Push-ups are the devil!

Maybe it's just not meant to be for some of us.

Hmm... I don't know what more you can do. I love push-ups it's my most favourite exercise to do!! I started off by doing knee push-ups, incorporating 1 toe push-up with each set! Increasing each time! The best I can say is just keep at it!

@buffalogal42, I don't have any push up advice but that's an awesome job on the weight loss! Congrats!

You don't have to do 'manly' pushups for them to be effective. I have a shattered, inoperable left shoulder, so I do modified pushups against my kitchen counter, I stand about 2-3 feet from the counter, and do my pushups using the counter as my 'floor'. I have been successful doing them this way; with my injured shoulder, I'll never be able to do regular pushups, so this works for me.

I have to modify a lot of my exercises; even walking on my TreadClimber; I had to start with the treadles locked into the flat treadmill to begin, then started increasing the resistance on the hydraulic cylinders until I was able to walk that without getting so out of breath, I've been able to increase my speed and can now use the treadles in the unlocked position to use the machine as it was intended; baby steps, I know, but it's working for me. I have a LOT of weight to lose, so any small success is a reason to celebrate for me! And my entering every morsel of food I put in my mouth into the food data base keeps me accountable also; I don't feel the need to 'cheat', because I know I have to look at it when I calculate my daily calorie intake.
Congratulations on your journey! I know it's very hard, but you are doing great!

That's very odd to be able to do rope climbs but not a push up. I wonder if your form is so horrible that you aren't allowing yourself to build the proper mechanics.

I think that many women have difficulty with upper body strength, and I think maybe some more than others - I know I do! I spent about a year trying to do push-ups while also losing weight and approaching age 50, even though I had never managed to do a single one when young, slim and fit! . I regularly tried incline pushups, and would also frequently have a go at trying to a proper pushup. I missed out the knee pushups, as my knees hurt and they didn't feel right. Anyway, I finally got there, while still in the obese range.

I carried on doing them regularly then had a back injury last year, so stopped for a while, and now am nowhere near being able to do them (despite being lighter than when I could do them before). They really are hard! And it's obviously a case of use it or lose it! Like you I'm OK with squats and deadlifts, but always struggled to progress on OHP and BP. I think it's really, really difficult to get those upper body muscles big and strong, and that's where the problems lies.

As I say, although it took a very long time (I think about a year, although I can't quite remember) I did get there eventually, so there is definitely hope for you!

Good luck, and congratulations on the almost 100lb weight loss!

buffalogal42 wrote: »

Packerjohn wrote: »

buffalogal42 wrote: »

rybo wrote: »

That's very odd to be able to do rope climbs but not a push up. I wonder if your form is so horrible that you aren't allowing yourself to build the proper mechanics.

You'd think my trainers would tell me!

Something is note adding up somewhere. I can't picture someone that has the core and upper body strength to climb ropes and push a 750 pound prowler not able to do a single push up.

Best of luck

I'll get a pic up here one of these days so you can see. ;-)

Actually, my first trainer told me he thought something was wrong with my brain, not my body, since I still can't do them! Lol

Yeah strength is not an issue

GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »

I can do low incline push ups just fine, but a real one on the toes? Nope.

It takes time and doing progressions. Some people feel that no one will make any progression by doing them from the knees which is why I've concentrated on making progress doing incline push ups with lowering inclines. I don't know how true this is.

I know another thing you can do is negatives to help build strength. I can do those too.

Yes, this is generally considered better than pushups from the knees. Doing the pushups from the knees takes out much of the core work needed for pushups.

This article explains it pretty well:
https://breakingmuscle.com/bodyweight/why-knee-push-ups-wont-make-you-any-stronger

When training for the military, I couldn't do one either. I had never been able to do even one. I don't know what magic happened. I just did calisthenics workouts and knee push-ups every single day until I could do about 30. Then, I could do about one "real" push-up. From there, over a few months, I pushed it out to three, then five, then ten, then fifteen. Now during my fitness test I can usually do about 35, but have done as many as 47 in a minute. They're my least favorite part, though.

A huge difference in number of push-ups for me is where your arms are positioned. I tend to do them more wide-arm, with my elbows pointing out to either side, but some people like to do them with elbows-in, so when they go down, their elbows go back instead of to the sides. I find this works triceps and I absolutely cannot do them. The wider-arm variation relies more on chest and shoulder muscles, which I have. I can crank out maybe two the triceps way. Find the most comfortable arm position for you, because hey - a push-up is a push-up.

rybo wrote: »

That's very odd to be able to do rope climbs but not a push up. I wonder if your form is so horrible that you aren't allowing yourself to build the proper mechanics.

i'm closer to getting the pullup thing than i am with pushups. and i rock the overhead press, form-and-mechanics wise. my bench press, not nearly so much.

i think it's easier for me to stabilize/depress my wingy left shoulderblade when i'm doing it in the same plane as the force i'm using to do the lift/exercise. dk if that makes sense, but i'm pulling 'down' anyway against the pullup bar, so it's like the stability work can just shirt-tail on that. and i'm pushing 'up' anyway with my upper traps with an overhead press. so it's not as hard for my lower traps to pitch in and pull 'down'.

with a pushup and bench i'm trying to hold that shoulderblade down and in, but the 'force' of a pushup and bench is at right angles to that. so it's a pat-head-rub-tummy huh what? firestorm just in that one sector of my body.

**thanks to everyone for all the input and helpful tips here. and the op. i'm really starting to get all determined about getting this now **

handstand pushups on the jungle gym are the hardest to get good at spotter is a must

SonyaCele wrote: »

pushups are a body weight exercise. the more you weigh the harder they are. you can be very strong, but for every extra pound of body weight, its gonna be that much harder. Do a plank with your hands on the scale to get an idea of how much that # is. When i'm 190 i can only do a couple pushups. When i'm 130 i can do pushups all day long. Keep using the counter weight, so you are at least getting in the exercise. You will get stronger. You may or may not get strong enough to do a pushup at 190, but you will gain strength. If you are planning on losing more weight, you'll notice you'll start to be able to do more pushups as you lose weight. Even five pound weight loss makes a difference

I agree, but the OP says she can climb a rope at 190. Most people would find that much harder than a pushup.