Are push-ups bad for my back? And are they good for my arms? How many should I do to achieve maximum results? And what about those cheater push-ups that you do from your knees?

Linda

Push-ups are bad for your back if you do them incorrectly. It's important to hold your abdominals in tight so your back stays straight and doesn't sag in toward the floor.

However, it may take you a while to perfect the form of regular "military" push-ups, especially if your chest and arms are weak. So you may feel some lower-back discomfort while you're getting the form down.

Even non-military push-ups (you call them cheaters) may take a while to perfect and may also bother your back. When you do cheater push-ups, you still need to pull your abdominals in toward your spine so your back doesn't arch and your stomach doesn't sag to the floor.

If you've tried both of these push-up versions and they make your back ache, try this wall push-up version: Stand a few feet away from a wall with your feet placed about as wide as your hips. Keep your back straight and tighten your abdominals and pull them inward toward your spine. With your palms flat and placed slightly wider than your shoulders, bend your elbows and lean into the wall till your upper arms are parallel to the wall.

Press yourself away from the wall by straightening your arms. Do eight to 15 repetitions, rest and then do another one to three sets. When you can do three sets easily, give the cheater version a try, and when you can do three sets of those easily, give the full-out military version a try.

All versions of push-ups strengthen your chest muscles, your shoulders and your triceps, the muscles located in the back of your upper arms. If you keep your abdominals strong and tight as you do push-ups, they can actually help strengthen and develop these muscles as well.

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