Push-Ups for Women

Barry White provides an overview of seven types of push-ups for women and their benefits.

Push-ups are incredibly beneficial for your health. This callisthenic exercise calls all major muscle groups in your body to action, focusing on your chest, your core, triceps, and anterior deltoids.

If you are a woman, push-ups may even bring extra benefits to your overall health. Here is three of them:

Women tend to have less upper-body strength compared to men, and push-ups are a fantastic workout for your upper body. And no, they will not make you look manly.
Push-ups are also great for burning fat, and there is some evidence that women tend to be more concerned about their weight.
Women's bones tend to be thinner and more fragile than men's, putting them at higher risk of developing osteoporosis, making them brittle and likely to break. Push-ups can help in this regard by making them stronger.

Here is a list of seven types of push-ups for women. Although it is pretty hard to rank them in order of difficulty - as that varies from person to person – it is fair to say that the first ones are slightly easier and the last ones marginally harder. If they start to get too easy for you, move on to the next one.

Wall push-ups

The wall push-up is probably the best place to start if you have never done push-ups before (or if you cannot remember the last time you did them). Wall push-ups are a version of this exercise that takes away most of the gravity factor of other push-ups, making them much easier to perform.

To do them:

Perform a push-up at arm's length away from a wall with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Lean forward by bending your elbows until your face touches the wall.
Hold the position for 1 second.
Inhale as you lean down and exhale as you push yourself back up.

Incline push-ups

Incline push-ups are slightly more challenging than wall push-ups, as they focus more heavily on your triceps and core, but they are still quite doable for beginners. They are much like basic push-ups, except that they are performed by leaning on a raised surface.

To position yourself, find a surface like a small wall or a sturdy table (the lower, the harder); lean on it by extending your arms towards it, putting your palms shoulder-width apart, and keeping your body straight.

Lean forward by bending your elbows until your face is about to touch the surface. Hold the position for 1 second. Inhale as you lean down and exhale as you push yourself back up.

Knee push-ups

Knee push-ups are also known as girl push-ups. Knee push-ups are basic push-ups that are easier by having your legs touch the floor as you do them. Although they are called "knee" push-ups, you may want to refrain from putting all your weight on your knees while doing them as this may hurt them. Focus on your upper body.

Basic push-ups

We finally reached the standard version of push-ups. Do not be fooled – just because they are "basic" does not mean that they are easy to do – especially for prolonged periods.

To set yourself up for a basic push-up:

Go down on the ground and set your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart (the closer they are, the more complex the workout).
Set up your feet to be comfortable – either shoulder-width or touching (the wider they are, the more stability you will have while doing the push-up).
Make your body straight, like an arrow.

To perform the basic push-up:

Start from the straight-up position and start leaning down by bending your elbows until close to the ground.
Hold the position for one second and push yourself back up to the starting position.
Remember always to inhale and exhale.

Basic Bosu push-ups

Basic Bosu push-ups are regular push-ups except that they are performed on a Bosu ball, making them much more challenging as you will have to engage your core, chest, and shoulder muscles more intensely as you balance yourself. They are an excellent push-up variant.

Elevated push-ups

Elevated push-ups can be challenging for beginners as they engage your upper body much more intensely than basic push-ups. They are much like the latter, except you will want to place your legs on an elevated surface while doing them. It will engage your core, triceps, and shoulder muscles to a much higher degree.

Diamond push-ups

Diamond push-ups are my least favourite type of push-ups on this list. Not because I do not like them and their benefits – no, they are just hard.

They are much like a basic push-up, except - remember when I said that the wider you place your hands while you do a push-up, the easier it will be? Diamond push-ups entail placing your palms right next to each other, with your indexes and thumbs from each hand touching(hence the diamond). It makes them a killer for your triceps and your core, which you will be flexing in pain as your arms suffer (just kidding).

Now go out there and reap the benefits that this incredible workout can give you! Remember, if these get too easy, you can try hundreds of other push-up variants. It honestly never ends with callisthenic exercises – good luck.

Page Reference

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

WHITE, B. (2018) Push Ups for Women [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article385.htm [Accessed

About the Author

Barry White is a Professional writer at Gymhut. He has a writing background and enjoys rugby and swimming when not working.


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Push-ups are incredibly beneficial for your health. This callisthenic exercise calls all major muscle groups in your body to action, focusing on your chest, your core, triceps, and anterior deltoids. If you are a woman, push-ups may even bring extra benefits to your overall health. Here is three of them: Women tend to have less upper-body strength compared to men, and push-ups are a fantastic workout for your upper body. And no, they will not make you look manly. Push-ups are also great for burning fat, and there is some evidence that women tend to be more concerned about their weight. Women's bones tend to be thinner and more fragile than men's, putting them at higher risk of developing osteoporosis, making them brittle and likely to break. Push-ups can help in this regard by making them stronger. Here is a list of seven types of push-ups for women. Although it is pretty hard to rank them in order of difficulty - as that varies from person to person – it is fair to say that the first ones are slightly easier and the last ones marginally harder. If they start to get too easy for you, move on to the next one. Wall push-ups The wall push-up is probably the best place to start if you have never done push-ups before (or if you cannot remember the last time you did them). Wall push-ups are a version of this exercise that takes away most of the gravity factor of other push-ups, making them much easier to perform. To do them: Perform a push-up at arm's length away from a wall with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lean forward by bending your elbows until your face touches the wall. Hold the position for 1 second. Inhale as you lean down and exhale as you push yourself back up. Incline push-ups Incline push-ups are slightly more challenging than wall push-ups, as they focus more heavily on your triceps and core, but they are still quite doable for beginners. They are much like basic push-ups, except that they are performed by leaning on a raised surface. To position yourself, find a surface like a small wall or a sturdy table (the lower, the harder); lean on it by extending your arms towards it, putting your palms shoulder-width apart, and keeping your body straight. Lean forward by bending your elbows until your face is about to touch the surface. Hold the position for 1 second. Inhale as you lean down and exhale as you push yourself back up. Knee push-ups Knee push-ups are also known as girl push-ups. Knee push-ups are basic push-ups that are easier by having your legs touch the floor as you do them. Although they are called "knee" push-ups, you may want to refrain from putting all your weight on your knees while doing them as this may hurt them. Focus on your upper body. Basic push-ups We finally reached the standard version of push-ups. Do not be fooled – just because they are "basic" does not mean that they are easy to do – especially for prolonged periods. To set yourself up for a basic push-up: Go down on the ground and set your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart (the closer they are, the more complex the workout). Set up your feet to be comfortable – either shoulder-width or touching (the wider they are, the more stability you will have while doing the push-up). Make your body straight, like an arrow. To perform the basic push-up: Start from the straight-up position and start leaning down by bending your elbows until close to the ground. Hold the position for one second and push yourself back up to the starting position. Remember always to inhale and exhale. Basic Bosu push-ups Basic Bosu push-ups are regular push-ups except that they are performed on a Bosu ball, making them much more challenging as you will have to engage your core, chest, and shoulder muscles more intensely as you balance yourself. They are an excellent push-up variant. Elevated push-ups Elevated push-ups can be challenging for beginners as they engage your upper body much more intensely than basic push-ups. They are much like the latter, except you will want to place your legs on an elevated surface while doing them. It will engage your core, triceps, and shoulder muscles to a much higher degree. Diamond push-ups Diamond push-ups are my least favourite type of push-ups on this list. Not because I do not like them and their benefits – no, they are just hard. They are much like a basic push-up, except - remember when I said that the wider you place your hands while you do a push-up, the easier it will be? Diamond push-ups entail placing your palms right next to each other, with your indexes and thumbs from each hand touching(hence the diamond). It makes them a killer for your triceps and your core, which you will be flexing in pain as your arms suffer (just kidding). Now go out there and reap the benefits that this incredible workout can give you! Remember, if these get too easy, you can try hundreds of other push-up variants. It honestly never ends with callisthenic exercises – good luck. Page Reference If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is: WHITE, B. (2018) Push Ups for Women [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article385.htm [Accessed About the Author Barry White is a Professional writer at Gymhut. He has a writing background and enjoys rugby and swimming when not working.