STAGE1 Maxing out on weights

teinepalagi

OK ladies...I have 2 problems going on in Stage1 that I am looking for some advice on:

1) Push-ups: I have always been able to do "big girl" push ups and now I am doing 12 reps alternating with a 12 pound hexagonal weight in each hand and rotating up (the hardest one in the book). This is the biggest hexagonal weight the gym has. The others are round and when I try to go up in weight, I almost kill myself because they roll around. I see push ups are still in Stage 2....do I need to do something else?

2) on lunges, I am doing 25# in each hand. My grip strength wears out before my legs do. I wear lifting gloves. Any thoughts?

Thanks for the advice.

joannezuk

I can't comment on pushups, as I'm still trying to keep my elbows tight to my sides with bench pushups.

As for lunges though, I had the same problem. Once 25# was comfortable, I moved to an olympic bar plus weights (set up like you do for squats). I'd advise doing your first set just with the bar, and then with light weights. The breadth of the bar really challenged my balance the first couple of times.

deninevi

To make push ups harder you can elevate your feet or do plyo push ups on the floor or hands on a bench-do a push up but instead of pushing up try to kind of jump up just with hands. If that is too easy try to take off and touch shoulders, hips or behind your but or just clap your hands before you land. You can do push ups on the Swiss ball-feet up or hand up. You can also use TRX-feet up or hand up. You can also elevate one leg at a time and do a push up.

For the lunges- you can switch to the bar, but I'll keep working with DBs to get your grip strength better. As for the gloves-I do better without gloves,it's just personal preference.

seamonkey789

How are you doing your push ups? Our push ups in my dance class got a lot harder when the teacher changed them and said instead of arms bent out, keep your arms right under your shoulders and when you go down, keep your elbows as close to your body as possible while trying to touch your nose to the floor

freezerburn2012

I think the book says that wearing gloves can interfere with grip strength development.

ATLMel

I had the same problem with my lunges. I've started using Versa Gripps and I love them. A little expensive but it adds a tiny bit of support/protection while still letting me build grip strength. I don't use them for every exercise, just the pulling ones, mostly. They are easy to get on and off or just move to the back of my hand when I don't need them. I can't recommend them enough.

juicemoogan

are you doing those push ups as tricep push ups (elbows tight at sides) or elbows going out from your shoulders making a T with your body?

Tricep push ups are much harder if you aren't already doing them that way, that might be a challenge.

MrsKosal

I've been doing my lunges with a bar the whole time! Did I miss something? Should I have been doing them with db's instead?

girlie100

I think the book says that wearing gloves can interfere with grip strength development.

damn, i don't remember reading that, woops i've been wearing gloves the whole time

I had a problem being able to hold enough to make the lunges feel like they are working so i switched to the bar instead.