Help! I can't even manage kneeling press-ups.

leoniemcdee

Pretty much what it says in the title. My upper body strength is so poor, I struggle with more than two kneeling press-ups.

I've got the weight loss down (still have some ways to go) and my cardio fitness is always improving but I can't seem to manage even the simplest bodyweight exercises. I fatigue really quickly, even if I take it slow.

Any advice? What can I do to get stronger?

pamfgil

Most exercises can be modified, check out wall pushups for example. You can use a can as a dumbell to start. Take any opportunity to carry a bit of weight, shopping bags for example.

HeliumIsNoble

How long have you been trying? If you've only just started, this is all as expected.

1) Just... Keep doing them! Honestly, that's almost all it is. Do two kneeling press-ups every night this week, and then do three next Tuesday night. Just do them as well and as slowly as you can. Then, after you've had a breather, have a go at a full one. It's what I did to become able to do press-ups last time I was fit, and it's what I'm doing now.

2) Planks. I gave up on doing my nightly press-ups one month last year to do this plank challenge, and I could not believe the difference in my press-ups a month later, when I went back to doing them. I think planking is a really good way to build up strength for press-ups for beginners. If I'd known about planks as a teenager, it would have really helped. *looks bitter*

This plank challenge gets hard fast, and I started it some way into my getting-fit efforts, so maybe just do the first fortnight, twice.



http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/wellbeing/545572/the-30-day-plank-challenge

3) Also, check your diet. It rather helps to build strength if you're eating the raw materials to make muscle tissue. I think it needs to be at least 1g per kg of your target bodyweight.

If you have split stomach muscles (diastasis recti), consult a physiotherapist before following any of this advice.

StealthHealth

Wall Press ups (a.k.a. wall push) --> Table Press ups (feet on floor, hands on table top) ---> Chair Press ups --> Kneeling (a.k.a. box) Press ups --> Full Press ups

croftie4

If you've just started hang in there as you will get better. Every week I'm stronger and can do a few more, or plank longer. I did press ups against my kitchen counter which I found really useful. Everyone starts somewhere and most people would say their arms are weaker than the rest of their bodies. I am so pleased I stuck with weights and always prefer classes where there's weights involved

Machka9

I can't do them either ... or planks (as shown in the photo above).

I've got a left shoulder that partially dislocates from time to time so it isn't very strong in certain situations.

And I've got arthritis in my right foot bad enough that there is absolutely no way I could possibly support myself with my toes as shown in the plank photo. Just looking at that photo brings tears to my eyes!!!

So I do other stuff ... stuff that does work for me.

StealthHealth

All the talk of planks is fine if the OPs issue is in holding her form throughout the move. But, if she is struggling with the decent and assent of a press up (as the title of the post suggests), being able to plank all day long isn't going to help in the slightest.

msf74

StealthHealth wrote: »

Wall Press ups (a.k.a. wall push) --> Table Press ups (feet on floor, hands on table top) ---> Chair Press ups --> Kneeling (a.k.a. box) Press ups --> Full Press ups

^^^

+ time
+ patience

You can also look up inverted rows which you can modify to make the exercise easier or harder depending on your current level of conditioning.

You may surprise yourself at how quickly progress if you stick to it and are consistent.

30kgin2017

Ive never been able to do a full push up. I have had better luck moving from against the bed frame and now to a weight bench than trying to move from knees.

To do a push up you need to be able to bench press about 65% of your bodyweight. I havent tested how much I can bench press in a while to see how much I have improved but I am not quite there on a full pushup which i tried last week.

Also try different stances, I have better luck with arms and feet a bit wider

leoniemcdee

Thanks all for the great advice and encouragement. I've been trying quite a while with knee press-ups but I guess I need to start even further back.

StealthHealth, I'm going to give your suggestion a try because, yes, it's an issue with descent/ascent not form. I can hold a plank (not for long, mind) it's the movement that kills me.

cathipa

Check out You Are Your Own Gym. Great resource with plenty of variations.

lorrpb

30kgin2017 wrote: »

Ive never been able to do a full push up. I have had better luck moving from against the bed frame and now to a weight bench than trying to move from knees.

To do a push up you need to be able to bench press about 65% of your bodyweight. I havent tested how much I can bench press in a while to see how much I have improved but I am not quite there on a full pushup which i tried last week.

Also try different stances, I have better luck with arms and feet a bit wider

This is interesting. Haven't hear this before. It explains a lot!

MelanieCN77

Start with wall pushups, like someone above said! I've always been weak at pushups and this is a great way to ease in. You can really control the effort needed too, with how far away from the wall you plant your feet. From them you'd go to a desk surface or something, then to knee pushups and hopefully eventually regular. I would do sets of 25 on the wall but I don't really have advice on the exact progression you should try.

rybo

Off your knees and onto a wall will be much better. Keep working and progressing to a lower height and eventually you will be on the ground. Planks and negatives will also help.

azazel833

rybo wrote: »

Off your knees and onto a wall will be much better. Keep working and progressing to a lower height and eventually you will be on the ground. Planks and negatives will also help.

what is a negative ?

rybo

azazel833 wrote: »

rybo wrote: »

Off your knees and onto a wall will be much better. Keep working and progressing to a lower height and eventually you will be on the ground. Planks and negatives will also help.

what is a negative ?

From the top of the push up position (plank) slowly lower yourself until you reach the floor. There will probably be a spot during the descent where you won't be able to lower slowly and just fall, so put a pillow down if you are worried about hitting your face/chin.

Sara1791

StealthHealth wrote: »

Wall Press ups (a.k.a. wall push) --> Table Press ups (feet on floor, hands on table top) ---> Chair Press ups --> Kneeling (a.k.a. box) Press ups --> Full Press ups

This plus bad form wormy push ups done regularly, plus bench press, plus weight loss finally got me to my first real push ups with good form.

ETA: also spreading feet into a wider stance was a helpful intermediate step.

imabeevampire

me either!! haha Cannot do a push up, cant even do the modified version on my knees, have started doing planks which im getting better at, and wall push ups, just keep goiing

lorrpb

I can rock a plank, even single leg and TRX planks, but I cannot do a "guy" push-up. Maybe it's not in the cards for me. I definitely can't bench 65% of bodyweight, so that's the story right there.

STEVE142142

Let me give you some hope. I have an arthritic shoulder and tendonitis in both elbows. I also do the Tony Horton workouts by Beachbody currently I'm doing P90X and he stresses a lot of push-ups.

When I first started doing P90X about a year ago I would use one of the bench press Nautilus machines at the gym. Got stronger by just doing more weight and more repetitions. Then I progressed to do in the Press kneeling push-ups. Got good at those. Then I progressed to an incline push-up where I use one of the benches at the gym and I don't​ push ups. Now I could do 5 perfect push-ups even with my limitations.

Like anything else just keep on working at it and you will eventually be able to do real push-ups good luck

kenyonhaff

Another perspective: why push-ups? It's a fine exercise but not all fit people do push-ups. There are many ways to a fit body and you can work up to a set of push ups or swim or do yoga or free weights or any number of upper body exercises.

JohnnyPenso

kenyonhaff wrote: »

Another perspective: why push-ups? It's a fine exercise but not all fit people do push-ups. There are many ways to a fit body and you can work up to a set of push ups or swim or do yoga or free weights or any number of upper body exercises.

It's kind of one of those watershed exercises where being able to do one or two if you can't do any is a big moment in someone's progress to fitness. Sort of like a 5k is to a runner or a bodyweight squat is to a lifter. All good advice so far. I've had a fair few female friends with this dilemma over the years and those that started with the wall and table top pushups eventually progressed to full body push ups at floor level.

leoniemcdee

kenyonhaff wrote: »

Another perspective: why push-ups? It's a fine exercise but not all fit people do push-ups. There are many ways to a fit body and you can work up to a set of push ups or swim or do yoga or free weights or any number of upper body exercises.

Good question. The answer's going to sound a bit facetious but it's not meant that way: because I want to. I certainly wouldn't torture myself to learn an exercise I don't actually want to do. That's why I don't run.

Edited to fix quoting mess up

kenyonhaff

leoniemcdee wrote: »

kenyonhaff wrote: »

Another perspective: why push-ups? It's a fine exercise but not all fit people do push-ups. There are many ways to a fit body and you can work up to a set of push ups or swim or do yoga or free weights or any number of upper body exercises.

Good question. The answer's going to sound a bit facetious but it's not meant that way: because I want to. I certainly wouldn't torture myself to learn an exercise I don't actually want to do. That's why I don't run.

Edited to fix quoting mess up

Then go forth and work up to push ups! I just wanted to be sure you know there are a lot of great exercises. Sometimes people get very narrow and inflexible about what a fitness program should be.

firef1y72

leoniemcdee wrote: »

Pretty much what it says in the title. My upper body strength is so poor, I struggle with more than two kneeling press-ups.

I've got the weight loss down (still have some ways to go) and my cardio fitness is always improving but I can't seem to manage even the simplest bodyweight exercises. I fatigue really quickly, even if I take it slow.

Any advice? What can I do to get stronger?

Start with wall press ups. Once you've mastered them then start changing the angle, if you have stairs in your house they would work brilliantly. Start at an almost upright position and then as you master 3 sets of 10 at that angle drop your self down a step so it's a little bit harder. I'm doing something similar with inverse rows using the Smith machine, I started by finding out which position I could comfortably perform 6/5/4 reps with and then added a single rep each session until I was up to 10/10/10, which was when I lowered the bar and started again.

With press-ups I started with working against the wall then progressed to knee. Once I was very comfortable with knee I started slowly progressing to full, keeping with my sets of 10 but doing 1 full and 9 knee, then 2 full 8 knee, etc. A year ago I couldn't even manage a single knee press up, yesterday I did 3 sets of 10 full, simply by progressing in teeny tiny steps.

AFGP11

Reverse push ups can also be a good way to build the strength up for a full push up.

leoniemcdee

firef1y72 wrote: »

Start with wall press ups. Once you've mastered them then start changing the angle, if you have stairs in your house they would work brilliantly. Start at an almost upright position and then as you master 3 sets of 10 at that angle drop your self down a step so it's a little bit harder. I'm doing something similar with inverse rows using the Smith machine, I started by finding out which position I could comfortably perform 6/5/4 reps with and then added a single rep each session until I was up to 10/10/10, which was when I lowered the bar and started again.

With press-ups I started with working against the wall then progressed to knee. Once I was very comfortable with knee I started slowly progressing to full, keeping with my sets of 10 but doing 1 full and 9 knee, then 2 full 8 knee, etc. A year ago I couldn't even manage a single knee press up, yesterday I did 3 sets of 10 full, simply by progressing in teeny tiny steps.

That's awesome, thanks for sharing!

caroldavison332

starting MARCHING. Pump your arms back and forth like a solider. I do 6 miles a day and have awesome biceps and deltoids and I'm 56. Do push ups against the wall to exhaustion. After working out give that muscle group e 48 hours off so your muscles can rebuild. Then do pushups on the stairs to exhaustion and take 48 hours off. Then do girlie pushups on the floor. Finally do boy pushups. Try putting your arms closer and farther apart to build different muscles. And so what if you only ever have weak arms?