Push-ups need help!

JanetLM73

I started doing 30ds and getting a little discouraged because I can't do push up's (even the easy way) I don't have the upper body strength yet.....what can I do to make this easier? Is there any other way I can do them?

jcpmoore

I'm not sure what the 30ds way of doing push-ups is, I'll guess the classic. I do my push-ups on the wall. Put your hands on the wall so that your body is at a comfortable angle and push off the wall as if it were the floor. As you can do those easier, you can use a table. Then, eventually, you'll be able to do 'em on the floor.

HTH

cbl40

keep practicing! Even if it is just one......you'll get there! Try doing chest strengthening exercises as well.

Victoria2448

I started doing 30ds and getting a little discouraged because I can't do push up's (even the easy way) I don't have the upper body strength yet.....what can I do to make this easier? Is there any other way I can do them?

If you can't do them on the floor from your knees. Try them with your hands on a counter top. Keep attempting them from the floor. You will get them, good luck!

Crystal0827

I can't do push-ups either, but wall push-ups or inclined push-ups are a little easier, just don't cheat yourself if it doesn't feel like you are getting anything from it, then your not, it should be a challege for you.

keywestsunset

I started yesterday too, and I have to do them on my knees. I can't make it through without stopping, but I just do it until I need to break for second, then start back up again. It's a little discouraging, but its the only way to get stronger!! I bet by the end we'll be able to do them them the right way!

itgeekwoman

It takes time to get the upper body strength. Start with planks..just hold yourself as if you were going to do a pushup.. without the pushup. Try doing that and seeing how long you can hold it. Say 30 seconds in 3 sets?
Work up to that.. YOu can also try then to lean into the wall and push your self out.

Build up to this stuff so you don't injure your shoulders. It's great fun though I did pushups and planks yesterday in training!

atabt

I think it's a matter of continuing to try and not giving up. I am on level 3 of 30DS (but I am doing it in 60 days, not 30!)

It has taken me a long time to work up to where I am now. Just keep trying and don't expect to be able to do everything that those girls do in the video - they are in fantastic shape and are there for inspiration.

I like the inclined (wall) push-up idea. Keep on trying and be proud of yourself for doing the 30DS and for being brave enough to ask for help when you need it. You will get there!

drbell48

For pushups, it starts out with Wall pushups. Start with 1 set of 10 and work your way up to 3 sets of 50. The key is taking your time and moving slow to eliminate momentum. After you hit 3 sets of 50 wall pushups; time for step 2. Do 2 sets of wall pushups as a warmup and then start with 1 set of 10 table/counter pushups. You keep progressing reps/sets and working to harder versions from there.


Check out the book Convict Conditioning. Weird name, but it has a nice breakdown of some good body weight calisthenics for strength training. All the exercises have 10 steps from beginner to advanced. The only excercise I don't care for so far is stage 1 of squats.

Karmynzahringer

I am on level 2 of the 30ds and I still can not go all the way down with a pushup, even in the girly position, but I make myself go down as far as I can, some days its lower than others, and slowly but surely I am getting closer and closer to the floor, but still can not do one regular, but I can feel that it is hard, and that it is pushing me, so I just do the best I can.

erickirb

Start against the wall, keep moving your feet further out once they become too easy, then move on to doing them with your hands on a counter or table, then move to the floor. It may take a while but you will eventually be able to do them.

Lotte34

I'm not sure what the 30ds way of doing push-ups is, I'll guess the classic. I do my push-ups on the wall. Put your hands on the wall so that your body is at a comfortable angle and push off the wall as if it were the floor. As you can do those easier, you can use a table. Then, eventually, you'll be able to do 'em on the floor.

HTH

THIS!!! Its how i got the strength to start doing sit ups

JoDeeD

30DS is great! I started a challenge before starting the 30DS program where I started with 5 push ups per day and increased it when I could by 1 per day. By the end of 3 weeks I was up to about 20 on my toes. Now with the 30DS program I do them on my knees mostly because it is a full minute of push ups at the beginning of the workout. I don't want to wear myself out at the beginning. Keep with it and it will get easier! I just did 4 days straight, tonight we are doing Zumba cardio party with weights. That is build up my upper body strength as well. You are on the right track!

junyr

Put your hands on a wall with your feel a bit behind you, think being frisked/searched by police. If you can pull your hands away from the wall without falling toward the wall slightly, your feet aren't far enough back. Do a push-up leaning on the wall to get started.

laurarpa

I agree with the above suggestions.Straight arm planks are good start if you can't do a pushup. Countertop is good. Steps work too - from the bottom start with your hands a few steps up, maybe 4 then work your way down as the weeks progress. You may just want to add a few here and there as you go about your day. You'll get it!

d3mon4ngel

I tried the 30DS and couldn't do the push ups. I've since put the DVD back on the shelf and have been slowly building up my strength at my own pace. I did "girly" pushups to start with, with a few wall pushups thrown in now and then, and I can now do real ones. All I did was tell myself that I had to do at least the same as last time, but pushed myself to try to get that one extra, or try to get to the nearest 5 or nearest 10.

I started off barely able to do 1 "girly" pushup, and this morning I have done 30 real pushups. I do them in sets of 10, with ab crunches in between to break them up. The most I can do in one go is still only 10 but its still a hell of a lot more than I could do a month ago. I'm planning on trying to start 30DS again on March 1st, as I hope that then I will be able to keep up a bit better.

Lolli1986

Yep, wall push-ups are great for me. I don't know how 30ds works, but I used to do circuit training that involved doing as many as possible in 30 seconds, moving up to 45sec, then 60. Over time I could quickly do many more in 30secs than I could initially. Every little bit really does help! As someone else said, every so often try to do it off a table or knees and work your way down to floor. I can't seem to do floor without hurting my shoulders, so be wary of that.

Core work on bridges/planks helped me to improve my push ups too. I'm sure I started at less than a minute and worked up to 2 minutes. I find a strong core really is core to every exercise!

Good luck!

BerryH

Here's a six-step programme that worked for me to build up my push-ups when I was recovering from a shoulder injury:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/BerryH/view/how-to-do-10-full-push-ups-what-worked-for-me-126396

david_swinstead

Yep, like everyoen else has said start by doign counter pushups.

If even these are too hard, try wall pushups until you can do them easily, then go on to counter pushups.

The only thing I wanted to add is that if you do these onto your staircase, while standing at the bottom, it will enabled you to adjust the angle more finely as you get stronger, by standing closer to the stairs or further back from them. Same principle as wall/countertop but just makes it a little easier to go up more gradually.

Keep at it because push ups (or "press ups" for us brits) are a really great exercise for building upper body strength and should be at the core of any body weight workout.

kittenmitton

Set a challenge for yourself. I couldn't do pushups at all 2 months ago and my boyfriend challenged me to do 60 pushups in a month. I was hard, I was super angry at myself because that first day I couldn't even get through 5 pushups, but I kept pushing myself harder and in about 10 days I could do 60 pushups (I started by adding 5 each day and when I got to 40, I added 10 more each day). If you absolutely cannot do a single pushup, keep trying to get your form perfect and start by just doing one pushup 5 or 6 times a day until you can do it, the. Slowly add one on and keep doing that until you can do a certain number of pushups.

Crystal0827

I was reading about 200 sit ups and googled a push up challenge and this is what I found, I am going to try both, I would love to be able to say I can do 10 push ups LOL.

http://hundredpushups.com/what.html