Weighted pushups / pullups question(s)...

[Samurai Jack]

My chest and pullup conditioning took a back seat when I first started the 20 - rep deadlift program about six months ago. I'm sad to say that my pullups went from a respectable 15 reps all the way down to a very sad 4 rep max!

Also since I quite my gym over a year and a half ago my direct pectoral muscle work has gone out the window. Since I don't have a bench, nor room for one, I thought I'd start doing weighted pushups which I've played with in the past.

So my questions are, has anyone seen any information about the benifits of weighted pushups and pullups, and examples of routines for these? Anyone actually do these regularly? Will a back-pack full of plates be sufficent for the weighted pullups? And finally, what sort of program should a complete novice to these exercises undertake?

[Ford Prefect]

The backpack may tug on your shoulders during pull-ups and cut off circulation to your arms. Not a good thing for pull-ups... ;) The best thing to do is hold a weighted dumbell between or feet or splurge the $20-30 and get a dip/pull-up belt which is made for it.

I've never been big on weighted push-ups because you have to stack the weight directly over your shoulder blades in order not to screw up your back. I do have an X-vest that is pretty good for those though, however X-vests are very expensive. I'd just do plyometric push-ups... do them until you can do 15 non-stop with a clap in between (when you explode of the ground). Once you can do 15 with one clap, up it to 2 claps... then 3... Once you hit 3, you may want to do some gymnastics static holds which can hit your pecs really well.

[Mikkyou]

I see no point in doing weighted pushups but different training ideas for everyone.
I liked doing 1,000 push ups I would break a set of 100 do it in 5mins rest for 10 and do it till I reached 1,000.Sane idea with pull ups work your way up to higher reps when doing it.

[Samurai Jack]

Thanks for the pointers fellas.

Ford, I'll probably get a weight belt when it becomes necessary. right now I'm going with a dumbbell between the feet as you suggest.

Mikkyou, the reason I want to add weights to my pushups is that mere bodyweight pushups lack sufficient intensity for long-term muscle growth. I'm not really interested in developing endurance, although I dare say if you can do one-thousand pushups you are a machine! I'd be contacting Guiness if I were you.

;)

[johnyk]

I guess that weighted pull up is not nessassary, since they are hard to do any way. Just bring your arms wider or do partials, or hold the arms flexed longer. How ever push ups which are easy to do and don't help with power much, that you can do either one arm at a time, or elevate one arm and keep other on the floor, do dimonds with elevated feet. In order to do them weighted unless you have a weighted vest some one must hold the weight on your back, not very comfortable, I tried.

[Chief Fox]

A few ideas on push ups:

We do this in class. Hold in a plank position for 1 minute. After a minute do 1 push up. Hold the plank for 1 minute then do two push ups. Hold plank for a minute then do three push ups. 1 minute then 4. 1 minute then 5. You end up only doing 15 push ups but this is a burner.

Another thing we do in class is one leg push ups. We do these two ways. First you are in the push up starting position. As you lower yourself down, raise one leg in the air. As you come back up, bring the leg back down but don't let it touch the ground. Repeat. Another one leg push up we do in class is. Get in the push up starting position. Move one leg out to the side so it is perpendicular to your body. The toes of the raised leg should be pointing forward.

[fa_jing]

One-armed pushups are supposed to be good, but if you are like me and can't do them, I recommend the Power Pushup II, it is only like $20 and is a fine piece of equipment.

[IronFist]

I guess that weighted pull up is not nessassary, since they are hard to do any way. Just bring your arms wider or do partials, or hold the arms flexed longer.

Weighted pullups are necessary to build strength. No matter what other techniques you employ, you won't be increasing the load placed on your muscles and your strength levels won't increase much. X amount of weight at 2 seconds time under tensions or 2 minutes time under tension is still X amount of weight.

[johnyk]

You have a point there iron fist,
I never thought about it that way. However besides having dumbell between your legs or using a west or weighted belt with chain, how would you increase the resistance?

[YuanZhideDiZhen]

pushup variations:

find someone you trust to lay on top of you.

elevate your feet on a stack of books, couch, bed, stretch bar.

use a day pack and put weights in it.

extend the range of motion by elevating your hands.

change hand position.

change elbow position.

have only one foot as a ground and move your ungrounded leg to increase resistance. do them on both sides.

have only one hand as a ground.

add claps between reps.

do them on a fist or on your fingertips.

do them inverted (handstand pushups).

[IronFist]

I use a weighted chinning/dip belt. It's got a chain on the front to which you can attach weight plates.

[7th gen yang]

My chest and pullup conditioning took a back seat when I first started the 20 - rep deadlift program about six months ago. I'm sad to say that my pullups went from a respectable 15 reps all the way down to a very sad 4 rep max!

Also since I quite my gym over a year and a half ago my direct pectoral muscle work has gone out the window. Since I don't have a bench, nor room for one, I thought I'd start doing weighted pushups which I've played with in the past.

So my questions are, has anyone seen any information about the benifits of weighted pushups and pullups, and examples of routines for these? Anyone actually do these regularly? Will a back-pack full of plates be sufficent for the weighted pullups? And finally, what sort of program should a complete novice to these exercises undertake?


Understand your body! To work on the chest there are four muscle the inner pectorial, outer pectorial, upper pectorial, lower pectorial each exercise that you do affects each of these areas for the inner pects use the hands together in your push up, for the outer pects use your hands minimum shoulder width apart,
for your upper pects use a slant pushup towards the head feet up, for the lower do dips or weighted pullovers use weights (or what ever you can hold safely) at an angle laying down on a elevated surface, head towards ground and feet up for upper and lower exercises use inward and outward method if thats confusing
10 reps 3 sets inward pushup Flat on ground
10 reps 3 sets outward pushup flat on ground
10 reps 3 sets inward inclined pushup
10 reps 3 sets outward inclined pushup
10 reps 3 sets inward decline pushup
10 reps 3 sets outward decline pushup

you can add/ subtract more reps/sets as your level increases this insures you get equal strenth in the mucsle and the range of motion for that particular muscle
no pain no gain

[Ford Prefect]

7th gen yang,

I hate to be a downer, but you are dead wrong. The chest has two muscles: the pectorlis major and the pectoralis minor.

Your "lower pecs" are the pectoralis major.
Your "inner pecs" are the pectoralis major.
Your "pecs" are the pectoralis major.
Your "upper pecs" are the pectoralis minor.

As you can see, most of the chest is a single muscle. The nature of a muscle is contract uniformally across its length, so you can not isolate just a single part of the muscle from other parts of the same muscle.

Please pick up an anatomy book before giving fitness advice.

[7th gen yang]

7th gen yang,

I hate to be a downer, but you are dead wrong. The chest has two muscles: the pectorlis major and the pectoralis minor.

Your "lower pecs" are the pectoralis major.
Your "inner pecs" are the pectoralis major.
Your "pecs" are the pectoralis major.
Your "upper pecs" are the pectoralis minor.

As you can see, most of the chest is a single muscle. The nature of a muscle is contract uniformally across its length, so you can not isolate just a single part of the muscle from other parts of the same muscle.

Please pick up an anatomy book before giving fitness advice.

I can only speak of my own experience I have changed the shape of my pecks when I first started traing only the outer portion of my chest developed then I added more inner exercises I noticed a notable difference which tells me i was able to isolate the pectorial region I was looking to increase the upper region of my chest and they grew with over head presses and incline bench My chest at my peak condition was 54inches I couldnt see my feet, again I speak of only my own experience But I will take critisism I was only giving my own opinion as to what I was taught and have done to help me! Next time I will be More technical about my advice Thank you

[Ford Prefect]

Annectdotal evidence means very little when under the guise of anonymity and not much more otherwise. This is doubly so if said annectdotal evidence goes against every single known property of human anatomy and physiology in which it's dealing.

[YuanZhideDiZhen]

when you describe inner v. outer do you mean hand position or elbow position?

[7th gen yang]

when you describe inner v. outer do you mean hand position or elbow position?

Hand position- fingers form a triangle in front of yourself through the rep your elbows are kept close to the body later you move them as high as you can (out stretch ) in the pushup your fingers are not to be lower than your nipples(politicaly correct,, Aeriolas) this puts intensity into your workout and Isolates more of the chest.