Survival of the Fittest

… but please show your might by doing them right! (Photo above ganked from www.withfitnessandhealth.co.uk.)

This morning, I read Tara Parker-Pope’s Well blog entry “The Art of the Pushup” in The New York Times, and thought, nice topic! Pushups — not to mention pull-ups, squats and other old-school calisthenics — are excellent markers of strength (often, even those who look strong can’t handle their own body weight).

Plus, pushups (also known as press-ups) help keep your scapulae positioned correctly — important for avoiding shoulder injuries.

After skimming the blog entry, however, I clicked on the embedded link to this pushup calculator, which “tell[s] you how many push-ups you should be doing,” and thought … not so nice.

And then I watched the accompanying video called Drop and Give Me Twenty! after which I cringed and hid under my desk for a while (see the video here; scroll down just a bit).

WHY WAS I SO AGITATED? The answer is two part.

1) Because of this particular distinction in the calculator’s form guidelines:

Male subject
-forefoot or toes on floor

Female subject
-knees on floor or mat

All calculations are based on these guidelines.

I mean, really? There’s no third measurement option for women who do pushups on their toes? We are all automatically relegated to doing modified, or “girl,” pushups, which, as Alwyn Cosgrove points out in The New Rules of Lifting for Women (Avery, 2007), take your core out of the movement? (The book points out you’re better off starting with 60-, 45- or 30-degree pushups, placing your hands against a wall or on a bench. For a nice pushup progression, see Krista Scott-Dixon’s “Mistressing the Pushup.”)

2) And also because the pushup form of the women in said video is utterly atrocious. (Think I’m exaggerating? Watch it.) Not a good example among the bunch — heads hanging low, backs swayed, elbows barely bending, and even, at minute 3:01, an especially gruesome attempt at a clapping pushup from a woman who is essentially starting from her hands and knees, rear high in the air.

But not a word about these form indiscretions is uttered in the video — just woman after woman in a Crunch fitness class, committing every pushup no-no in the book. (There are, however, several readers who express their disdain in the comments section.)

I FELT … MISREPRESENTED. And angry. I mean, not a single example of a woman doing pushups on her toes?!

Parker-Pope’s full column on the topic, “An Enduring Measure of Fitness: The Simple Push-Up,” again makes the case beautifully for pushups being an effective and worthwhile full-body exercise. But then, again, we return to the gender divide. As quoted in the article:

“It’s sort of a gender-specific symbol of vitality,” said R. Scott Kretchmar, a professor of exercise and sports science at Penn State. “I don’t see women saying: ‘I’m in good health. Watch me drop down and do some push-ups.’ ”

Perhaps some Penn State women’s rugby players would like to swing by and visit Kretchmar during office hours, just to enthusiastically demonstrate their pushup prowess?

Something else that comes to mind is the 30-second pushup test that’s often part of the fitness testing at U.S. women’s rugby tryouts. If you don’t get to at least 25, you’ve missed the mark. I’m trying to picture what would happen if a player asked to do pushups from her knees….

BUT I WONDER if I’m just out of the loop on this. Are pushups, done on your toes and with perfect form, a point of pride in women? Or do I hang out with too many jocks?

For those of you who like to partake in the many variations of the pushup, such as clapping (or plyo), stability-ball, medicine-ball, dumbbell, rear-elevated, weighted, Hindu, fingertip, knuckle, one-armed and handstand, here are some exercises.

For women and men alike.

From the “Join the Movement” Web Extra, April 2007:
Stability-Ball Pushup
Assume an elevated pushup position with your hands on a stability ball. Lower your chest to the ball while concentrating on maintaining stability in your core (avoid bending at the waist). Press back up to the start position. Complete 10 to 12 pushups.

From “Jump To It,” December 2004:
Plyo Pushup
Assume the pushup position, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and elbows bent. Push off the ground explosively, so that your hands lose contact with the floor, and attempt a clap while your upper body is in midair. Land with your hands in the starting position and immediately push off again. Work up to repeating five to 10 times. Do three sets with a one-minute rest in between.

Depth Pushup
Assume the pushup position, but this time with both hands on a 5- to 8-pound medicine ball, elbows fully extended. Quickly remove your hands from the ball and drop down, catching your fall with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, elbows slightly flexed. Absorb the shock on your wrists and elbows by allowing your elbows to bend and your body to drop into pushup position until your chest touches the ball. Then immediately and explosively push up by extending your arms forcefully. Try to achieve maximum height so your hands leave the ground and then land back on the ball. Repeat the movements immediately three to eight times. Complete three sets, with a one-minute rest in between.

From “Man Alive,” September 2004:
Dumbbell pushups
Kneel on the floor with a pair of dumbbells in front of you. Grab the dumbbells, spacing your hands shoulder-width apart, palms facing back toward your legs. Keeping your grip on the dumbbells, get yourself in the classic pushup position. (Your arms should be straight, elbows unlocked with your legs straight out behind you, feet together.) Lower yourself down, then push back up until your arms are straight once more, elbows unlocked. Perform as many repetitions as possible.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 11th, 2008 at 4:45 pm and is filed under Miscellany, Strength Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.