What Are the Benefits of Pushups for Women?

Push-ups can be a good exercise for anybody.

Push-ups are a good exercise for both men and women. Although push-ups are usually considered to be a chest exercise, they strengthen the entire upper body, including the core.

Strength

Push-ups strengthen the entire upper body. Many women do not have sufficient upper body strength, so increasing strength is helpful in everyday activities and for many occupational duties. Upper body strength and endurance will also help you in sports such as tennis, swimming and hiking.

Posture

Push-ups improve posture because they involve so many muscles. The muscles have to work together during a push-up, which can improve coordination.

Appearance

Push-ups firm your upper arms. Although breast tissue is mostly fat, the underlying muscles can be strengthened and toned, leading to enhanced appearance. Push-ups will not give you big muscles but rather make your muscles more shapely.

Safety

Increasing the strength of your arms can help you recover or catch yourself if you stumble or fall.

Other Exercises

Bench presses build more absolute strength than push-ups, but push-ups require more coordination and use of other muscles. Women often have trouble doing traditional push-ups from the toes, but you can start by doing push-ups from your knees. If this is too hard, stand back from a wall and push yourself away, keeping your body straight. Progress to the more advanced push-ups when you are ready.

References

• New York Times
• Shapefit