Benefits Of Push Ups For Females: Reasons Why Women Should Push Up, Push Down, And Push Through It!

The main reason most people exercise is so they can experience the benefits that are associated with it. Working out is known to improve quality of life, which is important, as we all want to live long healthy lives. Just as exercising in general has numerous benefits, specific workouts also have specific benefits for different individuals. That being said, in this article, we’ll look at the benefits of push-ups for females. 

Why Push-Ups for Females?

Until the last decade or so, women and push-ups were rarely mentioned in the same sentence. Men could learn about the benefits of push-ups every day, but women had nothing to do with this topic. 

This was perhaps due to the misconception that this exercise was too difficult for women to do and that doing push-ups could make women look ‘manly’. 

Fortunately, due to more education on how the body works and the acceptance of different body types, we now know and understand that women can do push-ups just like men and that this exercise won’t make women look like their male counterparts.

Before we dive into the benefits of push-ups for females, here are some thoughts about different forms of exercises that can be done at home or in the gym. A push-up can be classified as both a strength training exercise and a calisthenics exercise. Strength training is a very broad term and can mean a number of different exercises, while calisthenics is defined by the use of body weight as a form of resistance. 

1. Strength Training Exercises

There are many different types of strength training workouts. One of the most common forms is resistance workouts. These workouts force your muscles to move a weight (external or internal such as body weight) to lift, carry, pull, push, etc. Through these movements, your body starts to increase the size, strength, endurance, and power of your muscles over time. The resistance can come solely from your body weight or resistance bands, free weights, or gym machinery (1).

Other examples of strength training workouts include squats, lunges, deadlifts, bicep curls, glute bridges, and pull-ups.

2. Calisthenic Exercises

Calisthenics typically refers to workouts that don’t require any equipment. This form of exercise is reliant on a person’s body weight (and gravity) to create resistance during a workout routine. 

Such workouts are generally perfect for beginners but can also be done by intermediate and advanced exercisers who are looking to try something different. 

If you’ve ever heard the term calisthenics push-ups, this simply refers to the push-ups you know as this workout is an equipment-free resistance exercise.

If you wish to free yourself from all the extra pounds that have been weighing you down for way too long, start using the BetterMe: Health Coaching app and overhaul your entire life!

What Are the Benefits of Push-Ups for Females?

If you’re still not convinced that this upper-body exercise can be good for you as a woman, allow us to show you that you’re mistaken and doing a disservice to your body by skipping this workout. 

Please note that these advantages aren’t just for women alone. If any man is curious about push-up benefits for males, the points listed below apply equally.

• Push-Ups Are Cheap and Accessible

One of the best things about calisthenic exercises is that they’re cheap. Let’s be honest, the pandemic may be over, but the effects of it, particularly regarding the economy, are still being felt by many. This means that unfortunately, some things that were the norm back then have become a luxury. 

Today, not everyone can afford to subscribe to a monthly/yearly gym membership. Fortunately, calisthenic exercises such as push-ups allow you to still exercise from the comfort of your home (or the beach, park, etc.) without needing to pay a dime. And what’s better than being able to keep fit without hurting your pockets? It’s a win-win situation if you ask us.

Also, the accessibility of this exercise and the fact that it doesn’t require equipment makes it much easier to avoid the temptation to skip the workout.

• Anyone Can Do Them

When it comes to push-up benefits that cut across all demographics, nothing beats this one. This exercise can be done by practically anyone, regardless of their age, gender, or fitness level. 

Unless you’re advised otherwise by a health practitioner, get on the floor and do as many push-ups as you can while maintaining the right form. 

It may be difficult at first and you may only manage just one push-up, but with time, patience, and dedication you’ll find yourself doing up to 50 push-ups at once without breaking a sweat.

• They’re Easy to Modify

This ties in with the point above. One of the reasons why people may be afraid to start working out is because they’re intimidated by the complex workouts they see being done by experts online. They think or feel that they’re not strong enough to do what they see and simply give up.

Thankfully, there are many variations of push-ups and some are designed specifically for beginners, older people, or those recovering from injuries to make it easier for these people to do them. Wall and knee push-ups are two classic variations that are often done by beginners who are unable to do the standard push-up.

If you’re wondering about wall push-up benefits for females, this variation can help you learn the proper form for this exercise, which will be beneficial once you move on to the standard push-up.

• Push-Ups Are a Progressive Workout

A progressive workout is a type of exercise routine that increases in intensity or difficulty over time. These workouts come from the concept of progressive overload, which helps to consistently build muscle mass, strength, and endurance without falling into a plateau (2).

Progressive overload is usually done by increasing the weight used during the workout, the number of repetitions done, and the speed or length of the session. You can make push-ups a progressive workout by:

1. Increasing the reps of push-ups done per set or increasing the number of sets.
2. Adding resistance by using a resistance band.
3. Doing intermediate or advanced types of this exercise, e.g. walking push-ups, spiderman push-ups, diamond and pike push-ups, archer push-ups, or clap push-ups.

• Push-Ups Are a Full-Body Workout

This exercise is often classified as an upper-body workout and while this is true, push-ups are actually a full-body workout. We often think about how this workout targets the shoulders, arms, and chest (3), but we forget that push-ups also work the abdomen, hips, and legs, which makes them a well-rounded full-body exercise (4). 

Full-body workouts are great for beginners who want to lose weight or those who want to gain muscle. A simple full-body routine can include exercises such as mountain climbers, squats, planks, push-ups (wall, knee, or standard), lunges, burpees, and deadlifts.

Whether you’re a workout beast or just a beginner making your first foray into the world of fitness and dieting – BetterMe has a lot to offer to both newbies and experts! Install the app and experience the versatility first-hand!

• Push-Ups Help with Cardiovascular Health

Taking care of your cardiovascular health is essential as it reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of mortality worldwide (5). Increasing your physical activity helps strengthen your health and lungs, which reduces the risk of this illness (6).

Thankfully, studies have shown that adding this particular exercise to your routine can help with your cardiovascular health.

One study published in early 2019 aimed to evaluate the association between push-up capacity and subsequent CVD event incidence in a cohort of active adult men (7). This longitudinal study was conducted for 10 years, from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2010. 

The participants in the study were men aged 18 years and older and they were placed in 5 groups depending on their push-up capacity and exercise tolerance. The results from the study showed that the higher the push-up capacity a person has, the greater the reduced risk they have for various cardiovascular conditions. 

Researchers saw that the people who were able to do more than 40 push-ups had a lower risk of incident cardiovascular conditions compared to those who had a problem completing more than 10 push-ups (3). 

These benefits aren’t just limited to adults alone. Another study published late the same year found that when children (aged 8 to 12 years) did push-up exercises, the muscle strength in their core, lower back, and thighs increased, and their cardiorespiratory fitness also increased (4).

This goes to show that push-ups aren’t just strength training exercises as most people think, they can also double up as a cardiovascular exercise. 

• Push-Ups Help with Core Stability

Improved core strength and stability are one of the sit-ups benefits for females. This same benefit can also be experienced through push-ups. 

As mentioned earlier, the core/abdominals are targeted by this workout (9). Research has shown that the stronger the core, the more stable the individual and the better their balance (10).

A strong core and better balance help make day-to-day activities easier, improve your posture, reduce your risk of injury while walking or during exercise, prevent or help manage back pain, and much more (11, 12, 13).

Read more: Calisthenics Exercise Routine To Elevate Your Fitness Level

Do Push-Ups Increase Breast Size?

This is a commonly asked question regarding the body benefits of push-ups for female breasts. The answer to this question is no. Although doing push-ups will increase the size of your chest muscles, this doesn’t mean they will increase the size of your breasts. 

Breasts are usually made up of fat tissues and not muscles. Therefore, your breast size only increases when you gain extra pounds and not by doing push-ups. Push-ups don’t result in bigger breasts as they only engage muscle and not fat tissues.

If you’re wondering about this because men get larger chest muscles after doing push-ups and other chest exercises, remember that men have fewer fat cells in this area and more muscle. Therefore, the growth seen is from the muscles getting bigger, not through an increase in stored fat.

How Do Push-Ups Change a Woman’s Body?

Adding this exercise to your routine can help with increased muscle tone and weight loss. The reason push-ups are beneficial for females who are looking to lose weight comes from the fact that this workout is a full-body exercise that helps with calorie burning. The workout also increases muscle mass in the body and the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, particularly after a workout, which leads to fat and weight loss over time.

Check out our article on push-up calories burned to learn how many kilocalories this exercise burns.

Read more: 5-Day Calisthenics Workout Plan for Beginners

How Many Push-Ups Is Good for a Woman?

There is no scientific-based advice regarding how many repetitions or sets of this exercise are good for the average woman. Our recommendation on the matter is to do as many as you can. If you can only do one, then you should do that. From here, you can increase the number to as many push-ups as you want to do in a day. Pay attention to how you look and feel and let this be your determinant.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What are the best push-ups for female beginners?

The standard push-up is a great place to start. However, if this is too difficult for you, try starting with either the knee push-up or the simpler wall push-up.

• What are the disadvantages of push-ups for females?

The only disadvantage of push-ups is injury due to lack of proper form or overtraining, which occurs when you exercise without giving your muscles ample time to rest (24 to 48 hours). However, if you learn the proper form and don’t fall into the trap of doing this workout daily, you’ll be completely fine.

• Can chest exercises lift the breasts?

While many sources claim that chest exercises can lift the breasts, there is no actual evidence of this. These workouts can strengthen the muscles under the fat that makes up breast tissue, but whether this will lift the breasts remains to be seen.

• Is 20 push-ups good for a girl?

Yes, it is! And if you can do more, that’s even better!

• How many push-ups a day is perfect?

There’s no standardized number of push-ups that can be said to be the ultimate perfect number because push-ups should be included in a well-rounded workout program. An ideal workout plan trains the entire body and doesn’t just focus on one specific exercise or muscle group. Remember not to do this exercise daily because just as you need rest to recharge, your muscles also need time to rest, repair, and recover. Make sure to give all the muscles you exercise at least a full 24 to 48 hours of rest per week.

• Do push-ups flatten a woman’s chest?

No, they don’t. Just as there’s no evidence of this workout increasing a woman’s chest size, there’s no evidence that this workout will flatten a woman’s chest. 

The Bottom Line 

The benefits of push-ups for females are numerous, as highlighted in this article. If you were contemplating whether you should add push-ups to your exercise routine, we hope this article has helped make the decision a little easier for you. 

Before you start doing this or any other exercise, it’s important to consult an expert to find out if it’s okay for you to do them. Always maintain the right form to avoid injury and to enjoy the benefits of doing this exercise.