re:press ups

[bigjaw]

reress ups

Hello all,
I had heard that press ups could be bad for women - more specifically they may be hard on the womb.
Anybody care to make an informed comment on what is probably an uninformed opinion?
My only thoughts on this is that if a woman had weak abdominal strength then a full press up (I suppose) could place a measure of pressure on that section of the torso - but as for being bad on the womb?
Apparently this comment came from a gym instructor - which may or may not lend support to it.
Appreciate any evaluation regarding this.

 

[makedah]

what is a press up?

 

[2Shy]

Do you mean bench presses or the chest press machine maybe?

 

[spatts]

I'm picturing push presses....

 

[makedah]

Okay, I got it! I think "press ups" are "push ups" in the U.K. and Australia.

Anyway - assuming you aren't pregnant, exercise doesn't hurt your "womb" unless you've got an exercise that involves stabbing yourself in the abdomen. I can't believe there are still people out there saying that women need to avoid exercise to "protect their wombs." Even if you were pregnant, you could do many exercises.

From Krista's web site ( www.stumptuous.com/weights.html ) , an article called "Working out and Reproductive Health":
In the 1800s, although it was conveniently forgotten that huge numbers of women already performed strenuous manual labour on the farms and in the factories, the prevailing medical wisdom about exercise for women was that during the menstrual period and pregnancy women must be sequestered from ALL activities. It should be noted, however, that during this time period it was also commonly held by medical professionals that studying mathematics would cause the uterus to shrivel. Normal female bodily functions have been pathologized as "conditions" or "diseases", which affects the way we think about them. The truth is, these functions and processes have been around for quite some time and are showing no signs of disappearing. While some, like pregnancy, may require a little extra planning and exercise modification, in general there is no reason whatsoever to believe that weight training and other exercise, done in moderation, are problematic.

 

[spatts]

Always use a uterine belt for support when doing push-ups.

 

[wateengedoe2]

Always use a uterine belt for support when doing push-ups.

Spatts, do you have a link to a web shop that sells them ... Can't find them anywhere! ???

 

[gingernut]

I wouldn't think push-ups are that strenuous internally, you only use body weight anyway.

 

[2Shy]

Women are told so many lies about working out that it gets our dander up sometimes.

As the BFB here (Big Fat Broad) you'd think any exercise I did would have an adverse affect on my back, knees or internal organs. That is not the case. I am just getting into shape and have never felt anything pull in that area. To top it off, I have a small umbilical hernia, and that hasn't been affected either.

Suffice it to say that you or your loved one has nothing to worry about in that regard. Check out the link that Makedah listed. It has tons of useful information and is geared specifically toward women working out.

 

[gingernut]

I used to experience lower back/ab discomfort when performing push-ups but found that disappeared once I leaned how to hold my pelvis correctly which involves contracting the abdominal muscles in order to keep your body in a straight line - this also strengthens the lower back/abs area thus providing an added benefit to the exercise.