Real women do push-ups.

That’s right, I said it and I mean it.  Women MUST do push-ups if they want to get fit and strong, not to mention lose unwanted fat and it should come as no surprise that I include lots of ‘em in boot camp.

It doesn’t matter if your goal is to lose your muffin top or “bye-bye” arms – you have to do push-ups.

It doesn’t matter if you’re happy with your weight and just want to stay healthy and strong – you have to do push-ups.

Why?

Because push-ups work your entire upper body, including your abs, shoulders, upper back, triceps (back of your arms), chest and low back.

Yes, I said abs.  In fact push-ups are one of, if not the best core exercises you can do.

When you think about it, they look just like a plank except your body is moving – a moving plank I guess you could say.

Why don’t more women do push-ups?

One reason is a little bit of fear.  Many ladies are afraid of doing push-ups because they can’t do them very well.  So rather than trying them, they skip them.

That’s where someone like me comes in handy because I’m paid to tell people what exercises to do and how to do them.

They may not like it, but they do it and they quickly realize that they can do them and within a few weeks they realize that they’re much stronger and can do more push-ups than their husbands or boyfriends!

I’m serious about that too – I’ve had ladies who have challenged their husbands and boyfriends to push-up contests and have crushed them.  How awesome is that?!

There are a few things you should know about the push-up before you throw yourself on the floor and start doing them.

You need to have good form.

A common problem I see with some ladies in boot camp is they stick their butt up in the air so they look like a triangle.

Also, make sure you keep your body in a straight line from your ears to your toes, or your ears to your knees if you’re doing kneeling push-ups.

You should also make sure your hands are straight down from your shoulders – they shouldn’t be way out in front of you.  It’s tougher to do them correctly, but your body will thank you for it.

Then make sure you lower your entire body and raise your entire body, don’t just pump your arms up and down at the elbow.

If you can’t do a “regular” push-up, start off with a kneeling push-up.

Get into a “normal” push-up position from your toes, then place your knees on the floor – doing it like this ensures you still keep good form.

Make sure you don’t stick your butt up in the air, or drop your hips down too low.

Then, after you can successfully do 3 sets of 8-10 push-ups, progress to normal, “from the toes” push-ups.

You might only be able to do 3 or 4 at this point, but that’s okay.  Just keep doing them and keep pushing yourself.

Within a couple weeks, you’ll notice positive changes in your strength, posture and waistline.

Then you can progress to some of the other push-ups we do in boot camp like Medicine Ball Push-ups, Push-ups with a Hand Raise, “T” Push-ups, etc.

Don’t cringe – they’re easier than you think and you’re stronger than you think…plus I kinda make you do them if you’re in boot camp – but I convince you in a nice way

And like I said, pretty soon you’ll be able to do more push-ups than your boyfriend or husband!

Have an awesome day!

Ed

P.S. – If you need to see a video on how to do a push-up properly along with a few different variations, click here.