Push up help

1223345
1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have tried many times in my history of exercise to do real push ups. NOT the little girly ones, but regular push ups. Who has started from being able to do none to being able to do many? I don't have access to a gym, but I do have dumbells at home. Are there any other exercises that can help strenghten the muscles used doing pushups that help get me there?

And just settling for the girly ones or just one or two regular ones is not an option. I am going for bigger and better here. This is a goal I have set.
«13

Replies

  • FullOfWin
    FullOfWin Posts: 1,414 Member
    Bnech press with a barbell or dumbbells, but you need a bench of some sort, and dumbbells that are heavy enough
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    First things first. Can you DO the little girly ones? Honestly, they are a great stepping stone. You might also want to try planks as a way to strengthen your push-up muscles.
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
    I started out being able to do only one and now do 5 sets x 10.

    I starte by doing 5 sets of 1. Some might be positive push-ups from the floor, later sets I would come to a plank from kneeling on all fours and then loweing down - a negative rep.

    I built up like that doing 5 pyramid sets (1-2-3-2-1), until I could do 8-9-10-9-8 and now I am doing 5 x 10 and looking to make the exercise harder by doing decline presses.

    Hope that helps. Bodyweight exercises are great; a lost art well worth exploring in it's own right.
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
    I can do the girly ones. I guess I should have mentioned that. Sorry.
    The plank sounds good. I have done that before. Perhaps the pyramid is one good way. I will give that a shot. Still welcoming ideas however. It never hurts to have a few good ideas.

    Thanks!
  • Crankstr
    Crankstr Posts: 3,958 Member
    i dont think the ones on your knees are a good stepping stone...


    what worked for me was doing them from a higher surface ( still in a straight plank position), and gradually moving down...

    i started of the edge of my sleigh bed, then counter height, then the 3rd step, and now i am doing them from the first step!

    its taken a while. but my upper body was very weak from back problems.
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
    i dont think the ones on your knees are a good stepping stone...


    what worked for me was doing them from a higher surface ( still in a straight plank position), and gradually moving down...

    i started of the edge of my sleigh bed, then counter height, then the 3rd step, and now i am doing them from the first step!

    its taken a while. but my upper body was very weak from back problems.




    Hmmm..... this sounds very doable. I attempted doing them against a wall hoping it would be good, but It didn't do much. I never thought of taking it to lower levels gradually. I can see this working well for me.
  • NaomiJFoster
    NaomiJFoster Posts: 1,450 Member
    That's my dream-goal too. I don't think I'll get there because I have really bad shoulder-dislocation problems and even the girlie ones leave me in pain for days afterward and loosen up my joint too much. But...I dream.

    They are more difficult for women. Something about our center of gravity being slightly different from men. I dont' remember.

    Anyway...Right now, I'm doing angled Wall Pushups. Just put my hands on the wall at shoulder height, with my feet stepped back about 2 or 3 feet. Lean into the wall and push back. I also do them with my hands on the bathroom counter and my feet all the way back across the floor. In a few weeks I'm going to try to do some on the coffee table, which is even lower. And then on my step-stool. Eventually, I'd like to be able to do them all the way down on the floor.
  • AEB_WV
    AEB_WV Posts: 323 Member
    This is a good thread for me, I want to switch from girl to 'real' pushups b/c I'm getting marks on my knees from the girl ones!
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Instead of girly ones do incline ones. Start on the wall, then move to a chair or steps getting lower to the ground as you get stronger. (This is what the book New Rules of Weight Lifting recommends)
  • Wendysworld13
    Wendysworld13 Posts: 225 Member
    Just an FYI - the female body is not necessarily made to do pushups. Although many women can - there are far more that cannot. A better exercise by far is a plank. Many will not agree, and this will probably start an argument with all those negative nellies on here, but I have been told by more than one physical therapist and trainers. It has to do with the size of the muscles in our backs, shoulders and chest. Can women do them, YES, are there better exercises to get the same or better results, YES.
    Good luck if this is your goal - I do the girl pushups and do other exercises instead.
  • Littlechele
    Littlechele Posts: 7
    great thread! I really struggle with proper push ups too, will definitely try some of the tips given here, thanks!:smile:
  • PaulFromEssex
    PaulFromEssex Posts: 245
    Try push ups on the stairs. Hands on the, say, 6th step and feet on the floor. After you can manage 10 - 15 for 3 sets, move down to the 5th step, and keep on like that until your hands are on the floor.

    THEN .... start putting your feet on the stairs!! But that is advanced stuff heehee.

    Good luck, and remember, never sacrifice form to move on quicker!
  • KristyHumphrey
    KristyHumphrey Posts: 248 Member
    I too always wanted to do push-ups like a man!
  • dblaacker
    dblaacker Posts: 153 Member
    All of these are great suggestions! Flat chest presses and incline presses will help to develop the muscles you need to use for pushups, as well as yoga poses like the plank pose. There are two variations of the full plank pose: you can rest your body on your elbows, or you can hold your arms straight up and maintain a flat body line. You could also practice side planks (resting on one elbow with the other arm in the air), or T stabilizations (holding yourself up with one straight arm and the other up in the air) to develop stronger shoulders and pecs. I feel like incline pushups would be a good way to work up to full pushups more quickly. Start on a table and do that for a week or two, then on a chair, then a lower surface until you're just using the floor. Good luck!
  • chooriyah
    chooriyah Posts: 469 Member
    I'm doing them against the kitchen counter and the edge of the pool table in an effort to get stronger. I can do 3 sets of ten like that now. I will find something lower than that soon.
  • NaomiJFoster
    NaomiJFoster Posts: 1,450 Member
    Try push ups on the stairs. Hands on the, say, 6th step and feet on the floor. After you can manage 10 - 15 for 3 sets, move down to the 5th step, and keep on like that until your hands are on the floor.

    THEN .... start putting your feet on the stairs!! But that is advanced stuff heehee.

    Good luck, and remember, never sacrifice form to move on quicker!



    Hands on the 6th step??? You must be tall. I just checked. If I push onto my tiptoes and stretch my arms all the way almost out of the sockets and wiggle my fingers as long as they can be...I still can't reach the 6th step.
  • savyjenn
    savyjenn Posts: 41 Member
    great thread Icant do anything but the girly ones right now...but Iremember as a kid I could do regular...
  • slobkitten
    slobkitten Posts: 22
    got to laugh at "the girly ones". because the other ones are for manly men only!!!
  • PaulFromEssex
    PaulFromEssex Posts: 245
    Try push ups on the stairs. Hands on the, say, 6th step and feet on the floor. After you can manage 10 - 15 for 3 sets, move down to the 5th step, and keep on like that until your hands are on the floor.

    THEN .... start putting your feet on the stairs!! But that is advanced stuff heehee.

    Good luck, and remember, never sacrifice form to move on quicker!




    Hands on the 6th step??? You must be tall. I just checked. If I push onto my tiptoes and stretch my arms all the way almost out of the sockets and wiggle my fingers as long as they can be...I still can't reach the 6th step.


    We have little steps on this staircase!:happy:
  • Crankstr
    Crankstr Posts: 3,958 Member
    Try push ups on the stairs. Hands on the, say, 6th step and feet on the floor. After you can manage 10 - 15 for 3 sets, move down to the 5th step, and keep on like that until your hands are on the floor.

    THEN .... start putting your feet on the stairs!! But that is advanced stuff heehee.

    Good luck, and remember, never sacrifice form to move on quicker!



    Hands on the 6th step??? You must be tall. I just checked. If I push onto my tiptoes and stretch my arms all the way almost out of the sockets and wiggle my fingers as long as they can be...I still can't reach the 6th step.

    5' 11 here...and I just checked...mine was the 5th step,lol
  • PaulFromEssex
    PaulFromEssex Posts: 245
    I too always wanted to do push-ups like a man!

    Same here!!:laugh:
  • Crankstr
    Crankstr Posts: 3,958 Member
    Just an FYI - the female body is not necessarily made to do pushups. Although many women can - there are far more that cannot. A better exercise by far is a plank. Many will not agree, and this will probably start an argument with all those negative nellies on here, but I have been told by more than one physical therapist and trainers. It has to do with the size of the muscles in our backs, shoulders and chest. Can women do them, YES, are there better exercises to get the same or better results, YES.
    Good luck if this is your goal - I do the girl pushups and do other exercises instead.

    so, if someone has a different opinion, they are considered a negative nellie?
  • samlankford
    samlankford Posts: 334
    2 years ago when I did the insanity fit test I could barely do 1 pushup, by the end of month 1 I could do 17 in the 1 min that they give you.. by the end of month 2 I was able to do 30 in a min... there is NO shame in doing the girly ones.. those can be made to be challenging as well.. Plank is great, that will work you core, your legs and your upper body.. good luck and take it one day at a time...
  • lveh8lve
    lveh8lve Posts: 162 Member
    You can use an exercise ball as well. Start with the ball under your hips and gradually push back to your toes. The further back, the harder the push up! I have been doing that and so far it's working.
  • Gabriall
    Gabriall Posts: 101 Member
    this is brilliant, ive been working on this myself recently too... my knees just arnt up for the girlie ones any more and it feels rubbish being in a martial arts class and being the only one doing them like that. will have a go at reducing hieghts method :)
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    I started doing them on a bench at the gym. I'm now up to 3 sets of 10 on the floor going all the way down until my boobs almost touch the ground (and I have little boobs, big boobs can get in the way, which is the only REAL reason I could say seeing women's bodies are meant for pushups). I'm about ready to move to decline where I elevate my feet.
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
    This is really good advice! I've been trying to do them, too, and they are hard! My elbows hurt but it's my legs that give out first! I'm just doing them little by little. I can't get anywhere near as low to the ground as the video instructor, but I can do a couple more than I was able to last week. I'm trying to add just one more in every few days. You'll get stronger - you'll be able to do it.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Just an FYI - the female body is not necessarily made to do pushups. Although many women can - there are far more that cannot. A better exercise by far is a plank. Many will not agree, and this will probably start an argument with all those negative nellies on here, but I have been told by more than one physical therapist and trainers. It has to do with the size of the muscles in our backs, shoulders and chest. Can women do them, YES, are there better exercises to get the same or better results, YES.
    Good luck if this is your goal - I do the girl pushups and do other exercises instead.

    so, if someone has a different opinion, they are considered a negative nellie?

    Especially when we are the ones telling her she CAN do something rather than she can't, we are the "negative" ones?
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    You know what made a big difference for me? Nutrition. Once I started aiming for a minimum of 100g of protein a day, everything got easier. Pushups, crunches, planks, running... I'm not a low-carber by any stretch of the imagination, but getting adequate protein made an amazing improvement in my strength and endurance.
  • DouMc
    DouMc Posts: 1,689 Member
    bump. i would love to be able to do them too!

Categories