Am hoping somebody can figure out why I am making such slow progress with pushups. Seems like I can't get beyond doing 25 at a time. I do some weights but am nothing near being able to bench-press anything near my own weight. Is that related? Pushups remain a torture for me but I understand them to be among the most effective things to do.

TC - I don't know anybody who enjoys push ups - they are simply tough work.

There are several different ways to do them - some more or less easy.

However if your arm strength is really the problem - may I suggest some time on the weight machines - particularly the arm machines - a blend of pushups and time on these machines should have you pumping out pushups in no time.

One of the best bits of advice I can give you though is to purchase a complete set of dumbbells and start using them - they should be your first resort in weight exercise anyway. They will have a dramatic and early impact when used regularly.

Rob

[ August 23, 2004, 08:39 AM: Message edited by: ITJock ]

Change the way you count. Instead of 1, 2, 3, ...25; count in sets of, say twelves and count your sets. So to do 25 pushups you do two sets of twelve and contiue in the third set as far as you can. Seems like a no brainer, but this method really improved the number of sit ups I can do: I used to do sets of ten, then I changed to doing sets of 12 and the improvements came quickly. So instead of five sets of ten, I do tive sets of twelves.

You may also want to do some rotator cuff work - I found that my bench-pressing really improved once I strengthened my rotator cuff muscles - they are heavily involved in pressing, so I can only assume they fulfill a similar role in the push-up.

Keep in mind that I think 25 reps is pretty good for one round, combined with other exercises, do 2 or 3 rounds in an hour... your there...

If you are still in need of some advice on different pushups - this article I just dug out from MH magasine - I couldn't remember where it was before...

PS - Mens Health Mag is a great source of different exercises to keep your workout varied...

"Remember when you were in gym class and the coach made you drop and give him twenty? He was probably a sadistic, power-hungry tyrant, and you swore that you'd never do another pushup once you were out of his jurisdiction.
But think again. Push-ups are about the most convenient way there is to build up your chest, not to mention your shoulders, arms and upper back. Here are five variations that you can do anywhere, anytime. Besides, you may run into your old gym teacher one of these days. Do you want him laughing at your feeble physique?

Your goal: 10-15 repetitions of each. Focus on proper technique: Straight back, tight stomach and butt, continuous movement and full extension of the arms.

Standard Push-ups: Lie face down on the floor with your palms at shoulder level, fingers pointing forward. Push yourself up until your body weight rests only on your palms and toes. Lower yourself and repeat. To accent the chest, place your hands wider than shoulder-width; to target the back and triceps, bring your hands close together with thumbs and index fingers touching.


Incline Push-ups: Stand facing a wall, about 2-3 feet away, arms straight out in front of you. Touch the wall with palms flat and support your weight. Slowly lower your chest to the wall., keeping your knees and back straight. Push back out and repeat.

Decline Push-ups: Support your body weight on your arms and elevate both feet behind you on an exercise bench or a chair. Keep your knees locked and your back straight as you lower your chest to the floor and push back up. Repeat.


Chair Dips: Place two benches or chairs of equal seat height shoulder-width apart. Kneel behind them, place one hand flat on each seat, and extend your legs behind you so your weight is evenly supported by your arms and feet. Lower your upper body just below the level of the seats, or as low as you can without pain. Hold for a second, then raise yourself back to the starting position. Repeat.


Bent-knee Push-ups:(This is a tough one. Warm up your muscles first and concentrate on your technique.) Keeping your back straight, support yourself on your knees and palms. Your arms should be straight and shoulder-width apart. Slowly lower your upper body to the floor, keeping your trunk straight. Rise back to the starting position and repeat. "

Rob

Wow, you guys make me feel good. I am doing 4-5 sets of 25, not 25 total. I would like to get to 50 in a set if only to make it more efficient. Still, I do not see alot of improvement in my arms or chest. Question: can/should I do pushups daily or on consecutive days or is it best to alternate them as with weights? If I do them on consecutive days, is that inhibiting the muscle growth?

Yes.

TC,
Push-ups can be overdone if performed every day, so give your muscles a chance to recover. I am not the strongest or most fit man around but I do love doing push-ups, mostly because they are a good exercise if done correctly and because they can be done just about anywhere you have a flat surface.
Like ITjock said, try to vary your exercises. Try spreading your hands farther out to work your pecs more, or brining them closer together to work you triceps more. When at the gym, try using free weights more and less of the cybex type of equipment. By balancing bars or dumbells you will gain shoulder strength and stablity faster. If you work with an exercise ball as your bench, you will improve even faster, and your abs will benefit as well. Try cable work with the supervision of someone experienced.
Good luck and keep pushing!

Reclaimed this post from the dead!

I got up to 250 pushups every other day (5 sets of 25) but my form was so bad for 50% so I have tried another tact: 4 sets of 25 trying to concentrate on form. I do not do any weights any more (no gym membership). Someone told me because I do alot of cardio, that inhibits getting some "guns". Hell, I'll take .22s!

Are pushups bars (those things that look like the door handles on my grandma's pantry) worthwhile? Does anyone knpw the principle behind their effectiveness? I do not see why they'd be effective but I'm probbaly going to buy set since they are relatively cheap.

Thanks, guys!

The principle is that they increase the range of motion of the push-up. On a flat floor the lowest you can bring your torso is constrained by the floor itself. The principle of the grips is to raise your body a bit so that your torso can go further down, thus making the entire exercise require more work (and presumably more effective).

Errrr... do you mean that you did 125 pushups and now do 100?

If your form is good, 100 is a respectable number. More than most people can do.

While you are concentrating on form, try to slow them down; it actually takes more effort to do them slowly.

Congratulations.

R

Duh, I did 5 sets of 50, not 25. Now do 4 sets of 25 trying to have good form.

I know I'm late to the game but I do three push ups and count it as one. So I get to 20 but I've really done 60 and before you know it I am at 250. It goes fast; I get pretty bored with exercises so it helps me with pace. I also tried to imagine that I am in prison and have to do elevated push ups to protect myself so that I won't get tired of doing them.