Push Up Training. I need help!

jnb143

Any one having any tips on training for push-ups. I can't do 1 push-up, but I plan on joining the military, therefore, I NEED to work on this. I have been practicing by starting off with doing push-ups on the bathroom corner and doing about 10-15 a couple times a day. Does any have an suggestions?

TAsunder

Try the hundred push up challenge: http://hundredpushups.com/#sthash.EHQeXh9n.dpbs

You can start with whatever push-up you are capable of right now, be it wall push ups or knee push ups. The most important part will be to not cheat on form. Don't stick your butt out or go halfway down.

The military has some pretty serious tests so you will eventually need to transition to full push-ups (no knees) I believe, in order to get to certain ranks. That's all second-hand knowledge so I might be wrong about that.

DamianaKitten

I'm in the same boat.

Right now, I'm using a bar (like, a serving bar at a bar lol) that we have outside. It's the tallest secure point in the house that isn't a wall. I do push-ups off of that. Since I'm so far out of shape, I do 20 reps 3 times, twice a week. Once a week I do a 2-minute burst just to see how far off regs I am. Once I can reach the 18 year old male standard for push-ups on the bar, I'll move down to a step (maybe... 6-8 inches), and start over. If you do the 20x3, and you don't feel it, do more reps or sets. I don't like doing them on the wall, because I can't figure out the right wrist placement, so I gave up. Basically, use anything that's elevated to give you some relief while you work on form and technique, so that the weight you're pushing isn't as big of an issue.

Also, varying had positions will work different muscles differently, and can be very helpful. I'm told (my husband is Army) that you can vary your hand position during the test, so may as well get it in as practice.

You can also attempt things like plant and just holding front leaning rest. It will give you a good core workout and work the stabilizer muscles that you need to develop.

DamianaKitten

Try the hundred push up challenge: http://hundredpushups.com/#sthash.EHQeXh9n.dpbs

You can start with whatever push-up you are capable of right now, be it wall push ups or knee push ups. The most important part will be to not cheat on form. Don't stick your butt out or go halfway down.

The military has some pretty serious tests so you will eventually need to transition to full push-ups (no knees) I believe, in order to get to certain ranks. That's all second-hand knowledge so I might be wrong about that.

You can't do knee push-ups at all. Besides, I HATE them. My knees always hurt, and I don't find them to be terribly helpful. <_<

OP~ if you want to friend me, I'd be happy to talk with you more. I've got a FB group as well where I'm posting different exercises and things my husband gives me. No clue just how far out of shape you are, but I'd be happy to share my rather easy starting plan. lol I'm really out of shape. <_<

DamianaKitten

Ahhh!!! I peeped and saw where you are from. My husbands last duty station was Ft. Knox. I miss it out there. :-/

jnb143

Try the hundred push up challenge: http://hundredpushups.com/#sthash.EHQeXh9n.dpbs

You can start with whatever push-up you are capable of right now, be it wall push ups or knee push ups. The most important part will be to not cheat on form. Don't stick your butt out or go halfway down.

The military has some pretty serious tests so you will eventually need to transition to full push-ups (no knees) I believe, in order to get to certain ranks. That's all second-hand knowledge so I might be wrong about that.

THANKS! I'll look into this!

jnb143

Ahhh!!! I peeped and saw where you are from. My husbands last duty station was Ft. Knox. I miss it out there. :-/

Thanks for the input!
I'm trying to get out of this place! Although I live in Louisville, I've spent some years on Fort Knox. My dad retired there a few years back.

AmandaLY17

I do mine on my treadmill. I think the key is to slowly add more. Right now Im doing 15 a day (started at 10), but Ive done it so that I slowly ad up to 15 a day, then I started adding sets. I was doing 3 sets of 15 when I started doing real ones. My guess is that the big key is that you add more, even when you dont feel like you can, but just keep trying and when you get it, up it again.

DamianaKitten

Ahhh!!! I peeped and saw where you are from. My husbands last duty station was Ft. Knox. I miss it out there. :-/

Thanks for the input!
I'm trying to get out of this place! Although I live in Louisville, I've spent some years on Fort Knox. My dad retired there a few years back.

:laugh: I love living there, and being a civilian there. I pray that I never ever get stationed there.

thesupremeforce

The Hundred Pushup Challenge should help. The important thing is to keep doing them, a lot of them, several times per week.

deksgrl

Keep at it on the wall, doing more every day. When you can do 12 upright, then move your feet farther away from the wall and do them from there until you can do 12. Keep that up until you can do one on your knees on the floor and keep adding reps. When you can do a bunch on your knees, move to your toes.

MizTerry

For those that don't have the upper body strength, put yourself in front of a wall at a sharp angle and push yourself up from the wall. The sharper the angle, the stronger you're getting.

I wish you well. I served my time, and my daughter just left for boot this week.

JoRocka

progression

walls
counter
stairs
desk
chairs
floor

whatever you have available- work your way down- this will be a process- several months long.

Do sets of them- through out the day- and keep working on it- if you have stairs they are the best because you can do some on stair 6 then do someone stair 5 then move back up to 6 all in one set of working.

It takes time- but it's better than doing knee push ups- doing stuff on your knees has it's place in training (que bad jokes) but really to get to a full push up it's better to do them elevated and not broken.

leviclampitt

Video yourself doing them and then have a knowledgeable person critique them.

jnb143

For those that don't have the upper body strength, put yourself in front of a wall at a sharp angle and push yourself up from the wall. The sharper the angle, the stronger you're getting.

I wish you well. I served my time, and my daughter just left for boot this week.

Thanks!
Good luck to her! I hope she does well!

kr1stadee

progression

walls
counter
stairs
desk
chairs
floor

This!

As well, try negatives... Start in plank position and lower yourself, then stop, reset and lower again.
But start on the wall, and then move to stairs eventually .. and then you'll get to the floor on knees. Try 1-2 on your toes, then go to knees. Next time, try to get one more on your toes!

You'll get there!!

running_tall

This is great. I've been in the same boat. Trying on my knees, but even then...not going all the way down. I'm gonna find an angle that I can do the complete movement, and work from there! Glad I came across this!

yogicarl

Try this

Set yourself up so when you are in the resting push-up position (high plank), your heels are pressing against the skirting board.

Now, when you lower yourself down to low plank, make sure you are driving your heels into the wall behind you.

Then, when your sternum is about a fist height from the floor, push back up with your elbows brushing your rib cage and not out at angles from your body.

You may find you felt stronger doing it this way? Driving your heels backwards like this helps you to take the intensity away from your upper body.

Men tend to use upper body, shoulder and arm brute strength to do push-ups, whereas women often have much better form because they learn to use energy and mechanics more efficiently.

bcattoes

I second www.hundredpushups.com

BUT, it helps you do more pushups, you really have to be able to do one first. Stairs are a good way to work up to doing a military pushup. Start on the lowest step on which you can do a pushup with good form. Do a few sets of as many as you can. After a week or so, try moving to the next step down, if you can.

Eventually you should work down to the floor. Then go to the web site and work on doing more.

Orion782

Military Veteran here...

Everyone above has given great advice. Learn and master the pushup; you'll be doing lots of them. If you don't get good at them, they will MAKE you good at them. Basic Training is not the time to "get in shape". If you wait until then, you'll hate life.

Kattzmeow51

Bumpity-Bump :flowerforyou:

Sunbrooke

I was in the army. We did over head claps to muscle failure. I do them while walking on the treadmill because they are boring. Also, it you walk while doing them, you will work your core more. You can also do the raise the roof move and push you arm up over your head over and over until it burns like crazy. Don't worry about doing knee push-ups. They will have you staying in the front leaning rest position if you can't push. You will spend a lot of time doing these three thing.

It's great that you are preparing and it will make getting "smoked" easier.

It's not really push up related, but they will also probably have you doing flutter kicks.

yogicarl

They will have you staying in the front leaning rest position if you can't push.

In yoga, that position is what is called Chaturanga Dandasana. Our teacher has us slow counting to 15 before being allowed to push back up to high plank. It really does build the strength needed to do regular push-ups and build chest, shoulder and triceps strength generally.

RGv2

Try the hundred push up challenge: http://hundredpushups.com/#sthash.EHQeXh9n.dpbs

You can start with whatever push-up you are capable of right now, be it wall push ups or knee push ups. The most important part will be to not cheat on form. Don't stick your butt out or go halfway down.

The military has some pretty serious tests so you will eventually need to transition to full push-ups (no knees) I believe, in order to get to certain ranks. That's all second-hand knowledge so I might be wrong about that.

Hundred pushup challenge would be a good start, and yes starting out however you can do a complete rep is great, but you need to transition to full. You're second hand knowledge is pretty skewed. Most branches require a certain amount of standard pushups before even allowing the recruit to enter basic training, let alone having to do a certain amount to graduate basic, and AIT. It's far more than just worrying about advancing rank. If you can't pass the PT test, you don't get in.

RGv2

They will have you staying in the front leaning rest position if you can't push.

In yoga, that position is what is called Chaturanga Dandasana. Our teacher has us slow counting to 15 before being allowed to push back up to high plank. It really does build the strength needed to do regular push-ups and build chest, shoulder and triceps strength generally.

So, then it's not the front leaning rest.....

Front leaning rest is the top of the rep, not the bottom.

marieamethyst

When I was training to get ready for Basic I would do push ups during commercial breaks while watching TV. When I first started I could only do one, but every day I could usually do one or two more at least. By the time I did the entrance test I more than passed the requirement. Check to see if your recruiting office (if you've gotten that far yet) has some kind of get together where everyone getting ready to join comes to exercise together. I loved having the recruiters kick my rear; it was just a small, small taste of what was to come. I also had a "battle buddy" that I was paired up with, and we exercised together. Just keep at it, and keep doing them every day!

ekztawas

It has helped me to be mindful of the alignment of my body when I move down to the floor. Keep your abs and butt tight, it will help keep your body in a straight line and will prevent you from hurting your back.

This video from Zuzka Light also has some good pointers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiM_vMSYyO8
I know of a lot of current and past military servers who incorporate Zuzka's workouts. They are fast and mean! Many of them include push ups, which would help you practice! I noticed a great improvement in my push up endurance while doing her workouts.

Best of luck to you!

Sunbrooke

When I was training to get ready for Basic I would do push ups during commercial breaks while watching TV. When I first started I could only do one, but every day I could usually do one or two more at least. By the time I did the entrance test I more than passed the requirement. Check to see if your recruiting office (if you've gotten that far yet) has some kind of get together where everyone getting ready to join comes to exercise together. I loved having the recruiters kick my rear; it was just a small, small taste of what was to come. I also had a "battle buddy" that I was paired up with, and we exercised together. Just keep at it, and keep doing them every day!

Great idea! Those recruiters do NOT want you to fail. there are often some "home town recruiters," who just got out of basic, hanging around the office who would love to show delayed entry recruits what to expect.

Kiayaxo

I used to struggle very badly doing push ups. My back would buckle and I'd fall to the ground. I've found that strengthening my abs helped keep my posture right and I could do better push-ups.

yogicarl

They will have you staying in the front leaning rest position if you can't push.

In yoga, that position is what is called Chaturanga Dandasana. Our teacher has us slow counting to 15 before being allowed to push back up to high plank. It really does build the strength needed to do regular push-ups and build chest, shoulder and triceps strength generally.

So, then it's not the front leaning rest.....

Front leaning rest is the top of the rep, not the bottom.

Ahh - ok. I wondered why ours didn't feel like much of a rest! thanks.

yogicarl

I used to struggle very badly doing push ups. My back would buckle and I'd fall to the ground. I've found that strengthening my abs helped keep my posture right and I could do better push-ups.

agreed - I found my core gave up before my arms until I did more Plank holds.