Push ups are the ultimate body weight exercise. Push ups affect the strength of our arms, shoulders, chest and core.

If push ups are performed correctly they can also help to support the muscles in the back. They are convenient because they require no equipment and can be executed anywhere, at any time.

Push ups, being a functional exercise, engage muscles we use on a daily basis. By doing a few sets of push ups several times a week you will be strengthening the muscles you use in regular lifestyle activity and thus your risk of injury will be lowered.

Your posture can also improve significantly from regularly doing push ups.

Furthermore, they can be done in various different ways. The placement of our hands and feet shifts the stress on the engaged muscles so that we work more muscle groups by doing several kinds of push ups rather than just focusing on the standard push up.

Push ups increase strength, endurance and physical well-being. One of the best ways to assess all-over physical strength is to see how many push ups (with good form) you can perform consecutively.

The 100 Push Ups Challenge is a 6-week program designed for participants to work their way up to complete 100 consecutive push ups. Learn more about it at www.hundredpushups.com.

Published in Volume 63, Number 24 of The Uniter (March 19, 2009)