PUSH-UPS!?!?!

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Jerzeebabie04
Jerzeebabie04 Posts: 272
in Fitness and Exercise
Okay now I posted this on the 30 day shred forum, but figured I would ask even more people. I am TERRIBLE at push-ups! My mom and I have always said we have weak wrists, which of course it would seem weak trying to lift my own body weight since I'm so overweight. But sometimes lifting frying pans has even hurt the wrist.

So my question to all of you is... have any of you been TERRIBLE at doing push-ups, but can now do them really well? I can barely do 1 push-up and I feel so out of shape for it. I would love to be able to do push-ups and work into being really great at them, you know how some people can do them with 1 hand or do them and clap when they come up. I would LOVE to be able to do that some day! I'm really hoping to hear some inspirational stories about your experiences with push-ups or even some stories to know I am not alone.

Also if any of you know of a type of exercise/strength training that help make the wrists stronger? I know they have those little hand things you can squeeze, but I always feel like it hurts the muscles in my hands more (carpal tunnel or however that's supposed to be spelled haha)

Replies

  • neenaleigh
    neenaleigh Posts: 584 Member
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    i do the modifed (girly ones). I used to do 5 ( and that was hard) my elbows and wrists hurt! i can now do 25 ( 8 months later) still modified though. I wish I could do real ones! I used ( like when i was a teenager) be able to do 10 regular ones! my only advice is to start small and build up. if you can only do one, then do one everyday! until you can do two! you could also try doing one, taking a small break and doing another, this will help you build up! good luck to you!
  • chicka200413
    chicka200413 Posts: 55
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    i am still not very good at doing them. But i used this site : http://www.hundredpushups.com/ and i do only girl pushups and i can easily do about 30 of them... for me it also helps to do them after a work out because my body is all pumped up and ready to go...
  • Sunsh1ne
    Sunsh1ne Posts: 879 Member
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    I used to have very weak wrists as well, mostly during the time after high school when I stopped playing the violin and doing pushups for a while. If you have weak wrists, try making fists and doing knuckle pushups. Put your fists on the floor like you're giving a thumbs up, and focus on putting the weight on the first two knucles on the back of your hand. For me, this really helped, but for a friend of mine with weak wrists, it made things worse, so try it with caution.

    One thing that might help stregthen your wrists is doing wrist curls. Start without weight, or with something very lightweight, and work up to light dumbells. Start with your wrist in the neutral position, and move it slowly and deliberately back as far as you can, back to neutral, forward, and back to neutral.

    Hope this helps!
  • mvl1014
    mvl1014 Posts: 531
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    You can do modified push ups:

    On your knees sitting in front of a chair (or incline, bench, couch, etc), use the seat to push up from.
    After that you can graduate to on your knees, pushing off the floor.
    Then finally on your toes, pushing off the floor!
  • gracefullyjenn
    gracefullyjenn Posts: 148
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    That is an awesome idea MV. Thanks for that tip
  • kellygirl5538
    kellygirl5538 Posts: 597 Member
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    Yep, me. I did the shred and still doing it. I couldn't do any of them before the program, men's push ups i mean. To do push up you need core strength for sure. Keep working at it and do them everyday!! If you only do them once in a while u will have difficulty.
  • Jerzeebabie04
    Jerzeebabie04 Posts: 272
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    Thanks all! I feel sooooo out of shape when I can barely do any modified (girly) pushups. Even with knees on the floor I feel like I'm going to break my wrists trying to push my weight up while keeping my body aligned correctly. I hope to improve and plan on doing some pushups every day until I can do at least 25-30 like some of you stated you can do.
  • TwentyTen
    TwentyTen Posts: 585
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    My wrists cannot pull off a push-up either. I saw a suggestion once that doing wall push ups can help build up the strength in your wrists and arms, so since thats easy I am going to do some everyday, and then go to the modified push-ups. Baby steps,lol.
  • kellygirl5538
    kellygirl5538 Posts: 597 Member
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    When I first started doing push up I did them against the wall!!
  • Jerzeebabie04
    Jerzeebabie04 Posts: 272
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    I am definitely going to try the wall pushups. I will do as many as possible doing the modified floor pushups, but instead of taking a break during the exercise videos while they keep doing them, I'll do them on the wall! Great idea!

    They say practice makes perfect, so I'm going to stick with it, doing some everyday, even if it's only 1 or 2! lol
  • davehunter
    davehunter Posts: 1 Member
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    Try starting out on the stairs. Place your hands on about the fourth stair from the bottom and do your pushups. As you get better and it becomes easier then move to the next lower stair until you are at the bottom stair. After that you are now on the ground doing full pushups. Good luck!
  • Cassaaaaandra
    Cassaaaaandra Posts: 184 Member
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    You can teach your body to be fit enough to do anything. When I started basic training (a long time ago) I could barely do one real push up. By the end of that 9 weeks I could get in the thirties. As I kept doing them as a part of my workout routine, I kept getting better. My best push up score was 65 for two minutes. Rome wasn't built in a day...

    That said, to be in great shape and to get a good workout you don't need to do 65 pushups in two minutes. I rarely do pushups anymore (however I do weight training of my chest: flat bench press, incline bench press, and flies).

    I would try doing push ups against a wall first. Build up to 3 sets of 20. When you reach that goal, do the "girly" pushups on the floor but with your knees touching the ground. Once you build up to 3 sets of 20, then try some real push ups. It won't happen overnight. Celebrate every little personal victory you have! It's a slow process - but it works.:tongue:
  • Cassaaaaandra
    Cassaaaaandra Posts: 184 Member
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    Try starting out on the stairs. Place your hands on about the fourth stair from the bottom and do your pushups. As you get better and it becomes easier then move to the next lower stair until you are at the bottom stair. After that you are now on the ground doing full pushups. Good luck!

    That is a fantastic idea too!
  • LisaCookies
    LisaCookies Posts: 12
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    You'll get there!!!!! I know sometimes I get frustrated because it does take time to get back in shape. I find I'll really stuggle for a while then one day I'll find my fitness level takes a jump forward. I was doing modified push-ups last year. this year I'm doing full ones and my form is improving alot lately (getting further down into the push-up)

    The ideas here for modified push-ups sound great. Keep at them and you will get results. I find holding onto something like a step or push-up bars easier on my wrists!!!
  • BoxingBaseballnBass
    BoxingBaseballnBass Posts: 4
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    imo, your best bet would be to get the perfect pushup. I have wrist problems as well. So bad sometimes that it hurts to bend it forward or back. Before I got the perfect pushup, I did them on my knuckles to relieve any pain.


    The perfect pushup solved any wrist problems I had with doing pushups.
  • lwebsmfp
    lwebsmfp Posts: 297 Member
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    I include them in my workout routine and sometimes my wrists hurt but I try to push through it. I'll try balling my fists up and seeing if that helps like another person mentioned. I also rotate my wrists alot which helps.
  • grdaze
    grdaze Posts: 195 Member
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    bump

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