GirlPush Ups

cheekay

Is it safe for girls to do full push ups?

dioltas

Don't see why it wouldn't be safe. I could be wrong, but i've never heard anything about it.

brianthebard

The myth is that a woman's womb can fall out if they do full push ups. :rolleyes: Its completely untrue though OP, nothing wrong with you doing push ups.

martinr5232

So why do the defence forces use modified push ups for females?

Surely all the males have a case of sexual discrimination if ordinary push ups are safe.

brianthebard

because they bought into the myth? No one's womb has ever fallen out of them from push ups,ask g'em. This is the sort of backwards nineteenth century **** that makes as much sense as telling girls they'll get bulky if they lift heavy and that high reps build tone.

martinr5232

And you are sure they are safe how?

Are you quilified to say they are?

Thomas_S_Hunterson

martinr5232 wrote: »

And you are sure they are safe how?

Are you quilified to say they are?

If they were unsafe, there would be a very clear message from the medical community to that effect.

There is not.

brianthebard

martinr5232 wrote: »

And you are sure they are safe how?

Are you quilified to say they are?

I have it on good authority from a number of people who have wombs that they did not fall out after doing push ups.

martinr5232

So thats your professionanl opinion:rolleyes:

MagicMarker

Don't mind Brian there, he's just messing with you.

In actual fact, they are not safe as there's a 83.7% chance that your breasts will explode.

g'em

cheekay wrote: »

Is it safe for girls to do full push ups?

Completely.

brianthebard wrote: »

The myth is that a woman's womb can fall out if they do full push ups. :rolleyes:

That's the one.

martinr5232 wrote: »

So why do the defence forces use modified push ups for females?

The modified push-up is often touted as the 'best' option for women because women who do not engage in regular exercise often do not have the upper body strength to do full push ups. So actually the discrimination is against females and the perpetuation of the assumption that they are the "weaker" sex.

It really amazes me that in this day and age people can still buy into this myth - lets not forget that this is the same organ that houses a growing foetus for 9 months.

Push-ups are a great upper body strength builder for women and they can help give you bigger boobs*





*not entirely true, but it is a fantastic way to lift a sagging chest.

rubadub

martinr5232 wrote: »

So why do the defence forces use modified push ups for females?

Surely all the males have a case of sexual discrimination if ordinary push ups are safe.

They do the modified version so when training both sexes at the same time they can do the same workout/reps. It would be like having a weight training class and giving women lighter dumbbells so they can maintain the same reps. If there was a male beginner in a more advanced class they also might be doing knee pushups to keep up with the rest.

In the US marines women do not chin/pullups in their fitness test, they just do "arm hangs" from the bar.

http://usmc.pftcalculator.com/

So actually the discrimination is against females and the perpetuation of the assumption that they are the "weaker" sex.

You could similarly say it is discrimination against men, with the assumption they are the "stronger" sex. e.g. A man might fail the US marines or Irish army PFT, yet might pass the womens test easily. So he misses out on a job due to sexual discrimination, if a woman can be a adequate soldier at a certain strength why can a man not be?

Roper

Men and women are not that physiologically different. Hormones are the real determining factor when it comes to strength. Push ups are fine for women.

You could similarly say it is discrimination against men, with the assumption they are the "stronger" sex. e.g. A man might fail the US marines or Irish army PFT, yet might pass the womens test easily. So he misses out on a job due to sexual discrimination, if a woman can be a adequate soldier at a certain strength why can a man not be?

You might have some sort of point that a court would hold up, but in the real world if you're a man then you should be able to do some pull ups and lots of push ups. If not I'd say that you're fundamentally lacking in strength and that you're probably too bone idle and lazy to have done anything about it when you knew your military PT test was approaching. That's why I'd deny a bloke the job. As for girls, I have a couple in my gym who would be CRINGING reading this topic.

Box-Off

I'm a girl and I do about 50 push ups a day in training.....the womb is ticking away nicely too. I'll keep you updated on any changes!

WolfForager

Hmm every time i go training and we do push-ups, the lads are made do the full push-ups while the girls are given the option. Annoys the hell out of me when i'm halfway through my set of 30 and one of the girls looks at me as if saying "Why the hell aren't your finished yet?". Most girls are bloody capable of em, they just don't want to admit it!

shamblertine

Box-Off wrote: »

I'm a girl and I do about 50 push ups a day in training.....the womb is ticking away nicely too. I'll keep you updated on any changes!

Do you mean 50 press ups over the course of the training session or 50 press ups in 1 go? If in 1 go, then post up a video of this, I find it hard to believe.

shamblertine

g'em wrote: »

Completely.


That's the one.
The modified push-up is often touted as the 'best' option for women because women who do not engage in regular exercise often do not have the upper body strength to do full push ups. So actually the discrimination is against females and the perpetuation of the assumption that they are the "weaker" sex.

It really amazes me that in this day and age people can still buy into this myth - lets not forget that this is the same organ that houses a growing foetus for 9 months.

Push-ups are a great upper body strength builder for women and they can help give you bigger boobs*

*not entirely true, but it is a fantastic way to lift a sagging chest.

I'm sure I'll get flamed for this, but girls with big boobies are at a disadvantage when doing press ups, so that could have something to do with it.

accensi0n

shamblertine wrote: »

Do you mean 50 press ups over the course of the training session or 50 press ups in 1 go? If in 1 go, then post up a video of this, I find it hard to believe.

You find it hard to believe anyone could do 50 press-ups or that a girl could?

shamblertine

anyone, although I suppose the lighter you are the easier it would be to do press ups no?

amacachi

For pressups you're lifting about 2/3 of your bodyweight, so yes, the lighter you are the easier it should be, though stronger people are usually heavier.

50 isn't that impressive a number if you're a reasonably fit guy.

accensi0n

shamblertine wrote: »

anyone, although I suppose the lighter you are the easier it would be to do press ups no?

You're using the web, web search's are very quick and simple.

Here's some world records:

http://www.recordholders.org/en/list/pushups.html

The records for 10 minutes and 3 minutes are done by a woman. 426 and 190 respectively.

seanybiker

brianthebard wrote: »

The myth is that a woman's womb can fall out if they do full push ups. :rolleyes: Its completely untrue though OP, nothing wrong with you doing push ups.

Are you taking piss or is that actually true. Must check snopes

shamblertine

amacachi wrote: »

For pressups you're lifting about 2/3 of your bodyweight, so yes, the lighter you are the easier it should be, though stronger people are usually heavier.

50 isn't that impressive a number if you're a reasonably fit guy.

I never do press ups in my workout, just tried there now to see how many I could do, can only do 20, although I'm still stiff and sore from my workout yesterday.

shamblertine

accensi0n wrote: »

You're using the web, web search's are very quick and simple.

Here's some world records:

http://www.recordholders.org/en/list/pushups.html

The records for 10 minutes and 3 minutes are done by a woman. 426 and 190 respectively.

no need to get sarky, anyway I'm not particularly interested in world record holders, I'm just interested in your average person who works out

WolfForager

shamblertine wrote: »

I never do press ups in my workout, just tried there now to see how many I could do, can only do 20, although I'm still stiff and sore from my workout yesterday.

Try doing 3 sets of press ups straight after your workout, you'll probably be only able to get 10 (if even) reps per set but the next day i usually have killer DOM's around my chest and shoulder areas. Thus i take it that it works well :P

shamblertine

Yeah think I'll try that for a bit of variety instead of always just doing bench presses. Also just read about the boxers press up- doing press ups on your knuckles, going to try that one as well.

WolfForager

shamblertine wrote: »

Yeah think I'll try that for a bit of variety instead of always just doing bench presses. Also just read about the boxers press up- doing press ups on your knuckles, going to try that one as well.

Doing it on your knuckles takes quite a bit of getting used to if you've never done it before. To be quite honest it's gonna wreck your knuckles :P

Ginja Ninja

weee bit off-topic but anywho
is there any way you can strengthen your fingers while doing press-ups?They would be the base of my workout and am just curious

BTW your womb won't fall out,but guys careful if you lean too far back your you-know-what's will roll away and land in your stomach.

cardio,shoot me

wolfy try incline bench press and dips one after the other for chest, i was in pain for a good 10 minutes after

WolfForager

cardio,shoot me wrote: »

wolfy try incline bench press and dips one after the other for chest, i was in pain for a good 10 minutes after

I do inclines.. my body is used to em at this point, i don't feel DOMS unless i up the weight every time.

cardio,shoot me

i just find combining them with dips destroys me

Roper

It's incredible the amount of lads who "do weights" who can't complete 20 full push ups. Pretty much everyone who does a strength test with us gets a nasty surprise when they realise they can't do as many as they thought they could. If you don't get your sternum to the floor and extend back, it's not a push up it's a half push up.

As for the female womb thing, it's not a píss take, as in it's a myth that a lot of people, including some coaches, believe. It's that push ups damage the wall of the womb due to the stress of holding the stomach in place. It isn't supported by one tiny bit of evidence.

Tiger Fan

Fascinating stuff...:D

Brian?

Box-Off wrote: »

I'm a girl and I do about 50 push ups a day in training.....the womb is ticking away nicely too. I'll keep you updated on any changes!

A ticking time womb?

Mikel

briankeating wrote: »

A ticking time womb?

Hysterical :pac:

Box-Off

Ha ha ha....good one briankeating. I like it

And yes, I can do 50 straight push ups in one..as a girl...and I'm pushing to increase this every week (I set myself goals...next will be chin ups...I could do 6 at one stage but got side tracked and now going back can hardly do 2!). And no, I won't be posting a clip...it's not my problem if you don't believe it. Some of my other girl friends train in thai boxing etc and they can also do a high number of push ups. I would't expect a girl who doesn't regularly do push ups to be able to do many...likewise with a bloke. I remember when I started I couldn't evn do 3 on straight legs.

Last night I did 75 but they were split into 5 sets of 15...various hand positions, legs raised etc. That was after some serious heavy bag work and today my arms are quite weak.

It's all about being constant and doing them every day / every second day. Like any training I guess, it's tough at the start and with time only gets easier and better. My target is to reach 100. Not sure how long it will take to get there and even though I've always done push ups I've never pushed myself at hitting 10 or 20 or 30...I just did them to exhaustion but now I'm focusing on hitting targets.

kevpants

Box-Off wrote: »

Ha ha ha....good one briankeating. I like it

And yes, I can do 50 straight push ups in one..as a girl...and I'm pushing to increase this every week (I set myself goals...next will be chin ups...I could do 6 at one stage but got side tracked and now going back can hardly do 2!). And no, I won't be posting a clip...it's not my problem if you don't believe it. Some of my other girl friends train in thai boxing etc and they can also do a high number of push ups. I would't expect a girl who doesn't regularly do push ups to be able to do many...likewise with a bloke. I remember when I started I couldn't evn do 3 on straight legs.

Last night I did 75 but they were split into 5 sets of 15...various hand positions, legs raised etc. That was after some serious heavy bag work and today my arms are quite weak.

It's all about being constant and doing them every day / every second day. Like any training I guess, it's tough at the start and with time only gets easier and better. My target is to reach 100. Not sure how long it will take to get there and even though I've always done push ups I've never pushed myself at hitting 10 or 20 or 30...I just did them to exhaustion but now I'm focusing on hitting targets.

?????

Box-Off

Ha, I wish!!! She is class, eh?

Oryx

Id heard the womb damage myth about leg raises, not push ups. Is there any truth to that one, then?

I think its a pity that women are pretty much told they are automatically weaker, and thus dont even try to do things like full push ups or chins, or lift anything but the lightest weights. Im as guilty of this as anyone. I thought I should stick to teeny dumbells, and never considered chinups. Twas only the right encouragement from a trainer, and posters like gem that made me go... ffs... I need to up my game. Were not weaker. Were built different in ways, but if you train right, youll get strong.

I see above where it mentions that if you dont get your sternum to the floor its not a full push up. Now, I could see women being at a disadvanatage with that one, seeing as our boobies are in the way.

holdmyhand?

i teach gymnastics and tell the kids... boys and girls to do press ups on their knees untill they can do 30 without stopping. i do this so they will build up their upper body strength and will be able to complete pressups on their feet in the proper position at the correct speed. i usually get them to put their shoe or something under them so they can touch their nose of it so they know how far they have to go down.

i was told when i was training that normal pressups would damage my womb... i believed untill i went to moscow and saw a 4 year old doing 100 full press ups

rubadub

Box-Off wrote: »

And no, I won't be posting a clip...it's not my problem if you don't believe it.

No need, there are plenty of videos on youtube, I saw one with a woman of around 65 or 70 lashing out 50 or so with no problem.

Oryx wrote: »

I see above where it mentions that if you dont get your sternum to the floor its not a full push up.

That is only one definition. I have never heard it said like that before, 99% of people doing pushups I see do not do that, and I have no doubt that when 99% of people do PFTs they pass without doing that.

It makes it harder for sure, my reps would drop dramatically due to the awkwardness of it, and my neck would strain making sure my face does not hit the ground! Doing bicep curls standing on one leg would be awkward and harder too. I would just do more regular pushups instead and feel I get a better workout. I also use pushup stands, these allow a much deeper ROM with your sternum going "through the floor", so it is even deeper. I would raise my legs to allow for the height adjustment (i.e. pushup stands get your higher so pushups are easier). Now even though I am going deeper with the stands I would find it easier than doing regular ones and touching the sternum to the floor.

Roper

Box-Off wrote: »

And yes, I can do 50 straight push ups in one..as a girl...and I'm pushing to increase this every week (I set myself goals...next will be chin ups...I could do 6 at one stage but got side tracked and now going back can hardly do 2!). And no, I won't be posting a clip...it's not my problem if you don't believe it.

Fair play they're good numbers. I haven't met many girls who can do pull ups. One girl who trained with us could but she did those by herself with no help from me. I have a girl whose next big goal is the pull up. She can do about 40 push ups in sets of 8, and 16 straight. But this is from a standing start of absolutely zero in September of last year. You're right girls are made differently and just simply don't have the potential for physical strength that the lads have, but what you've done there is taken the potential you have and turned it into actual strength. Most blokes don't do that so fair play.

As for strenum to floor, it's not actually to the touch of your sternum, it's to a target maybe one inch off the ground, usually the flat hand of your training partner. There's actually a real problem testing this with girls as they have those pesky boobs in the way. So generally I say chin to the ground for ladies as otherwise I'm just lying there having them bump their boobs off my hand which is more embarrassing for me than for them being a nice boy and all.

Box-Off

Thanks for that Roper. Good to hear too there are other girls out there working on pull ups and press-ups. I always like to beat the lads too...it's good to train with guys who you can challenge yourself against. I love strength work..though this summer too I have to focus on running and sprints which is something I actually find very tough to get better at. Give me push ups, press ups, weights, bag work etc any day....but the running has to be done I guess!