and tall.

So one more time, brill.

And she's looking down as she does it.

Now we've gone through the technique we're going to go through a few of the common mistakes

we often see with the press up.

So Liv if you get into position.

So the first common mistake we see is that people lose this straight line, so their hips

might come back, and then go down.

So this is incorrect as she is not in a line, or her hips might come to far forwards and

drop, and then go down.

As you can see this isn't a straight line in between her knees and her shoulders.

So now do a correct one.

Excellent.

So that's one mistake we often see.

Another one, is where, as you go down, the head drops and you scrunch up your back, like

this.

Where as what we want to see is nice and tall, your chest out, nice tall chest as you go

down - really good.

So those are the most common mistakes you see.

Thanks very much for watching this video, and hope you found it useful.