Can't even do one push-up.

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Replies

  • jacktin
    jacktin Posts: 24
    You are doing good with cardio, but you should strength/resistance for toning (since it is important to you). The trick is to start slow, and do ONLY what you can do. As a person with Lupus (autoimmune disease), I know first hand how hard this can be and I truly cannot do certain exercises or heavy weight lifting, but I do what my body can handle. Example: No way can I do a real push up because of my weight and joint issues--so I do wall push ups :)The old saying "Rome wasn't built in a day" comes to mind, but it did need some bricks to get started :p. Better to add some now and building up will get easier.

    Many work certain muscle groups on certain days. This has been recommended to me as well by my fitness coach and doctor.I do at least 3 rounds of cardio a week ( 30 min sessions,mostly step aerobics ) and I do strength or light weight exercise on the off-cardio days (though I do ab exercises 6 days a week). One of the days I focus upper body and another day I focus lower body. I may have issues with plateau right now, but I am still losing inches and am gaining definition in my face, arms,legs and abs.

    Start with no weight at first or maybe some soup cans then graduate to getting some resistance bands and maybe some heavier weights as you progress. Keep up the good work :D

    But you do ab exercises 6 days a week, obviously you do not care about joint, lumbar, disc issues.

    If I do my ab exercises on weight bench with no weight or stability ball, how am I hurting my joints? I do not go down to the floor and my back is not affected thankfully by my Lupus. I do not have lumbar or disc issues.My knees, hips, ankles, fingers, toes,pericardium,lungs,kidneys and skin on my face is affected by my Lupus.
  • notthatthis
    notthatthis Posts: 218
    You are doing good with cardio, but you should strength/resistance for toning (since it is important to you). The trick is to start slow, and do ONLY what you can do. As a person with Lupus (autoimmune disease), I know first hand how hard this can be and I truly cannot do certain exercises or heavy weight lifting, but I do what my body can handle. Example: No way can I do a real push up because of my weight and joint issues--so I do wall push ups :)The old saying "Rome wasn't built in a day" comes to mind, but it did need some bricks to get started :p. Better to add some now and building up will get easier.

    Many work certain muscle groups on certain days. This has been recommended to me as well by my fitness coach and doctor.I do at least 3 rounds of cardio a week ( 30 min sessions,mostly step aerobics ) and I do strength or light weight exercise on the off-cardio days (though I do ab exercises 6 days a week). One of the days I focus upper body and another day I focus lower body. I may have issues with plateau right now, but I am still losing inches and am gaining definition in my face, arms,legs and abs.

    Start with no weight at first or maybe some soup cans then graduate to getting some resistance bands and maybe some heavier weights as you progress. Keep up the good work :D

    But you do ab exercises 6 days a week, obviously you do not care about joint, lumbar, disc issues.

    If I do my ab exercises on weight bench with no weight or stability ball, how am I hurting my joints? I do not go down to the floor and my back is not affected thankfully by my Lupus. I do not have lumbar or disc issues.My knees, hips, ankles, fingers, toes,pericardium,lungs,kidneys and skin on my face is affected by my Lupus.

    I know nothing of your lupus. Last tiem I looked humanity had evolved to stand up, be bipedal. Tell me how any exercise which takes place on your back whilst moving your spine in a direction that it does not really enjoy which then has a knock on effect to other body parts in a detrimental way is worth doing 6 days per week, just so that we can try to get a 6 pack. Unless you are talking about core exercises which would then be a different matter.
  • KathrynCatlady
    KathrynCatlady Posts: 86 Member
    Thanks for saying this (and to the others who suggested a gradually more challenging push-up routine). Right now I am doing 30DS and I can't do push ups properly. I try, but I haven't been able to. I'll practice with some of the less-drastic positions outside of the 30DS now! :-)
  • demorelli
    demorelli Posts: 508 Member
    Start with walking, standing crunches, pushups against the kitchen counter, etc. The most important thing is that you're getting yourself moving. It'll get easier as your body gets used to it and you'll be able to add in more difficult things or stretch it out for longer. You've already taken the first step by deciding to change! You should be really proud of yourself for that.
  • pavingnewpaths
    pavingnewpaths Posts: 367 Member
    You guys have been a HUGE help.

    This really motivated me and I started strength training yesterday. I did modified ones and hopefully I can stick to this for three days a week.

    Also that link above seems extremely helpful. I'll give it a read through.

    Thanks so much!
  • sixout
    sixout Posts: 3,128 Member
    Download "100 Pushups" app on your phone. Android and Iphone both have versions. It'll help you work up to doing 100 total, and you go at a slow pace.

    Doing some now is the best bet. Cardio will never get you to where you want, muscle wise. Especially upper body.

    100 push ups is cardio.

    While that may be the case, it helps build you up. Repetition is key.

    And when I said Cardio will never get you where you want, I meant running / the types of things people do for cardio along those lines, won't build strength.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    Here's a blog I wrote about how to build up through different styles of push-up until you can do full ones. I had a shoulder injury when I started and had to go really slowly. Hope it helps! :flowerforyou:

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

    I also have a (chronic) shoulder injury. I couldn't manage really any modification without feeling pain, so I started with other chest and shoulder exercises. I think a lot of us girls start out with underdeveloped chest muscles, so doing some chest presses and flies helped me to even realize what it felt like to have those muscles engaged.
  • BellaFe
    BellaFe Posts: 323
    I can finally do 2 :)
  • victoriannsays
    victoriannsays Posts: 568 Member
    In September I couldn't even do 1 regular push up.

    Now I can do 15. :)

    It's taken me a few months to build the strength, but here I am.

    Good luck to you, and don't get discouraged.
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
    100 push ups is cardio.

    100 push-ups is not cardio - it's muscle endurance. If it is cardio - you doin' 'em wrong!
  • otrlynn
    otrlynn Posts: 273 Member
    I'll just add that it is easiy to "grade" push-ups if you have a set of carpeted stips. Find the lowest step that you can lean on with your hands to do a push-up while keeping good form (back straight, butt not sticking up) and work up to doing five of them 2-3 times, then move down a step, etc.
  • notthatthis
    notthatthis Posts: 218
    100 push ups is cardio.

    100 push-ups is not cardio - it's muscle endurance. If it is cardio - you doin' 'em wrong!

    And cardio is not muscle endurance? Oh wait, that is exactly what cardio exercise is relying on type I muscle fibres. I stick with once you can do 3 sets of 15 you need to find a harder push up or add weight to the push up to ensure that type II muscle fibres are engaged, not type I.
  • Hbazzell
    Hbazzell Posts: 899 Member
    When I shipped out to boot camp i coulndt do ONE push up. So for 7 weeks of getting my butt kicked constantly my company commanders (constantly in the pushup postiion) I STILL couldnt do one! I knew I was stronger but I wasso sore I couldnt do any. Then a trainer there told me to do dips. Needless to say a week later I passed my PT test, including the dreaded pushups.

    I suggest:
    Dips (chair dips work too)
    Planks
    Supermans
    AND
    Knee pushups.


    I couldnt do pushups because my support muscles were so weak, not my chest muscles. My lower back was so weak it was pathetic. Planks saved me! start at 15 seconds if you can, then rest, then 30 seconds, then rest...continue upping by 15 seconds until you max.


    good luck!
  • runningagainstmyself
    runningagainstmyself Posts: 616 Member
    You guys have inspired me to start doing upper body strength training, starting today. Thank you. :)
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    100 push ups is cardio.
    You need to freshen up on your research. Recent studies have indicated that doing high reps to failure can in fact stimulate hypertrophy and increase 1RM performance. Not to the extent of strength training done in traditional hypertrophy ranges, but an increase nonetheless.

    One reference to one of the studies:
    http://trainingscience.net/?page_id=301
  • upgetupgetup
    upgetupgetup Posts: 749 Member
    100 push ups is cardio.
    You need to freshen up on your research. Recent studies have indicated that doing high reps to failure can in fact stimulate hypertrophy and increase 1RM performance. Not to the extent of strength training done in traditional hypertrophy ranges, but an increase nonetheless.

    One reference to one of the studies:
    http://trainingscience.net/?page_id=301

    Hey now, this is great news :) Not all of us can tolerate heavy lifting. Even though size gains are 2/3rds less, it's something...
  • Amber1070
    Amber1070 Posts: 106 Member
    Ease into it with whatever y can do so y don't get discourage or hurt yourself. And don't feel bad I can't even get to the floor for 1 push up never mind get back up lol
  • marlenemmiller
    marlenemmiller Posts: 1
    I just started all this stuff this week. I am very out of shape. My daughter is a personal trainer and she has me doing wall presses against any wall. Due to shoulder problems I can't do them on the window sill yet but I can do 10 at a time any time I get up and walk through the house. It's a start. Good luck.:smile:
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
    100 push ups is cardio.

    100 push-ups is not cardio - it's muscle endurance. If it is cardio - you doin' 'em wrong!

    And cardio is not muscle endurance? Oh wait, that is exactly what cardio exercise is relying on type I muscle fibres. I stick with once you can do 3 sets of 15 you need to find a harder push up or add weight to the push up to ensure that type II muscle fibres are engaged, not type I.

    Yes, cardio requires muscle endurance, but doing 100 push-ups is not cardio because the exercise soon goes anaerobic as the muscles generate lactic acid so you couldn't keep it up for the same time as an aerobic exercise like running, cycling etc and push-ups don't demand oxygen in the same way as cardio. The heart rate can be way elevated above a steady state cardio movement - but I'm sure you know all that.

    I agree - as soon as you can do 3 sets of 15 (more like 3 x 12) you need to find a harder push-up to ensure you are in the strength building range again - not necessarily weights - there are plenty of ways to keep going in purely calisthenics if you want to.

    Anyway, I have built from 5 x 1 regular push-up about 6 months ago to 5 x 12 decline push-ups just recently and am now looking at 3 sets of diamond push-ups, so you can slowly build strength so long as you keep up the intensity, rather than go for high figures, if it's strength you want and not endurance. If endurance - go for the 100 but it can be wearing on precious joints in the long run.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    i would avoid doing any pushups on your knees. if you can't do a straight legged version on the floor, then start against the wall then go lower to the counter, then lower to a step then on the floor.

    and start now. there's no reason to not strength train and cardio in the same routine
  • notthatthis
    notthatthis Posts: 218
    100 push ups is cardio.
    You need to freshen up on your research. Recent studies have indicated that doing high reps to failure can in fact stimulate hypertrophy and increase 1RM performance. Not to the extent of strength training done in traditional hypertrophy ranges, but an increase nonetheless.

    One reference to one of the studies:
    http://trainingscience.net/?page_id=301

    It seems I do not need to freshen up anything, I am well aware of percentage of 1RM and higher reps, like clearly stated in the study you point to 15% 1RM for 10 sets of 36. But the winner was still by a very long margin the traitional 8 reps at a higher percentage of 1RM. How 15% 1RM relates to a bodyweight exercise and doing 1 set of 100. As a concession I will say that doing push ups for 2 minutes and doing as many as possible is much more useful than doing 100.

    This was about doing 1 push up, people then start recommending 100 push ups, I am merely saying that the ability to do 100 push ups is not strength training and that is what the OP was clearly asking. 100 push ups is a vanity and it will tax the aerobic system and Type 1 muscle fibre burning oxygen like the difference between sprinting and marathon running.

    And perhaps, people should review my original post to this thread, which was very light hearted.

    http://trainingscience.net/?page_id=188 - if you want to carry on defending high rep ranges. Science and science blogs are just great, you can always find the obverse and eventually you discover the fact and not conventional or received wisdom.

    To the private messager, if you detect sarcasm then my writing style is to blame. The message is 100 reps is cardio endurance, I cannot in all honesty agree to not differ on this point.
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
    Thank you notthisthat - I hope we've resolved our points amicably off-thread.
  • Boogage
    Boogage Posts: 739 Member
    I have been considering adding strength training to my workout as I really need to tone up.

    Last night I put on a Pop Physique session (ballet bar kinda stuff) that I recorded off the telly and I swear it nearly killed me. I really struggled to persevere and my muscles were hurting a lot!

    However, I woke up this morning with no aches and pains, I guess because during the workout you stretch a lot and I thought 'I'm going to try that again' and today it was a little easier.

    I think we need to start slow - do some reps with bottles of water, leg lifts and go from there.Don't give up, do what you can and you will get stronger

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