Push-ups are a staple in many strength-training workouts, but not everybody is willing or able to perform them. Thankfully, there are many other upper-body and core exercises that train your muscles in similar ways.

Below, we share some of our favorite push-up alternatives you can substitute into your workouts.

Many people don't like to do push-ups because they aren't good at them yet. And that's totally fair — push-ups can be really hard. But before you give up on them entirely, consider modifications to make them more accessible. Using one of the following push-up variations will help you become stronger and more confident with push-ups over time.

Elevating your hands is the best way to get better at push-ups. You practice moving your body as one unit, which helps build the core strength necessary to eventually rock push-ups from the floor.

However, because you are pushing less of your body weight against gravity, elevated push-ups feel significantly easier than floor push-ups. This is great for building confidence.

You can use any stable surface for elevated push-ups. If you're at the gym, you can use a Smith machine, a barbell in a power rack or place your hands on a box or bench. If you're at home, try using a sturdy couch, table, chair or windowsill. If you're outside, look for a park bench or something similar.

Pick a height that allows you to use a full range of motion, meaning you can touch your sternum to the bar, bench, couch or box on every rep. As you build strength, you can gradually use lower and lower surfaces. In time, many people will be able to work their way down to the floor using this method.

To maintain proper form throughout your elevated push-up reps, make sure to stay on your toes and squeeze your glutes. Don't allow your hips to drop or your butt to stick up in the air.

If you don't have access to a stable surface needed for elevated push-ups, you can also practice with knee push-ups. Some coaches don't encourage these because you use your core less and don't practice moving your entire body. However, these can work as a push-up substitute as long as you use a full range of motion (touching your chest to the ground.)

To maintain proper form throughout your knee push-up reps, make sure to squeeze your glutes and don't allow your hips to drop or your butt to stick up in the air.

A push-up is a horizontal pressing movement. Any movement where you are pressing weights out in front of your chest (as opposed to overhead) counts as a horizontal pressing movement.

If you aren't a fan of push-ups or can't perform them, substitute other horizontal pressing movements to get a similar training effect.

If you can comfortably lie on your back and get up from the floor or a bench, dumbbell chest press exercises are a great push-up alternative. Use different body positions and bench angles to mix things up or accommodate the equipment you have available.

If you are not able to easily get up and down from the floor or a bench, you can replace push-ups with seated or standing horizontal pressing movements, such as banded or machine chest presses.

If you don't have a doorway anchor or anywhere to secure your band, you can also perform banded chest presses with the band looped around your back. You might need to adjust your hand position to find the appropriate amount of resistance. It can also help to twist the band once behind your back to prevent it from slipping.

The machine chest press is a great option for people who have difficulty getting up off the floor or bench or balancing. Because the machine provides all the stability for you, you can focus exclusively on building your horizontal pressing strength.

Most people can easily replace push-ups with horizontal pressing movements. But if you can't perform horizontal pressing movements — people who have had mastectomies are sometimes instructed to avoid heavy horizontal pressing, for instance — you can swap out push-ups with vertical pressing movements.

Proceed with caution with vertical pressing if you have a history of shoulder pain or injuries. If you're not sure whether or not you should be pressing overhead, consult your doctor or physical therapist.

A landmine is a barbell secured at one end. Many gyms have landmine attachments at the bottom of power racks where you can slide one end of the bar into a rotating metal sleeve. If you don't have one of these, you can create a makeshift landmine by placing one end of a barbell in the crease where the wall meets the floor.

Landmine pressing is a great middle ground between horizontal and vertical pressing. You get many of the benefits of vertical pressing without having to get into a true overhead position. This means you can probably safely perform landmine presses even if you have prior shoulder injuries or limited overhead mobility.

A single-arm overhead press is a true vertical press, which means you'll be using a lot more shoulders and less chest than you would for push-ups or other horizontal pressing movements. For these reasons, avoid using this as a push-up substitute unless you are unable to perform any of the options above.

If you struggle to press overhead without arching your back, or you want to increase the core and hip demands of the movement, try pressing from a half-kneeling position. This position works well for landmine, dumbbell and kettlebell overhead pressing.

The half-kneeling position resembles the bottom of a lunge: One knee is down on the floor directly beneath your hip, and the other foot is out in front of you so your knee forms a 90-degree angle. Press with the arm that's opposite your front leg.

Push-ups are not just an upper-body exercise. Your entire body — especially your core — is involved with each push-up. So, core exercises can be great substitutes for push-ups if you choose anti-extension core exercises, which are movements where you resist extending (arching) your lower back.

A strong core resists unwanted extension while performing movements in the gym and daily life. If your core strength isn't up to par, you might notice your hips sagging and lower back arching as you perform push-ups. You can address this by performing core exercises that force you to resist arching and focus on keeping your torso still.

Dead bugs are the best exercise to start with if you want to build anti-extension core strength. They are easier to perform than planks because you get external feedback from lying on the ground. As a result, you'll have more direct clues about whether you're performing the exercise correctly or not.

Plank variations of all kinds are also great substitutes for push-ups. Begin with forearm and high planks held for time. Once you can hold a solid plank for 6o seconds, increase the difficulty with moving variations, such as pledge planks and mountain climbers (more on those below).

During a forearm plank, try to breathe normally and don't hold your breath. Focus on maintaining as much full- body tension as possible. Don't allow your hips to drop, but also don't stick your butt up in the air. Imagine a straight line running from your head through your hips to your heels.

During a high plank, try to breathe normally and don't hold your breath. Focus on maintaining as much full-body tension as possible. Don't allow your hips to drop, and also don't stick your butt up in the air. Imagine a straight line running from your head through your hips to your heels.

Bear crawls are a great push-up substitute because they're essentially a moving plank. Crawling builds upper-body, core and lower-body strength and is a great way to practice coordinating your entire body.

The front rack carry is a fantastic push-up substitution because it helps build impressive levels of strength in the front of your core. It can also improve shoulder health and stability. Because you need basic kettlebell skills to safely clean the weights into position, this option may not be ideal for beginners.