What's good substitute for push-ups?

Question

I suffer back pain and doing push ups 200 every 2nd day for the past 15 years helped me a lot. Now that I'm pregnant in the beginning I reduced my exercise to 100push-ups/2nd day and it was still ok. Now I can't do that anymore because my breast are so tender and they hurt so bad when I try to lift my body. I have not done any exercise for the past one week and now my back is killing me. What's good exercise for my back pain now?

Answer 1

For back pain : The best thing to do is get on all 4's and look down. Drop your stomach down to the floor and then lift your head to look at the ceiling while inhaling. Then, exhaling, pull your back up (like a cat that is scared) and curl your head down.

Another way (this is harder to explain) sit on both knees. Spread your knees a little (so your belly has room between your legs) and put your hands really far out in front of you.

For gaining arm strength: try doing them on the wall, or put a board a few inches tall under your hands (but make sure that it doesn't fly out from under you!) and do them that way. You could also do the "on your knees" push-ups but I think those are so weak... I never felt like they did anything for me after doing it the real way for so long. (The wall push ups are the same I think). If your breasts can handle it, try doing pull ups and chin-ups.

I guess the exercise would depend on what you are more concerned with, your back relief or your arm strength.

Never under estimate the power of heat and ice and nice long hot bath in a large bathtub or jacuzzi (at low heat).

There's also alot of really good Yoga videos you can get for pregnancy, that does alot for back pain as well.

Answer 2

You might want to try doing them against the wall, or do dips on a chair. I was able to do both of those through out both of my pregnancys.

Answer 3

Maybe you can do pull ups, check with your doctor before starting any kind of exercises.

Answer 4

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