Would kill to be able to do a push-up!!

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pavingnewpaths
pavingnewpaths Posts: 367 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've started weight-training and I also do cardio.

I can never seem to do push-ups though (I can barely do 10 modified ones!)

Do you guys have any advice on how to build arm muscle and increase the number of push ups/pull ups/things that require upper body strength I can do?
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Replies

  • kganc001
    kganc001 Posts: 317
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    After a month of bench and other upper body weight lifting, I'm able to do a lot of pushups! I couldn't even do a girly pushup when I started. :) It's possible! Just work on some upper body strength exercises!

    I found this online...hope it helps!
    (http://askville.amazon.com/exercises-help-push-ups/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=9279893)

    4 Exercises to Increase Your Push-Up Ability.
    1. The plank begins in the highest reach of a push-up. While it is a static muscle builder, it is a start. After holding this position for 10 or 15 seconds slowly lower your chest tot he floor while keeping your back straight. After a few days of this try to push yourself back up to the plank position. Increase repitions.

    2. Try standing in front of a wall or counter & practice push-ups with a smaller angle. Work up to 10 push-ups at that angle & then do a push-up on a lower surface.

    3. Bench press or supine press. Lie on your back, preferably on a bench, but it could be the floor. Place a weight in each arm & raise the arms up above the shoulders. Raise & lower several times. Begin with a weight that will allow you to do about 8 repetitions & increase the weight when you can do 12 repeititions.

    4. Standing or sitting overhead press or sometimes called the military press. Use a Dumb bells or barbells. Keep your arms close to your body, elbows as straight ahead as possible & raise your arms so that they are straight overhead. Again start with a weight that will allow for 8 reps & increase to 12 reps before increasing the weight.
    The standing press is more difficult, but it has the most benefits. The standing press requires you to balanace yourself as you press the weight overhead and also engages the core muscles if proper posture is maintained.
  • Lochlyn_D
    Lochlyn_D Posts: 492 Member
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    I have a list of people I need killed. Do this for me and I can make the pushup happen for you.
  • EroseT23
    EroseT23 Posts: 74 Member
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    My advice would be to just keep working on them. I started out on my knees, some people prefer to start with wall push-ups and move on to incline push-ups (so they can maintain proper form the whole time). Do them every couple days, and every week add a few more to your set. Every month or so, try doing "real" push-ups.

    It'll take time and hard work! I'm sure others will chime in on other beneficial exercises to do that'll help in this area, but it'll still take time. I can now do 10 proper push-ups in a row before I collapse, and I've made them part of my chest/back routine once a week. I do 3 sets of 5, right now, and I'm actually due to try increasing that this week. So keep at it, and good luck!
  • bonelessskinless
    bonelessskinless Posts: 147
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    @kganc001
    copy paste that somewhere
  • pavingnewpaths
    pavingnewpaths Posts: 367 Member
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    After a month of bench and other upper body weight lifting, I'm able to do a lot of pushups! I couldn't even do a girly pushup when I started. :) It's possible! Just work on some upper body strength exercises!

    I found this online...hope it helps!
    (http://askville.amazon.com/exercises-help-push-ups/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=9279893)

    4 Exercises to Increase Your Push-Up Ability.
    1. The plank begins in the highest reach of a push-up. While it is a static muscle builder, it is a start. After holding this position for 10 or 15 seconds slowly lower your chest tot he floor while keeping your back straight. After a few days of this try to push yourself back up to the plank position. Increase repitions.

    2. Try standing in front of a wall or counter & practice push-ups with a smaller angle. Work up to 10 push-ups at that angle & then do a push-up on a lower surface.

    3. Bench press or supine press. Lie on your back, preferably on a bench, but it could be the floor. Place a weight in each arm & raise the arms up above the shoulders. Raise & lower several times. Begin with a weight that will allow you to do about 8 repetitions & increase the weight when you can do 12 repeititions.

    4. Standing or sitting overhead press or sometimes called the military press. Use a Dumb bells or barbells. Keep your arms close to your body, elbows as straight ahead as possible & raise your arms so that they are straight overhead. Again start with a weight that will allow for 8 reps & increase to 12 reps before increasing the weight.
    The standing press is more difficult, but it has the most benefits. The standing press requires you to balanace yourself as you press the weight overhead and also engages the core muscles if proper posture is maintained.

    This is great - thank you so much!
  • pavingnewpaths
    pavingnewpaths Posts: 367 Member
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    I have a list of people I need killed. Do this for me and I can make the pushup happen for you.

    Deal.
  • pjp1125
    pjp1125 Posts: 313
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    Try doing negatives too- in other words, start up and lower yourself as slowly as possible.
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
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    Planks helped me.
  • scookiemonster
    scookiemonster Posts: 175 Member
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    My advice would be to just keep working on them. I started out on my knees, some people prefer to start with wall push-ups and move on to incline push-ups (so they can maintain proper form the whole time). Do them every couple days, and every week add a few more to your set. Every month or so, try doing "real" push-ups.

    It'll take time and hard work! I'm sure others will chime in on other beneficial exercises to do that'll help in this area, but it'll still take time. I can now do 10 proper push-ups in a row before I collapse, and I've made them part of my chest/back routine once a week. I do 3 sets of 5, right now, and I'm actually due to try increasing that this week. So keep at it, and good luck!

    This. I started a year ago doing modified push-ups with my hands on a ledge and my knees on the ground, and it was a struggle to do just that. From there, I graduated to regular modified push-ups with my hands and knees on the ground. Now, I'm doing the standard kind, and just working on keeping myself up and controlled all the way down to the ground. I have no doubt that I'm well on my way to doing regular push-ups with ease... maybe some day I'll be working on the one-handed kind.

    Just stick with it. You'll get there.
  • Emisole
    Emisole Posts: 65
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    I couldn't do any push-ups last year, and now I'm in the military and can do almost 40 in a minute :) Started doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and doing push-ups on my knees. Gradually worked up to being able to do 2, then 5, then 7, 10, 15... etc. It's definitely doable! You just need to get down on the floor and start pushing something.
  • sullykat
    sullykat Posts: 461 Member
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    I have no idea what helped me, but one day I just got on the ground and said to myself, "let's see how this goes…" I am able to do…. I have no idea how many real pushups… lots.

    I guess I do know what helped; strength training. Chest press in particular, I suppose.
  • CJ_Holmes
    CJ_Holmes Posts: 759 Member
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    Try doing negatives too- in other words, start up and lower yourself as slowly as possible.

    Negatives probably made the biggest difference for me- I felt like knee push-ups don't use the same muscles as full push-ups.

    I totally remember not being able to do one push-up. Now I can do like 30 at once. I promise you can do it!

    One warning I learned the hard way- I don't know the technicalities, but basically your muscles will get stronger a lot faster than your joints and connective tissues. Push-ups can be hard on the shoulder joint, so build up slowly and if you feel a twinge, rest!
  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
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    Suspension trainer!

    Bench is great but push-ups are a core move as well. The advice to do negatives was great.


    Pretty soon you will be doing pull-ups if you keep going!
  • LishieFruit89
    LishieFruit89 Posts: 1,956 Member
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    Don't do them from your knees since you're not engaging your core and what you do with those push ups doesn't really translate to a real push up.

    Use the wall, a counter, or the the stairs and start at an incline with your legs straight like a real push up. As they get easier, decrease the angle until you're flat against the ground.

    I've watch the females do the knee push ups in our warm ups in my self defense class and their backs aren't at the right angle, they're really only using their shoulders and their heads are bobbing. Not even close to a real push up.

    I use a ledge at my gym - maybe 16 inches high to do the push ups in NROLFW and after a few weeks, I could do real push ups.
  • pavingnewpaths
    pavingnewpaths Posts: 367 Member
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    Yeah, i've noticed that knee push-ups never really do much for me.

    This is all really great advice, thanks guys!

    I'll definitely try the negative push ups and i'm going to attempt to gradually build-up the amount I do.

    Much appreciated :)
  • anemoneprose
    anemoneprose Posts: 1,805 Member
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    Just do one (real one), and then tomorrow do two
  • c3jaam
    c3jaam Posts: 77 Member
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    Good information as I was just wondering this myself. Thank you.
  • RunnerElizabeth
    RunnerElizabeth Posts: 1,091 Member
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    About modified push-ups on knees... elevated pushups with your hands propped up and legs straight are actually preferable because they work your core muscles more. So if you need to start with wall push-ups do that, then go to hands on a chair and if you can't move directly to hands an toes on the ground from that, insted of dropping to your knees, I'd suggest finding an even lower surface, a step, a pair of dictionaries something like that, then move to hands on the ground from there.
  • RobynLB83
    RobynLB83 Posts: 626 Member
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    Just do them daily in whatever form you can, you should build up the strength pretty quickly.
  • justwanderful
    justwanderful Posts: 142 Member
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    When I started my diet and exercise program 5 months ago, I could barely eek out 1 push up. In yesterday's workout, I did over 100 push ups. With a big dose of dedication, you can do it too.

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