National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Group Fitness Instructor Practice Exam

What is a basic regression option for a kneeling push-up?

1. Place the hands on an elevated, stable surface while keeping the hips straight.

2. Perform the push-up while standing.

3. Drop to the floor and do a regular push-up.

4. Extend the legs fully during the push-up.

The correct answer is: Place the hands on an elevated, stable surface while keeping the hips straight.

Placing the hands on an elevated, stable surface while keeping the hips straight is indeed a basic regression option for a kneeling push-up. This modification helps to reduce the overall load on the upper body and allows individuals who may struggle with the standard kneeling push-up to build strength in a more accessible position. By utilizing an elevated surface, the individual's body angle is altered, making the exercise easier while still engaging the core and upper body muscles. This option effectively maintains the integrity of the push-up movement pattern, allowing for proper form and engagement. It is a suitable choice for beginners or individuals who may have physical limitations that prevent them from performing a full kneeling push-up effectively. This regression serves to maintain alignment and stability while simplifying the movement. The other options do not provide an appropriate regression for the kneeling push-up. For example, performing the push-up while standing is a distinctly different exercise and does not resemble the mechanics of a push-up; it's more like a standing chest press. Dropping to the floor for a regular push-up increases the difficulty rather than providing regression, and extending the legs fully during the push-up shifts the exercise intensity and alters the core engagement, thus making it less suitable as a regression.