Push-ups aren't just safe for women and girls, they're highly beneficial. Women might be intimidated by the popular misconception that they lack upper-body strength. But even if you're a woman with weak upper-body muscles, you can still develop muscular strength the same way a man would: by doing upper-body strength-training exercises like push-ups. You'll develop lean, toned muscles that will be bigger than what you used to have--but you won't put on the same type of bulk a man would.
Why Bother
Push-ups work not just your chest, triceps and shoulders but your entire core as well, because you have to focus on keeping your body flat like a board throughout the motion. The kind of muscular strength and endurance you build by doing push-ups comes in handy during sport-specific movements like throwing a boxing punch or pushing a kayaking paddle forward. Push-ups also help build the sort of strength and endurance you need for everyday activities, including pushing groceries across the counter or playing with your kids.
Modifications
To do a regular push-up you balance your weight, face-down, on the palms of your hands and the balls of your feet. Your body should be straight from head to heels as you lower your chest toward the floor, then push back up to the starting position. But if you're not strong enough to do full push-ups just yet, you can work up to them by doing modified push-ups. Your options include bending your knees and pushing up from that position instead of on your toes. You can also do wall push-ups, balancing on the balls of your feet with both hands on the wall at chest level.
Stumbling Blocks
Although women can develop their chests, shoulders and arm muscles by doing push-ups, they face some of the same stumbling blocks men face with this exercise. You might feel your chest, shoulder and arm muscles burning, but you shouldn't feel any sharp pains, particularly in your shoulders, during push-ups. Don't worry about touching your chest to the floor--this places your shoulders in a very weak position--but instead stop when your shoulders are level with your elbows, and stay within a pain-free range of motion every time you do this exercise. Also, if you develop your chest muscles you should also work your back muscles to maintain proper muscular balance. Lat pulldowns or assisted pull-ups are good general back training exercises.
Building Strength
Your muscles get stronger in the rest time between workouts, not during the workouts themselves. So letting your chest, triceps and shoulders rest at least one full day between push-up sessions is critical for developing greater strength and endurance. Instead of doing push-ups every day, do them every other day or three times a week. Work up to doing a single set of 12 push-ups in every session, and if you can do more with good form consider upgrading to a more difficult variation.
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