Pushups

It really doesn't matter as long as do a lot of them and you do it until your arms and chest give out.

 

Yeah just do a lot of them every day. Push ups are one of the best things to do.

 

they are bad for your shoulders though but it isnt that big of a deal unless u always rely on push ups.

 

Oh man, that's news to me. I do work on my shoulders and the rest of my arms alot.. but I also do several push ups here and there. Does that mean that I'm double working my shoulders hence double the damage for it as well?

 

trying doing one hand on the floor while the other is balancing on a medicine ball...like Rocky in Rocky Balboa. or you could do it with both on medicine balls or basketballs.

* Primary muscles trained: Chest
* Secondary muscles: Shoulders, triceps, and stabilizer muscles including your core (abs, obliques, and lower back), wrists, and forearms.

The essential thing about this exercise is that it trains stabilizer muscles that affect how you punch and kick. According to this gentleman, it’s a good way to start any core exercise regimen.

You can do the exercise with any “ball” that will support your weight. So I tried it today with my core routine and did so using two basketballs. You definitely use “core” muscles and also muscles in your forearms and wrists to stay balanced. In fact, once I rolled off the ball and “ate concrete” in my garage.

As I type this I can feel the fatigue in my forearms and wrists. So, anything that will help in developing muscles that will keep your fist and forearm in perfect form is recommended–especially for boxing, karate, or taekwondo.

 

i've been doin **** pushups.

 

mix it up with incline and decline pushups, legs up on a chair, or hands up on some surface for a different angle on the muscle. you should also mix it up with spreading out your arms at different lengths to adjust stress on triceps or chest.

you are going to want to do as many reps as possible in one set. the reason being, the concept of low reps in a set is only used in combination with high weight. obviously since we're dealing with pushups and a constant weight, you're not gaining anything from doing low reps. its not like you can add more weight and do less if you get what i mean...

if you're looking to build mass, pushups wont get you anywhere. you'll defintely get stronger and notice it in the gym, but without the weights, you're not going to put on any muscle.

 

Whatever you do take a multi vitamin, some form of whey protein and allow enough time for rest between workouts.

 

You really want to do it the right way, get Herschel Walkers training book. The guy never lifted weights in his life. He just does 1500 pushups and 3000 situps every day.

 

I started doing pushups about 6 months ago, everyday.

They are my religion now.

I do sets of 10 to 12 every 25 to 30 seconds until I reach about 400.

The goal is to take the reps up to about 15 then shoot for 600.

I want to be patient with that because once I'm hitting 15 every 30 seconds, comfortably, the goal is to sustain that everyday and never drop back down.

oh yeah, I started off shooting for as many pushups as possible, trying to get to 100 in the future as you are but once I hit 50 I got stuck on 50 and frustration set in and I almost quit doing them all together so I just started doing the sets of 10 to 12 every 25 to 30 seconds and thats working out real well, but the goal is to keep pushing until 15 reps every 30 seconds is reached then it's on to 600.

the key is to do them everyday. you do them everday, especially the days you don't want to do them, you will see progress, it's just gonna happen. good luck with your pushup program, LB.

 

btw, don't listen to cabbage.

if you do sets of 10 to 15 until you reach 400, and do them every day, you will look fitter than you can imagine, way fitter than a weight lifter.

doing pushups religiously, the results are unreal, the way it changes your body posture and muscles and everything. It's just awesome man.

 

and one more thing.

cabbage mentioned doing an assortment of pushups.

I wouldn't suggest that.

set a goal, and get there by doing regular pushups.

say you want to get to 600 total in about 30 minutes which would be a hell of an accomplishment, or you want to do 100 straight, just get there doing regular pushups with your hands about chest high and shoulder width apart, and once you get there and can sustain it everyday for a couple of months then if you want mix in diamond pushups, wider ones, elevated, or whatever, then do that.

 

Just like any exercise, form is key. 20 well-formed pushups are better than 50 fast, sloppy pushups. Also, cross your legs at your ankles and just use one foot to balance on, like a tripod.

Once you get your techniqe down, then you can mix in some decline (or is it incline- I always mix it up) pushups where you put your feet up on your bed or a couch no more than two feet above the ground. This will give you some definition in the top of your pecs.

 

train your back.

challenge yourself from a stability standpoint.

otherwise you're basically wasting your time.

 

i know you said gyms arnt the option right now but i would suggest get a swimming membership. swimming trains you like no other excersize, and gets you in really good shape, and works cardio as well.

 

im with you.

texas stoke: i dont know what exactly your fitness goals are, but unless your doing the pushups as a supplement to weight lifting, you are pretty much wasting your time.

pushups dont build mass. that's indisputable.

 

LondonBurning,

Coincidentally, I've been doing the same thing, but for 4 months now. What I suggest is keeping the reps done, but doing more sets throughout the day. I do 15 reps in 3 sets over a few minutes. I'm up to 5 sets a day, 4 days a week, to rest in between. I'm going to try to get to 8 sets a day.

The reason I like to keep the reps down is because I want to do a perfect pushup every time. My drill sergeant in the Army taught me a perfect pushup. It does use the abdomen, back and you don't struggle. If you try to do 100 pushups you will struggle and won't do what your muscles are made to do. imo, doing low reps gives you the best muscle tone.

I'm a big advocate of isometrics and yoga stuff. The simple act of breathing can build your abdomen as well--the Dragon Breath. Stretching is also very important. And I like to run for my legs, heart and lungs. Again, in running you can do damage if not doing it the way your body is meant to. Find your core, run with good posture and use the natural pendulum swing of your arms...and breath well.

so, I stretch, do push-up, do some abdomen work and run.

Another great exercise, of course, is chin ups...but I just don't have a place to put a bar right now.

 

I'm with Texas Stoke. Keep the reps low, but do as many sets as you can throughout the day. But like I say, do a perfect pushup.

I'll defer to you about the build mass thingie. But I could also care less. Push ups and chin ups will make you as strong as you can be, by measures of what you can do with your body...by a measure of how strong you are for your weight....I could care less about a measure of how many weights you can lift on a bar.

Texas Stoke,

I hear what you are saying about hitting a wall at 50. In the Army, we were tested in how many you could do in 2 minutes. 60 (or was it 65) was a "A" grade. Only 1 in 30 guys could do that. I could do it, but it was a damn struggle. I'm not even going to attempt that again.

I don't think worrying about speed of pushups is a good idea, although your 15 in 30 seconds seems fine by me. I also like your goal of 600 in a day. Right now, I'm about 1/2 way there, but I can't do it every other day. Maybe every day will become a breeze soon, but I'm not going to worry about it.

 

The easiest way for me to do alot of pushups is to pyramid. Start with one pushup and then rest 20 seconds, then do two and rest 20 seconds, you do this till you get to 10 pushups and then work your way back down. It really allows me to alot of pushup in one setting.