The push-up is in almost every upper-body workout for women I've seen, yet most women (including myself, up until recently) can't do one. In fact, some data suggests that seven in 10 women would struggle to do the exercise without some training. But it is easy to start strength training and to build upper-body strength by working the arms, chest, back, and shoulders. He says there are two exercises he recommends for anyone looking to work their way up to a full push-up. "Start with wall push-ups, standing a short distance from the wall and pressing away from it instead of the floor.