What is your favorite exercise, and why? The push-up is one of the best body-weight exercises for the upper body since it works many muscle groups and is one of the most efficient exercises using only body weight. There are plenty of ways to stay fit, but if you’re looking for an exercise you can perform anywhere and without equipment, look no further than a push-up. This body-weight exercise is one of the best for working the triceps, chest, and shoulders. Yet your core also gets benefits when you do this exercise.
Even though you don’t use weights with push-ups, you get a workout. You’re pushing against your own body weight and gravity. Push-ups are also a compound exercise that works more than one muscle group at a time, making them a time-efficient exercise and you can customize a push-up by doing various push-up variations.
Many people wonder whether push-ups are harmful to the back, or if, on the other hand, doing them can improve back health and reduce back pain risk. Let’s look more closely at the push-up and how it affects the upper and lower back.
Push-Ups Strengthen Your Core
One of the muscle groups that you work when you do a push-up is the muscles that make up your core. The push-up is one of the best exercises for core strength because of how much your body must engage to maintain proper form.
For example, your abdominal muscles contract during push-ups to keep your legs in line with the rest of your body and that strengthens your abs. To get the most ab and core benefits, brace your abdominal muscles like someone is about to punch you in the tummy when you’re in a push-up position.
With a pushup, you use all the muscles in your core to stabilize your spine and keep it in a straight line as you lower your body up and down. So, push-ups don’t just build upper-body strength, they improve the strength of your core muscles, the ones that stabilize your back and spine.
Core Strength and the Risk of Back Pain
Why is core strength important? A strong core can lower your risk of lower-back pain. That matters! Over half of all Americans suffer from chronic pain in their lower back, which may come and go or be constant. If you have strong muscles in your back and core, other supportive structures don’t have to work as hard to keep you upright and stable. These include the ligaments, discs, and bones in your spine.
Your spine is supported by the muscles in your core. So, by strengthening your core, push-ups give some protection against back pain. Still, not all studies show that core training relieves back pain. It’s an area that needs more research.
Is the Push-Up Good or Bad for Your Back?
Push-ups can strengthen your core, which is good for your back if you perform them with proper form. Exercise of any kind is better for back health than being sedentary. However, poorly executed push-ups can aggravate back pain.
Some people have back problems with push-ups because of how they do them – their form is bad. To avoid stress on your lower back, you must hold your body in a straight line from head to toe when you push up. Some people let their hips sag. Drooping hips place added stress on the lower back and can trigger or worsen back pain. Do the exercise correctly, so you don’t aggravate back pain. Keep your hips level with your lower back and your body in a straight line.
When you do a push-up, always engage your core, and keep your pelvis tucked in. If your hips sag, it may be because you lack the strength to keep them in the proper position. You may need to do an easier push-up version rather than doing them on your toes, until you can build more upper-body strength.
To make push-ups easier, you could do the exercise with your hands on an elevated platform, like a high bench. This will reduce the amount of strength your upper body needs to generate and make the exercise easier. After you develop more upper-body strength, you can lower the height of the platform to increase the challenge.
Are Some Push-Up Variations Easier on Your Back?
Any push-up variation can hurt your back if you don’t keep your body in alignment or allow your hips to sag. So, approach all push-ups with the same attention to good form. Start by performing a standard push-up, and make sure you can do it safely. Once you feel comfortable with the basic push-up movement and don’t experience back pain when you do it, move on to more advanced versions.
The Bottom Line
Pushups are an effective exercise for strengthening your core muscles, which benefits your back. Success, however, depends on how you perform them. Poor alignment and letting your hips drop places enough stress on your lower back to trigger back pain if you’re prone to it. If you have a history of back injury or serious back pain, check with your doctor before doing push-ups.
If you take simple precautions and use proper form, push-ups are a safe and effective way to give your core muscles the workout they need. The technique you use when doing push-ups really does matter. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been doing them for years, it can’t hurt to give your push-up form a once-over and get back to basics.
References:
- Chang WD, Lin HY, Lai PT. Core strength training for patients with chronic low back pain. J Phys Ther Sci. 2015 Mar;27(3):619-22. doi: 10.1589/jpts.27.619. Epub 2015 Mar 31. PMID: 25931693; PMCID: PMC4395677.
- “Pushups every day: Benefits and risks.” 23 Aug. 2019, corms.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326149.
- “The rise of push-ups: A classic exercise that can help you ….” 18 Feb. 2019, corms.health.harvard.edu/blog/rise-push-ups-classic-exercise-can-motivate-get-stronger-2019021810165.
- Calatayud J, Borreani S, Colado JC, Martín FF, Rogers ME, Behm DG, Andersen LL. Muscle Activation during Push-Ups with Different Suspension Training Systems. J Sports Sci Med. 2014 Sep 1;13(3):502-10. PMID: 25177174; PMCID: PMC4126284.
- “The rise of push-ups: A classic exercise that can help you ….” 18 Feb. 2019, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/rise-push-ups-classic-exercise-can-motivate-get-stronger-2019021810165.
Related Articles By Cathe:
How to Adjust Your Push-Ups to Make Them Easier and Harder
Push-Ups: How Hand Position Changes the Muscles You Work
History of Push-Ups: They’ve Been Around Longer Than You Think!
Is a Push-Up the Ultimate Measure of Physical Fitness?
Which Push-Up Variation is Toughest?
5 Ways to Make Bodyweight Exercises More Effective
Related Cathe Friedrich Workout DVDs:
STS Strength 90 Day Workout Program
All of Cathe’s Strength & Toning Workout DVDs
Total Body Workouts
Upper Body Workouts
