Push ups

FitbeTMF
FitbeTMF Posts: 251
in Fitness and Exercise
How do you go from only being able to do a handful of girly push ups to full-monty- unmodified push ups with ease?
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Replies

  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
    start doing incline push-ups - ie. with the same form you would if parallel to the ground, place your hands against the wall, keep your elbows in and lower your body towards the wall.

    repeat.

    over time you will find you can increase the angle so you are lower and lower down the wall, or off a table.

    eventually you will reach ground level, and after that, raise your legs on something......

    :)
  • HIITMe
    HIITMe Posts: 921 Member
    even at my best physical shape, I have NEVER EVER been able to do ONE "real" push-up... I'll add it to the bucket list
  • crobl
    crobl Posts: 380
    By doing them - you can start yourself on a progression making them more difficult for example -

    Wall push-ups
    Push-ups on a high table
    Pushups on a low step
    Unmodified push-ups

    And then, just for fun -

    Walking pushups
    Pushup jacks
  • joankpoirier
    joankpoirier Posts: 281 Member
    How do you go from only being able to do a handful of girly push ups to full-monty- unmodified push ups with ease?

    PRACTICE PRACTICE AND PRACTICE.. Persistence and determination!!!
  • cyberiarob
    cyberiarob Posts: 229 Member
    Check out http://hundredpushups.com
  • meghannrenee
    meghannrenee Posts: 202 Member
    Practice. Lots and lots of practice.

    Another poster's recommendation about trying incline and slowly moving closer and closer to the floor is a good one too.
  • SunshineDecember
    SunshineDecember Posts: 70 Member
    Keep doing push ups from your knees. Then do push ups in a full plank, but with your hips slightly raised - this will put your weight back a little, and off of your hands. As you get stronger, move your hips down more until your body is in one straight line - don't ever let your hips drop, though! Always keep your core strong. Just go down as far as you can. And keep working on it, a little every other day. You'll get there in no time! :)
  • FitbeTMF
    FitbeTMF Posts: 251
    Will try the incline adjustment. I do all my push ups on my fists because I have a painful wrist (I damaged it from pushing it too far to pop it)
    Not sure if the fist thing is holding me back because I haven't built up my stabilizer muscles or not
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,993 Member
    How do you go from only being able to do a handful of girly push ups to full-monty- unmodified push ups with ease?
    As you get good with girly push ups with your knees on the ground, then try doing them with your knees on a step. Eventually you'll be strong enough to get on your toes.
    Also instead of aligning your hands with your shoulders, align them more with your chest.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Rottnme
    Rottnme Posts: 167 Member
    Define handful? Keep working and work your way up to say 20, 25, 30 girly pushups, what ever it takes. Each time try to do the first one unmodified, the rest girly, and increase that end number or dow more sets. Eventually you will build up the strength to get there. When you get one unmodified, go for two next time with the rest modified. Don't give up, repetition and practice will get you where you want to be.
  • PAZlady
    PAZlady Posts: 59 Member
    someone beat me to it. check out http://hundredpushups.com/#sthash.fBr92GMv.dpbs It's a great way to build up from a few to many
  • mleboid1
    mleboid1 Posts: 5 Member
    Progressive push ups. Starting February 1, do one. Each day, add one more. By the end of the month, you'll be amazed that you're doing 28 push ups. I like starting at the beginning of the month so I can easily track how many I should be doing each day.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    By doing them - you can start yourself on a progression making them more difficult for example -

    Wall push-ups
    Push-ups on a high table
    Pushups on a low step
    Unmodified push-ups

    And then, just for fun -

    Walking pushups
    Pushup jacks

    This, and here's a video example of a progression http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mi7pZncY4Q

    Get off your knees, it's not the same exercise and you're wasting your times and causing discomfort to your knees.
  • evdenapoli
    evdenapoli Posts: 164 Member
    By doing them - you can start yourself on a progression making them more difficult for example -

    Wall push-ups
    Push-ups on a high table
    Pushups on a low step
    Unmodified push-ups

    And then, just for fun -

    Walking pushups
    Pushup jacks

    That's great advice! I will try this.. Thank you!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    How do you go from only being able to do a handful of girly push ups to full-monty- unmodified push ups with ease?

    www.hundredpushups.com

    I am 51 yo. For my entire life I could never do "full-monty" pushups. I started using the website above in Sept. Yesterday I did 100. Not all at once, but in sets varying from 5 - 20. And I'm still improving. Not as fast as the program seems to think I should. I've repeated weeks several times. But for me, doing 20 pushups in one set is a very big deal! :smile:
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    Will try the incline adjustment. I do all my push ups on my fists because I have a painful wrist (I damaged it from pushing it too far to pop it)
    Not sure if the fist thing is holding me back because I haven't built up my stabilizer muscles or not

    You could try using these

    pushupbars.jpg

    to relieve wrist strain, or a substitute such as hexagonal dumbbells or kettlebells (big heavy ones), depending on what your gym has.
  • FITnFIRM4LIFE
    FITnFIRM4LIFE Posts: 818 Member
    http://hundredpushups.com/#sthash.voq81BxI.dpbs

    Also, as others said..Practice -:-)
  • HypersonicFitNess
    HypersonicFitNess Posts: 1,219 Member
    I'm not sure...it wasn't an option in bootcamp....girls had to do real pushups and there was no choice about it....pushups until you couldn't pushup no more, then do a few more after that on noodle arms. Then do some with a rifle on the backs of your hands....sorry, I guess I'm no help.
  • FitbeTMF
    FitbeTMF Posts: 251
    I'm not sure...it wasn't an option in bootcamp....girls had to do real pushups and there was no choice about it....pushups until you couldn't pushup no more, then do a few more after that on noodle arms. Then do some with a rifle on the backs of your hands....sorry, I guess I'm no help.

    Sometimes that's 3 push ups! My program calls for TWO 3 set push ups: Narrow and wide.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    PRACTICE PRACTICE AND PRACTICE.. Persistence and determination!!!

    this!

    i could only do girl press ups to start with, but since i started using dumbells as well i can now do 6 proper press ups and am working my way to a set of 10 and then 3 sets of 10.

    i am hoping that starting NROL4W will help me increase my upper body strength too

    doing plank to press up is great as well!!
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    Try starting on your knees doing girly-ups. Then when you can get 20 of those with ease, graduate up to the real thing. No one is going to knock you for doing the girly ups. Even I do them when I can't hit that goal number. I just try harder next time to do less and less girlies and more and more of the real deal.
  • MidwestAngel
    MidwestAngel Posts: 1,897 Member
    Start with incline(even on the wall) and work your way to the floor.

    This also works for other things too, heh
  • tracymat
    tracymat Posts: 296 Member
    These are awesome suggestions!!
  • FullOfWin
    FullOfWin Posts: 1,414 Member
    I greatly increased the number of pushups I can do by increasing the amoutn of weight I can bench press.
  • FitbeTMF
    FitbeTMF Posts: 251
    I greatly increased the number of pushups I can do by increasing the amoutn of weight I can bench press.

    Working on that as well :)
  • BeingAwesome247
    BeingAwesome247 Posts: 1,171 Member
    I like the wall and knee options.
    Also something that has helped me with doing regular push ups - a wider stance with my legs.
  • busymom11
    busymom11 Posts: 15
    If you have stairs with room at the bottom, use them. Start at the 5th stair or so. Do sets at that stair until you feel strong enough to try the next stair. Keep progressing til your on the floor.
  • prairiewalker
    prairiewalker Posts: 184 Member
    Use a stability ball under your hips to do the push ups

    Over time, place the stability ball under your thighs, then shins,

    ...then try the full military style push up.

    The time sequence it will take depends are your overall strength, determination and dedication.

    Good luck.
  • corrinnebrown
    corrinnebrown Posts: 345 Member
    Keep doing them. When I started p90x. I could do maybe 20 in an HOUR. When I finished I was well over 167!
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    For some people, it isn't chest or arm strength but the core strength that is lacking.

    So TRY PLANKS! There are a lot of plank styles out there, but any one of them will strengthen your core and help you with the push-up.

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