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MyFitnessPal Community

Question about pushups ---from a newbie

Silver_Star

Hey!! I have started doing pushups! woot woot! ok, well, I can just do 5 girly ones right now ( hahahaha)... but i wanted to know how many i should aim for each day? Also, i find with just those 5 pushups, my heart races like crazy, so, do i still have to do cardio? im trying to firm up my jiggles. I am also doing sit ups and squats... Squats i do 50 a day so far...

Replies

CMNVA

I just read something about push ups yesterday. They are one of the best, basic fitness exercises out there that really work. I read that once you can do 10 modified (girly) pushups, you should try to do 1-2 regular pushups. I'd just do what you can for now. Also, make sure you breathe. I have a tendency myself to hold my breath through pushups which then makes my heart pound.

Silver_Star

yes!! i find it hard breathing! i do pushups on my living room carpet.. but my palms hurt a lot the next day...lol.. ( hope THEY wont get muscly instead!) should i do just 5 a day that's it or try again after a few hours?

girlinahat

By girly push-ups do you mean on the knees?

Try doing angled push-ups - so start in a traditional push-up stance, but against a wall. As you get stronger, change the angle, use stairs and gradually work down the stairs. By starting with traditional push-ups you'll develop better core muscles.

If you are finding 5 hard, stick with that, or do a couple whenever you can. You'll get there.

nowine4me

I'd say one more than the day before! I love push-ups and still find them challenging after 2 years of doing them.

Silver_Star

oooh! that's a great idea! against the wall! i can barely do those knee pushups... even at 5 im flat out.
so.. do pushups qualify for cardio as well? thanks so much ladies!

melissaulmen

I would say they don't count as cardio. But it sounds like you are getting a good workout with your heart rate that elevated.

Silver_Star

That's what confuses me. because im out of breath after 5, plus squats and situps... i haaate the treadmill ...lol and im too shy to go to a gym ( havent ever been to one and im a super introvert!) i just like working out at home

SonyaCele

Silver_Star wrote: »

That's what confuses me. because im out of breath after 5, plus squats and situps... i haaate the treadmill ...lol and im too shy to go to a gym ( havent ever been to one and im a super introvert!) i just like working out at home

I don't do cardio because my strength workout provides me with enough conditioning, but i'm weight training for 2-3 hours , 4 times a week. So yeah, you can get away with no cardio if you are strength training. However.... how long does it take you to get through your pushups/squats and situps? If you repeat that circuit enough times, with your heart rate up, for like a half hour or 45 minutes, you could then maybe look at it as cardio.

StartingAgainAt48

I have a thread somewhere called "Pushups are the devil" -- after not being able to ever do even one I can now do like 30-40 at age 40 (which sucks still! Lol - but I know they are good for me!)

My trainer said no knee pushups because it didn't work the needed muscles as well as decreasing height ones - we started at the wall and gradually decreased elevation on benches, steps, etc. If you have stairs at home start on your toes but at a higher step for your hands and work your way down. Or kitchen counter works to start, too!

Silver_Star

ok ... good to know.. thanks so much! i will work on the full pushups and start with the wall.. i tried the wall pushups a little while ago . Do I go flat against the wall? like chest to wall? or just focus on arm movements? im keeping my elbows tucked in like i read somewhere.. but its super hard to get close enough to the wall to make it a full pushup...

enyagoboom

Silver_Star wrote: »

ok ... good to know.. thanks so much! i will work on the full pushups and start with the wall.. i tried the wall pushups a little while ago . Do I go flat against the wall? like chest to wall? or just focus on arm movements? im keeping my elbows tucked in like i read somewhere.. but its super hard to get close enough to the wall to make it a full pushup...

At an angle - as much of an angle as you can and still be safe. you will feel it in your arms and shoulders. As you get stronger, move down the wall and to the stairs or a sturdy table. I also recommend doing tricep dips as a complimentary exercise.

Wall pushups are better for you than the on your knee pushups because you're engaging your core muscles better

go you!

enyagoboom

http://www.livestrong.com/article/6139-need-wall-push-ups/

Silver_Star

Woot! alrighty, thanks a bunch you guys!!

naomi8888

Make sure you keep your core strong and your back flat, don't let it sag down. You should feel your abs working the whole time and you can change the focus a bit (chest and arms) by changing the placement of your hands .

rybo

Pushups are not cardio, at least not for the level you are at. Also, you can try counter top pushups, or a sturdy chair or coffee table as you progress from the wall. Or even stairs.
Do something fun for cardio, a fast walk, hike,bike,swim, play a sport. Cardio is more than just machines. Jump rope, grab something heavy and carry it.

Hotshot_Barretta

When i started lifting and resistance training i couldn't do a regular unmodified pushup. I was just out of a wheel chair for a break in my back earlier in the year. I tell people progress is progress! A few months from now you can joke about the days you couldn't do a regular pushup i promise!!

Here is how i strengthened my back and did my pushups. I do 10 sets. Each set i go til failure doing regular pushups on the floor. On your knees is fine if that's all you can do to start. But make sure you really go til failure those last few are the ones that really count in each set!!!

Then I go halfway down until i hit failure. Modify it how you need to to keep the set going. You have to have a place to start so you can inprove remember that! Then after i couldn't do anymore that way i used a bench or a chair against the wall and got in form and did pushups against that. That is one set for me. Go til failure on each set. You will see improvement!

sheepingly

I know what you mean I used to be able to do 32 straight regular pushups years ago. I can barely even do 1 the regular way and can only do 10 the girly way. LOL

sheepingly

you should try the 100 pushups challenge http://hundredpushups.com/index.html