Obesity is an unfortunate fact of life in the United States. According to the Weight-Control Information Network, approximately 33.8 percent of adults are classified as obese. Out of women over age 20, 35.5 percent are obese. Physical activity can help you lower your body weight. Adding resistance exercises such as pushups do have benefits for obese women.
Pushups
In a traditional pushup, you lower and raise your body using your arms. Your body is a straight line from the top of your head all the way to your toes. It is classified as an intermediate exercise by the American Council on Exercise. An obese woman may need to modify the exercise due to limits in range of motion and/or decreased upper body strength. Try to perform the exercise from your knees instead of your toes, or perform the exercise standing and push against a wall.
Increased Calorie Burning
Adding pushups into your lifestyle will increase the amount of calories that you burn, which in turn will help you lower your body weight. All physical activity creates calorie burning, and even moderate amounts can lead to significant changes in body weight, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. There is no exact amount of calories burned during pushups as that is a result of your body weight and the intensity of exercise, but it is still beneficial.
Increased Muscle Tissue
Doing pushups stresses the muscles in your chest, shoulders and arms. This will lead to an increase in muscle tissue. The more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you burn, even if you are sitting on the couch. Also, obesity is challenging and makes everything more difficult. Pushups will increase the strength of these muscles and make activities of daily living easier to perform and lead to improved quality of life.
Resistance Training Guidelines
Pushups are considered a resistance training exercise so you do not want to perform them every day. Instead, aim for two to three nonconsecutive days each week. Start with one set of eight to 12 repetitions. Increase up to two or three sets as you get stronger. If you start with pushups against the wall, move to the floor and perform them on your knees once they become easy. Use control and keep breathing throughout the exercise.
References
- "ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription"; American College of Sports Medicine; 2010
- Weight-Control Information Network: Statistics
- American Council on Exercise: Pushup
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning"; National Strength and Conditioning Association; 2008
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