"Girl" Pushups????

moosegt35

Oh Heelllllll no! I would be calling that as'shole and telling him that I don't appreciate his attempts to indoctrinate the future generations in sexist bullshi t.

HAHAHAHAHAH

joleenl

So, my daughter came home from school yesterday very excited.

Her school is now offering a fitness program in her after school program. Some of the teachers went and were trained at the YMCA and you can sign your child up to participate. I had already signed her up before she came out with this little gem:

Her: "Mommy....You like to exercise...Can you show me how to do a girl pushup?"

Me: "I'm sorry...what?? What kind of pushup??"

Her: "You know! A girl pushup! The teacher said that boys and girls do different kinds of pushups and we can get extra credit tomorrow if we show her that we know how to do a girl pushup."

Me (Out Loud): "Honey, there is no such thing as a girl pushup. Girls can do the same pushups boys can do. Mommy does the same pushups the men at the gym do. Please tell your teacher that you want to do the same pushups they teach the boys."

Me (In My Head): "Are you freaking kidding me???!!!"

No. Just no. :noway:

This has bothered me for years. It's an "assisted or modified push up." People who are just starting need these push ups then graduate to regular push ups.

Calling it a "girl push up" is sexist. It assumes we are the weaker sex and incapable of doing a regular push up. It totally insults women.

moosegt35

Why can't there be a "girls" lane on the freeway, or you all can call it modified or whatever you want.

mccindy72

I started doing pushups against my desk at the advice of JoRocka (who's pretty ripped in her pics, so I think she must know what she's talking about). They are much more difficult than modified pushups, so I'm hoping for good results.

Girl pushups = that whole thing really started because women tend to carry more of their weight in the bottom half of their body, while men carry more in the top half, so it's more difficult for women starting out to do the conventional pushup. That's my understanding of it, anyway. It's still a sexist term.

Tacticalmedic13

The answer I have always been told about the different between the two types of pushups were based on the differences in muscle usage and balance between the genders. I was once told that women tend to use more of their back during "standard" pushups than men do. The reason for asking a woman to go to her knees during pushups was to concentrate the effort towards the chest and arm muscles used by men. In this way, when exercising both genders could focus on the same muscle groups. Or at these that was the theory I was told. It wasn't intended to imply and one gender was "weaker" or "inferior". With that being said, I remember doing a lot of both types of pushups as a group.

I don't know of any research to justify this claim but I would ask WHY the difference was being presented before you get upset. If it was intended to ensure both genders worked the same muscle groups, than I would say it is entirely justified (although I would probably ask to see the research that supports this theory). I wouldn't immediately assume that the teacher is operating under some type of gender bias.

Tacticalmedic13

Calling it a "girl push up" is sexist. It assumes we are the weaker sex and incapable of doing a regular push up. It totally insults women.

Recognizing the differences between the genders is not sexism. Modifying exercises to ensure that both genders are focusing on the same muscle groups is not implying anyone is weaker.

joleenl

Calling it a "girl push up" is sexist. It assumes we are the weaker sex and incapable of doing a regular push up. It totally insults women.

Recognizing the differences between the genders is not sexism. Modifying exercises to ensure that both genders are focusing on the same muscle groups is not implying anyone is weaker.

It is sexist. Most men starting an exercise routine start here too.. There is no need to call it "girl push up". It's a modified push up to train your muscles and build strength. Period.

moosegt35

Calling it a "girl push up" is sexist. It assumes we are the weaker sex and incapable of doing a regular push up. It totally insults women.

Recognizing the differences between the genders is not sexism. Modifying exercises to ensure that both genders are focusing on the same muscle groups is not implying anyone is weaker.

It is sexist. Most men starting an exercise routine start here too.. There is no need to call it "girl push up". It's a modified push up to train your muscles and build strength. Period.

According to someone earler most girls can do start out doing regular push ups and from your post most men have to start with modified push ups. Maybe they got it reversed and regular push ups should be called girl push ups.

Cre8veLifeR

Show her that a "girl" push up is on one hand and one opposite foot and let her show her stupid teacher that way. :huh:

Leonidas_meets_Spartacus

WTH is a girl pushup? I have seen some ladies with better pushup form than most men.

moosegt35

WTH is a girl pushup? I have seen some ladies with better pushup form than most men.

I've seen chickens with webbed feet.

neandermagnon

If it was me I'd be up the school complaining.

Calling the easier/modified version "girl's push-ups" and the regular version "boy's push-ups" a) gives girls the message that they're fundamentally weaker and less capable than boys, and you're limiting their expectations of their own potential before they've even started and b) it gives boys who aren't in good enough shape to do a full push-up that they're failing at being male... is this really a message little boys should be given in school?

They should teach the kids that push-ups are for everyone, and that if anyone can't do a full push-up yet, they can build up the strength to do them by practicing with the easier/modified versions of push-ups.

Also, if it was me, I'd teach my daughter to do knuckle push-ups with her feet on a coffee table, then go back to the teacher and say "my mummy said these are girls' push-ups... but boys can do them too if they want to"

stumblinthrulife

I teach my daughter modified push-ups, because she's not yet strong enough to do regular push-ups with good form. I make it clear that the goal is to do regular push-ups.

I did the same thing with my step-son.

_JPunky

An update from last night since this battle is still being waged:

My daughter came downstairs at bedtime to proudly show me her "girl pushup."

I actually had to show her the difference between a full pushup and a modified pushup and had her do each one herself. (She could do both! *gasp*)

I asked her if there was any reason she couldn't do the full one. She said no. So I told her it wasn't a boy pushup then.

I asked her if a boy who couldn't do a full pushup and did a modified pushup was a girl. She said no. So I told her it wasn't a girl pushup.

She said OK to shut me up and ran away to bed. :laugh:

Now...she's 7 years old and other than a few times that she attended one of the older gymastics classes and had to do conditioning, she hasn't been asked to do pushups. Which means, that naturally she is strong enough to do the full pushup instead of the modified pushup.

Should she still be asked by the school to do the modified pushup just because she is a girl? Or should she be allowed to do the full way?

Also, I STILL say this proves that modified pushups should NOT be called girl pushups, because obviously girls don't automatically HAVE to do them that way.

neandermagnon

Calling it a "girl push up" is sexist. It assumes we are the weaker sex and incapable of doing a regular push up. It totally insults women.

Recognizing the differences between the genders is not sexism. Modifying exercises to ensure that both genders are focusing on the same muscle groups is not implying anyone is weaker.

it is when the difference is in a sexist person's own head

I did judo from the age of 8, girls and boys training in the same dojo. We all did full push-ups. The girls could do just as many as the boys.

Men are physically stronger than women, especially in upper body strength, but that difference does not arise until after boys go through their main growth spurt during puberty. Girls also go through puberty, on average, earlier than boys do, so in kids aged around 10-12 years old, the girls are actually, on average, bigger stronger than boys. Prior to that, there's no difference. Although if girls are constantly being told they're weak and never encouraged to try hard at anything that requires strength or aggression, then that can become a self-fulfilling prophecy..... which is exactly why what the OP is complaining about is a bad thing....

There is no reason whatsoever to tell girls and women to do a different version of push-ups to men. If anyone, male or female, is not in good enough shape to do a full push-up, then there are various modified versions of push-ups to help them build up enough strength to be able to do a full push-up. That's what modified push-ups are for... to increase or decrease the difficulty to someone's current level of strength. None of them are gender specific.

I'm female and i can do push-ups with my feet on a regular sized table. And I'm short, so that's quite a big decline... and like I said, first time i did push-ups as a little girl, I did full push-ups just like my judo sensei taught me. My uterus didn't fall out and I have two little girls of my own now.

mccindy72

Calling it a "girl push up" is sexist. It assumes we are the weaker sex and incapable of doing a regular push up. It totally insults women.

Recognizing the differences between the genders is not sexism. Modifying exercises to ensure that both genders are focusing on the same muscle groups is not implying anyone is weaker.

Identifying a difference between the genders by specifically targeting one gender is sexism, by definition. I've seen women do excellent form standard pushups and I've seen men who could hardly do one modified pushup, so it doesn't make sense to imply that the modification is there to make it easier for one specific gender.

neandermagnon

An update from last night since this battle is still being waged:

My daughter came downstairs at bedtime to proudly show me her "girl pushup."

I actually had to show her the difference between a full pushup and a modified pushup and had her do each one herself. (She could do both! *gasp*)

I asked her if there was any reason she couldn't do the full one. She said no. So I told her it wasn't a boy pushup then.

I asked her if a boy who couldn't do a full pushup and did a modified pushup was a girl. She said no. So I told her it wasn't a girl pushup.

She said OK to shut me up and ran away to bed. :laugh:

Now...she's 7 years old and other than a few times that she attended one of the older gymastics classes and had to do conditioning, she hasn't been asked to do pushups. Which means, that naturally she is strong enough to do the full pushup instead of the modified pushup.

Should she still be asked by the school to do the modified pushup just because she is a girl? Or should she be allowed to do the full way?

Also, I STILL say this proves that modified pushups should NOT be called girl pushups, because obviously girls don't automatically HAVE to do them that way.

^^^^ as was I the first time I did a push-up at judo. (@ the bit in bold)

I also think it's giving a very negative message to boys who can't (yet) do a full push-up, they're having their gender called into question FFS... that's just wrong. I think kids of both genders *should* be able to do full push-ups.... but there are ways of encouraging them and teaching them how to and getting the ones who can't to build up their strength enough so they can that don't involve implying that they're the opposite gender.

IPAkiller

No, it's not just what they're called. They're called modified push ups or knee push ups; maybe even half push ups. This is only half of the issue though.

They are known by all of those names, and also girl push ups. Just the fact that everyone in this thread immediately knew what a girl push up is without having to be told shows that.

Some people believe that the word "wetback" is acceptable when referring to a Hispanic person because everyone knows what you're talking about. Some terms have negative connotations, such as sissy or retard, and most people are wise enough not to use them as an obvious attempt to belittle and insult the recipient. The examples are endless... Athletes are fined for such things it's so out of favor to throw about slurs.

Clearly, a few of MFP's finest are in the first category that doesn't think your words try to impact the recipient. You're just blindly flailing them around and believe your words have no impact. You can absolutely stay in a bubble where you claim "I didn't mean anything by it." You think calling it a "girl pushup" isn't belittling. So knock yourself out... call it whatever you want. People have the free-will to respond accordingly and may think you're ignorant, but hey... joy of free speech.

I like to think words are powerful. They can teach, communicate attitudes, inspire or diminish, words can move your damn soul. I will grant you that some take political correctness WAY too far... from banned books, to opposition to Secretary's Day. It does get out of hand. Some of you clearly think "girl pushups" is just fine and not at all diminishing the recipient of that comment. I tend to disagree. But to each their own.




I link this article as reference and to point out this is not an attack on anyone (although I have no doubt it will be reported). http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/03/there-is-outrage-but-tea-party-hispanics-silent-over-racial-slur/

For this, I shall make YOU a sammich.

odusgolp

No, it's not just what they're called. They're called modified push ups or knee push ups; maybe even half push ups. This is only half of the issue though.

They are known by all of those names, and also girl push ups. Just the fact that everyone in this thread immediately knew what a girl push up is without having to be told shows that.

Some people believe that the word "wetback" is acceptable when referring to a Hispanic person because everyone knows what you're talking about. Some terms have negative connotations, such as sissy or retard, and most people are wise enough not to use them as an obvious attempt to belittle and insult the recipient. The examples are endless... Athletes are fined for such things it's so out of favor to throw about slurs.

Clearly, a few of MFP's finest are in the first category that doesn't think your words try to impact the recipient. You're just blindly flailing them around and believe your words have no impact. You can absolutely stay in a bubble where you claim "I didn't mean anything by it." You think calling it a "girl pushup" isn't belittling. So knock yourself out... call it whatever you want. People have the free-will to respond accordingly and may think you're ignorant, but hey... joy of free speech.

I like to think words are powerful. They can teach, communicate attitudes, inspire or diminish, words can move your damn soul. I will grant you that some take political correctness WAY too far... from banned books, to opposition to Secretary's Day. It does get out of hand. Some of you clearly think "girl pushups" is just fine and not at all diminishing the recipient of that comment. I tend to disagree. But to each their own.




I link this article as reference and to point out this is not an attack on anyone (although I have no doubt it will be reported). http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/03/there-is-outrage-but-tea-party-hispanics-silent-over-racial-slur/

For this, I shall make YOU a sammich.

Yay!!! I like sammiches, babe;)

Tacticalmedic13

Calling it a "girl push up" is sexist. It assumes we are the weaker sex and incapable of doing a regular push up. It totally insults women.

Recognizing the differences between the genders is not sexism. Modifying exercises to ensure that both genders are focusing on the same muscle groups is not implying anyone is weaker.

Identifying a difference between the genders by specifically targeting one gender is sexism, by definition. I've seen women do excellent form standard pushups and I've seen men who could hardly do one modified pushup, so it doesn't make sense to imply that the modification is there to make it easier for one specific gender.

Lets look at this situation without the feminist overtones.

There are really only a few options:

a) Have both genders do the same exercise (in the case push-ups). Each gender has a different physical capability. Lets not talk about the extremes here, only averages. (Yes, there are many women that are strong and faster than some men). On average the males do more push-ups than females. End results: Men perceive themselves strong and females perceive themselves as weaker.

b) Same scenario as above but with give females extra credit or points. (Females only have to do x-some number to equal the same score as Males). The results, females might perceive themselves as equal to males. Male perceive females as definitely weaker or males perceive themselves as less valuable. While this technique might get the scores closer together it help neither gender come to a better concept of gender equality.

c) Test the genders using different exercises that stress the same muscle groups and account for the difference in anatomy. Both boys and girls can compete equally against each other. This re-enforces that both genders are capable, valuable, but have different traits.

d) The last option would be to remove all forms of competition or keeping score. This clearly contradicts the natural tendency of male students and does not engage their desire to compete or inspire them to learn. While this may benefit females in the group because no one will care how many reps they do, men (especially boys) need those types of environments to stay engaged.

As a man and a parent, I would go with option "c"

The difference between "girl" push-ups and modified push-ups are largely semantics. Will children know that "girl push-ups" and "(implied boy) push-ups" are not equal unless we tell them otherwise? Would saying alright girls, you need to do "modified push-ups" while the boys do "normal push-ups" really make that much difference until an outside source brings in a gender bias? I have pretty same little boys. They would probably lean over to my ear and ask "Wouldn't it be just shorter to call them boy or girl push-ups?"

While I am all for fostering healthy gender outlooks within our society, I believe that boy are largely forgotten. If we truly want gender equality, we need to look at our impact on both genders and avoid "lifting up females" at the cost of our males.