Knuckle push ups

It seems to be common knowledge nowadays that knuckle push ups are bad and have been dropped into the exercise bin along with straight leg sit ups etc. However, I have been doing some searching on this after being asked why they are bad and I am struggling to come up with a definitive answer. Thoughts anyone?

we still do a knuckle press up when we do a man maker on a power bad as the handles of the bag lend themselves to it rather than change hand position

on the sand bag i dont think theres any problems as it actually puts the hand in the most comfortable position, similar to a pushup handle , even the very popular "perfect pushup" contraption puts the wrist directly above the knuckles and elbow above wrist

the only thing i can see wrong is the pressure on the hand when done on a hard floor, but on a matted floor or our sandbag i think its a great positon


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I hurt myself doing knuckle pushups when I was a beginner in an odd style of kung fu. The problem was we had to do a certain number in the warmup. It wasn't very progressive. I gutted it out and got the reps three times a week without really having the strength. I realized later I was putting my wrist in a funny position, which ended up causing me lots of grief.

My feeling is that knuckle pushups are like any exercise. Do them progressively and pay attention to form and they should be fine. And as Samurai says, doing them on a carpet is not the same as doing them on concrete!

well for me I dont like the move
you are NOT pushing an opponent you are hitting him, so heavy bag work is for me

if the knuckles 'give way' before the pecs, delts and triceps, then what muscular benefit are you getting from that exercise? answer NONE

My encounters with knuckle pushups have been of the 'look how badass we are, we do our pushups LIKE THIS!!!!' sort. I've not met anyone who can give me a sensible answer about why it's better to do them that way on a hard floor.

I swear by them. IMHO they work on building the ligaments and tendons in the wrists so that the wrist doesn't collapse when hitting something.

Years ago I sprained one of my ankles on a parachute jump in the REP...part of the rehab was to have me stand on that one ankle trying to balance. The exercise is designed to force the muscles, ligaments etc to work by stabilizing the joint as it attempts to go off balance.

I notice if I go up into a pushup position on my two large knuckles the wrist does the same thing my ankle did while healing i.e. it flexes a tiny bit in a myriad of directions and thus gets stronger.

The following is from Lance Armstrong's web site...

It may sound simple, but balancing on one foot is a great way to work the ankles. Stand on one foot for as long as you can, with your other leg bent behind you, and feel how often your ankle has to shift in order to maintain balance. The supporting muscles of the ankle, not to mention the tiny muscles in the foot, must work together to compensate for subtle shifts in body weight. For greater difficulty, close your eyes. Removing visual cues makes it harder to maintain balance, requiring more work for the ankle.

Nick

Why are they deemed to be bad!

They place the hand and wrist in a straight line, rather than at a harsh bend. They're harder to do (at least I find them harder) which has to be a good thing because it means more effort is involved. More balance is required, another good thing.

Yes, they cause a few calluses, but unless you make your living as a hand model that's probably no big deal.

It's not like striking rocks and all those other silly things that were done in the name of knuckle conditioning.

Cheers

JKA

I swear to God everything that is difficult is deemed bad for your health these bloody days I used to do knuckle push ups all the time back in the day and can touch type and play finger-style on the guitar.... what does that tell you

It tells me you're very talented.

Peter wrote:It seems to be common knowledge nowadays that knuckle push ups are bad and have been dropped into the exercise bin along with straight leg sit ups etc. However, I have been doing some searching on this after being asked why they are bad and I am struggling to come up with a definitive answer. Thoughts anyone?

There are plenty of exercises I've been doing for over 30 years that are supposedly bad for us. And I've never had an injury.

All these stupid theories come about from muppets (scientists?) who sit behind desk and probably have never tried anything practical in their lives.

Ask them to prove any of their theories with examples. How many of them could?