Pushups

[cruxshadow9]

Hi guys,

I'm a girl, 5'7'', 140lbs who runs and weight trains regularly to supplement my martial arts training.

I can do about 17 pushups, good ones, but I'd like to be able to do more. Does anyone know of a good way to increase the numbers of pushups one can do (weight training certain muscles in certain ways, etc)? Also, does anyone know how many more pushups I should be able to do in, say, a month?

Thanks!
Diana

[Cyborg]

Perhaps you could give a basic description of your workout. Are you doing low weight with many reps? That won't help much with strength. Good for endurance though. Girls have more slow twitch fibers than guys meaning repetitive motion comes easier but without the explosiveness.

You might try this. Do 2 sets of 4-5 reps with a heavy weight that you can lift about 7 times. Rest 3-5 min. in between sets. Don't work the same muscle group twice. You won't get bigger with this program, don't worry! What it does is recruit more neurons to use without the growth. And without growth you won't be sore so you need to do this 5 days a week.

[IronFist]

Once you get to the point where you can do 30 normal pushups (from toes) I have a good program that will help you :)

As for tips now, just don't go to failure (the point where you can't do any more). In other words, always stop 3-5 reps at least before you hit failure on any set.

Good luck.

IronFist

[lowsweep]

My boxing trainer (member of the Westpoint boxing team and the strongest man I've ever seen in my life) has me do pushups until failure, then knee pushups until failure, then negatives until I have trouble with them, all without breaks. I have never been so sore from pushups in my life, and I have been doing them for years and have been on plenty of pushup programs. It works, and it would be worth a try.

[IronFist]

I'm not saying that won't work, I'm just saying that soreness doesn't necessarily mean an effective workout.

IronFist

[Crazy dog]

I do push ups in sets. I started at 4 sets of 10 reps to start and increased the reps by 5 each week.

So that would be 40 pushups.
I started that ten years ago when I was 8. Now I do about 200 reps in a set. It sounds crazy but it's true. Of course I got tons of free time.

[Ford Prefect]

You could try ladders...

http://www.cbass.com/Pavel'sLadders.htm

[NPMantis]

I'll tell you what to do, whenever you watch TV, every Ad break get down and do as many super slow push ups as you can, you'll be amazed at how much your push ups improve.

[TaoBoy]

I train in a Southern Mantis style and we do various types of pushups in order to strengthen all parts of the arms.

We have found that junior students generally struggle with pushups when they begin. It's simply a new way of moving. Some have done weight training before, others haven't. Remember the muscles are getting used in a new way. You have to familiarise yourself with this new movement.

My suggestion:

Set yourself a target, say 20 pushups. Push yourself until you get to that number. Then, increase the number (to maybe 25). Reach that goal. Then keep increasing your target.

It sounds simple but it really works. Your mind is a powerful tool.

Lastly, try various hand shapes. Use a wide position (hands just outside shoulders), use a standard position (hands shoulder-width) and even a central position (where your hands form a diamond under your sternum). These variations will work different parts of your arms.

And remember, focus is the most important part of exercise!

[Silumkid]

Diana,

Basically, I think that if you want to get good at a skill (pushups, running, Olympic lifts...) you must practice that skill. It's sport specificity. For example, if you want to run a mile in under 6 minutes, swimming won't really help you achieve it. It's great supplementary training, but if you just swam, your run time will likely not improve much. Just an example, there are quite a lot of "ifs ands or buts" that we could get into but unfortunately, I don't have time today. :(

Anyhow, here's a routine you may want to try. Get a timer, set it for one minute. Do as many as you can in that minute. Next time you do the drill, try to best it by one. Also, I encourage folks to set a time-specific goal. Write down somewhere a goal like "In two weeks, I will do 3 more push-ups" (again, example). If you achieve or surpass it, great! Time for a new goal! If not, don't worry...learn from your training and try again, maybe again with a different goal.

Hope that helps somewhat.

[cruxshadow9]

Thanks for all your input!!

I think I will take everyone's suggestions in combination. The most important thing for me to remember is not to get discouraged at the beginning of this new training routine.

Once again, I thoroughly appreciate this wonderful source of knowledge and advice!

Diana
:cool: