Push ups!

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Sarah_gettingfit
Sarah_gettingfit Posts: 4
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi!

I'm Sarah, and am brand new around here. I'm a 20 year old female and I joined here to help myself get into shape before I begin basic training for the Army early next year.

I can run fine and do sit ups fine (a little short of target, but nothing I can't fix in six months). My Achilles heel, though, is definitely push ups. When I first decided I was interested in joining back in April I couldn't even do them on my knees, but within a month or so I worked my way up to knee push ups. I hear many people say they after a week or two of doing maybe 3 sets of 10 knee push ups per day they've worked their way up to real ones but I just can't progress. It's seriously been consistent effort for a couple of months now and it is super discouraging not to see any changes. I can go down a little but I can't get my upper arms parallel to the floor.

Any advice (healthy weight and decent diet, if it matters)? Or just anyone else to commiserate with me? I'm well aware I sound pathetic right now, but trust me, I'm trying!

Replies

  • dhoddy
    dhoddy Posts: 35
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    I know how you feel! going into USAF basic training I could only do 3 normal push-ups!

    My advice would be to do at least the minimum you would need to pass the army's pt test every day (maybe even when you wake up and before you go to bed!). First start with as many perfect push-ups as you can do (even if it's one! just try to do one perfect push-up, with perfect form and everything), then finish the rest on your knees. Definitely focus on form while doing htem on your knees.

    What I did a couple weeks before a pt test is set a timer at my desk (do a quick google search and you can find ones online!) that would go off every hour/half hour, and just do 5-10 push-ups. Isn't that much when you do them, but they add up!

    Good luck!
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
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    You can try doing push ups on stairs or on a chair with your feet on the floor. The closer your hands get to the floor the harder it will get so vary as needed. In addition to this I would start doing negative push ups. Cheat and get to the up position where you're basically planking. Now lower yourself as slowly as possible. When you reach the bottom get on your hands and knees and go back to the starting position and lower yourself slooooooowly again. Start like 5x8 sets of these at least twice a week and you should start seeing some progression in strength. This works the exact same muscles as standard push ups and it's going to burn like crazy but it will force your body to get stronger probably better than anything else.

    If you have access to a gym or weights try doing some dumbbell flys or machine flys to strengthen the chest muscle and work in some tricep press downs, dips, and overhead extensions to work the arms more.


    Make sure and get in rest days. Don't attempt to do these every day. You need to allow time for your muscles to heal and get stronger after you tear them down. If you're honestly determined to do these you'll get them. Just keep working really hard at them.

    EDIT: Negatives really work. I'm doing the same thing with chin ups and pull ups now. I'm proud to say I can walk up to the bar and do 8-10 chin ups in near perfect form and I'm starting to switch over to wide grip pull ups doing the same thing. I promise these negatives really really work.


    2nd EDIT: Hand positioning matters as well. The closer your hands are together the more the triceps come into play so make sure and keep them spread at least shoulder width.
  • Sarah_gettingfit
    Sarah_gettingfit Posts: 4
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    Thank you for your advice, I will definitely give those negatives a try! I am guilty of not doing rest days... I always just feel like I'm wasting time, but perhaps I should pay more attention to it.

    Dhoddy, that's funny because 3 is all I really NEED to do, but obviously I'd be way better off with being able to do more. During my initial physical assessment last week my recruiter counted me as doing four push ups, but I really feel as if he shouldn't (my upper arms were not parallel to the ground). As a perfectionist, this is killing me haha. Thanks again.

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