A push-up is not one fixed exercise. By raising your hands, dropping to your knees or putting your feet on a box, you change how much of your body weight your arms actually push. That makes the push-up a scalable strength exercise, as long as you know roughly how hard each version is and pick the one that fits your current level.
Where the numbers come from
The load figures on this site are based on a force-plate study by Ebben et al. (2011), published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. With participants' hands on force plates, the researchers measured the share of body weight the hands supported in each position. The values shown here are rounded from that data, so treat them as good estimates rather than exact figures for your body. Arm length, torso proportions and where you place your hands all shift the numbers a little.
The six variations, from easiest to hardest
Hands on a 60 cm box
With your hands on a high box, bench or sturdy table, your body is steeply angled and your feet take most of the weight. Your hands support about 40% of your body weight. This is the gentlest option: good for beginners, for returning after a long break, and for practicing a straight body line before adding load.
Knees on the floor
Kneeling shortens the lever, which cuts the load to about 50% of your body weight. It is the traditional easier option and the one used for women in the ACSM testing protocol. Keep a straight line from knees to head; the most common error is folding at the hips, which turns it into a much easier movement.
Hands on a 30 cm box
A low incline such as a step or a low bench puts about 55% of your body weight on your hands. Many people find it a better bridge to the standard push-up than kneeling, because you practice the full plank position from head to heels, exactly as in the floor version.
Standard push-up
Hands and feet on the floor, body straight. Your hands support about 65% of your body weight. This is the reference movement for most fitness tests, including the ACSM protocol used for men, and it is the baseline the other variations are compared against.
Feet on a 30 cm box
Raising your feet shifts more weight forward onto your hands, to about 70% of your body weight. The angle also puts a bit more emphasis on the upper chest and front of the shoulders. It is a sensible next step once standard push-ups feel easy for sets of 15 to 20.
Feet on a 60 cm box
The steepest decline in the study puts about 75% of your body weight on your hands. It is demanding on the shoulders and core, so build up to it gradually. Keep your hips from sagging and your neck neutral, since the steep angle tends to pull the head toward the floor.
What the load difference means in practice
The spread between the easiest and hardest variation is large. Feet on a high box puts about 75% of your body weight on your hands, against about 40% with your hands on a high box: nearly twice the load for the same movement. That is why "I can do 10 push-ups" means very little unless you know which version. If you want to see the exact load for your weight, the load calculator does the math for every variation.
How to pick the right variation for you
A simple rule: choose the hardest variation you can do for at least 5 to 8 clean reps with full range of motion and a straight body. If you can only manage 1 or 2, it is too hard to train with productively. If you can do more than 20 without much effort, it is probably too easy to build strength and mostly trains endurance.
- Can't do a single floor push-up yet: start with hands on a 60 cm box, then lower the box over time.
- Can do a few floor push-ups: mix hands on a 30 cm box for volume with a few standard reps.
- Can do 10 to 20 standard reps: keep standard as your main variation and add a set of feet on a 30 cm box.
- Can do 20+ standard reps: use feet-elevated variations to keep the load high.
If you are not sure where you stand, take the push-up strength test. It estimates the load you push per rep and gives you a level based on your age and sex. To move from one variation to the next over a few weeks, follow the plan in the push-up progression guide.
A note on safety
Harder variations put more stress on the shoulders and wrists. Progress one step at a time, stop if you feel sharp or joint pain, and if you have a shoulder, elbow or wrist injury, check with a health professional before adding load.