Push Ups

SugarBaby71

I hate them and they hate me too. I can't do them. I try and try and try and see little to no progress with my ability. I know this is because my upper body is weak... is there some other thing I can do to help get my strength up so I can get through them?

Hexahedra

Are you trying to do a full military push-up? If you're not strong enough to use your feet as pivot points, try using your knees. If you can't even do knee push-ups, start with wall push-ups.

SugarBaby71

It's true... I can't even do knee push ups... (But I can rock the T-Stabilizations! {planks})
I guess I'll be hittin' the wall... Thanks!

mscote12

I hear ya! I cannot do a full pushup....I am a knee push-up kinda girl but I REALLY want to build up my upper strength so I can rock out some full ones....
I still feel it when I do them on my knees...so maybe in good time I will be able to step it up lol

ferocityturbine

I can do them on the wall no problem.

I'm currently tackling push ups on my kitchen counter. When I can do 5 sets of 20, I'll progress to doing them on my window sill... then onto knee push ups on the bottom step, then knee push ups on the floor... and finally real push ups!

Small steps! Here, this is what I'm following:

http://scoobysworkshop.com/zero-to-100-pushups-for-complete-beginners/

I reckon we can both get there eventually!

lithezebra

I started out using the dining room table to elevate my upper body, and now I'm doing sets of 10-15 full push-ups on the floor. I'm in the weak upper body club too.

MonkeeBob

awesome link....thanks

lizzardsm

Righto! Start with the walls! Knee push ups don't mimic a real push-up enough to be an effective training technique. Don't bother with them. Start with a wall then slowly move lower (i.e. Wall, hip height, knee height, floor). If you do it consistently, you'll be amazed at how quickly you build strength. Also, check out you are your own gym (www.marklauren.com) for body-weight training. I've gone from regular push ups to being able to do push ups with my feet elevated and holds at the low point!

SugarBaby71

I can do them on the wall no problem.

I'm currently tackling push ups on my kitchen counter. When I can do 5 sets of 20, I'll progress to doing them on my window sill... then onto knee push ups on the bottom step, then knee push ups on the floor... and finally real push ups!

Small steps! Here, this is what I'm following:

http://scoobysworkshop.com/zero-to-100-pushups-for-complete-beginners/

I reckon we can both get there eventually!

Awesome! Thanks. (I love that word... 'recon') I am going to try this!

KatLifter

I started out using the dining room table to elevate my upper body, and now I'm doing sets of 10-15 full push-ups on the floor. I'm in the weak upper body club too.

Me too! Building your chest and back will help - especially since you already have good core strength.
Try exercises like rows (any variety) and bench presses.

tacticalhippie

After a couple of weeks of doing BeSLAM (Strong Like a Mother) when it was a push up filled day, I was slowly able to do more "Real" push ups.

iarelarry

Do more push-ups


Try doing rest-pause technique... it is exactly just that... you rest and pause for like 10 seconds, regain energy and then do more push-ups. If you want to improve on something, you have to keep doing that "something" and progressively increase the volume over time.

fitblackchic

I found that push up progress was slow but steady. I did some exercise dvds that included a lot of push ups so in two months I went from knee push ups to real ones. I definitely am not a push up champion, but hey, progress is progress. Keep pushing-literally and metaphorically.