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I have a disability affecting my legs. For many years I excercised with a bench and weights to get at least some workout. At the moment I can't. So I figured I could at least do some simple things such as push ups, planks and the like. I have little control over my legs and feet, much less toes, so I need a wall to press my feet against.

I am able to do push ups and planks in this manner, but my toes always hurt quite a bit, so I have to stop much earlier than I probably could. I have tried soft shoes that protect my feet and softer surfaces underneath me, but they don't help much. Is this something everyone experiences and overcomes with time, as the toes harden, or does it only happen to me, because my toes are not flexible enough? Do you have any tips?

Update 2020: I now do them wearing very thick, closed slippers, pressed against doors or walls and it works reasonably well, but it costs me about one pair of slippers per month...

Ludi
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  • That does sound like a flexibility issue. Does it hurt when you bend your toes backwards? – Alec Sep 11 '17 at 13:19
  • @Alec No matter wich way I bend my toes using my hand they don't hurt. What hurts is the tip of the toe, which receives most of my weight during the push up/ planks etc. If I don't use my hand, I can only move my toes randomly due to my disability, which impairs the motorische in my legs. – Ludi Sep 11 '17 at 13:25
  • @Alec does this mean healthy people bend their toes during push ups, so that the weight rests on a bigger area? – Ludi Sep 11 '17 at 13:28
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    I can't speak to others, but I do my pushups on the tips of my big toes. I've never had a problem, but if you don't have have fine muscular control, I can see where that might cause you pain. – Sean Duggan Sep 11 '17 at 13:42
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    I do pushups and planks on bent toes yeah, so that the weight is distributed onto the underside of the toe, down to the sesamoid. – Alec Sep 11 '17 at 14:26
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    Use either a bench or one of the incline situp boards set low enough to support your shins and keep your toes off the floor. Put your foot as close to the bench as you can with your shins supporting your weight. Do your pushups and planks. You can do the same over the arm of a couch, etc although you may need more padding. Also, while not ideal, many walking boot models project out further than the toes, you could use a pair of those. A bit $$$ though. – JohnP Sep 11 '17 at 18:15
  • @JohnP this is already the answer, no comment – Gimli Mar 04 '18 at 11:21

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If you can't use two chairs as stable dipping stations the knee push ups are a safe alternative. To get the most out of them, try high repetitions with low rest intervals between each set.

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Update 2020: I now do them wearing very thick, closed slippers, pressed against doors or walls and it works reasonably well, but it costs me about one pair of slippers per month...

Perfect, If you keep up the good work you will eventually learn to do handstand push ups and planche push ups (easier than full planche) and the problem of legs will be entirely removed. It usually takes a few weeks to learn free handstand push ups and around one year and a half to be able to do planche push ups.