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Thread: Pushups

  1. #1

    Pushups

    What kind of and how many pushups do you recommend?
    I know trainers who let you do 100 (fast and minimal), others think 10 clean reps are enough.

    The APFT perfect score is 77. So I guess that should be a good target.

    I can do around 60 reps, 12 one armed on each side without time limit.
    I still fail quite miserably at this. But not as miserable as I used to

  2. #2
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    I'm not sure if higher reps of push-ups are better than smaller sets or not. In the past, I could do up to 110 without stopping. This was back straight, going 'til the chest lightly touches the floor, then pushing back up all the way. NOT air-humping by bouncing up and down quickly going only partway down and only partway up, as many people do. The really high reps were standard push-ups on the palms.

    You can also do fingertip or knuckle push-ups. Also, "cat" or dipping push-ups, that I saw wrestlers do. I used to also do thumb and forefinger push-ups (using two hands), but I stopped that because I wanted to strengthen ALL of my fingers. Leopard fist push-ups should be done on a surface with some give, like beach sand.

    After several years of being unable to do push-ups due to a non-MA-related injury, I started doing them again earlier this year. I prefer the palms positioned much wider than shoulder width. I worked up gradually. These days I can do up to 85 or 90 nonstop, at a steady, even pace. But I normally settle for one set of 65 or 70, then another set of 25 or 35. It's not scientific. I use them mainly as a warm-down exercise after MA training, or during warm-ups on days I do some light weights or don't do MA practice. But not every workout, and usually no more than 4 days/week.

    What I'd really like now is my own quality stand-alone pull-up bar.
    Last edited by Jimbo; 10-01-2016 at 06:41 PM.

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Jimbo View Post

    What I'd really like now is my own quality stand-alone pull-up bar.
    You just need to buy it Jim. Simple as that !

  4. #4
    I'm thinking of building one myself. There are some nifty designs on the net, but lately I've been doing pullups on a timber soccer goal. It's very hard on the forearms.
    Last edited by Cataphract; 10-02-2016 at 11:56 PM.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    CA, USA
    Posts
    4,900
    I want to make sure anything I buy will hold up over time, as well as be suitable for the inside of my house.

    In my area is a bayside park with circuit training equipment set up at various points along a trail. There are some pull-up bars and dip bars at one station, and I use those on occasion. The city put them there. I'd like one of those setups in my backyard, but I'm afraid the neighborhood crows might hang out on it and worse, possibly crap on it.

    The great thing about different types of pushups is you can do them anywhere without any equipment.

    Edit to add:

    Many years ago, there was a local homeless guy people called "Push-up Man" because he did 1,000 push-ups a day, every day. He was going to try out for a world record or something. Unfortunately, one day another homeless man kept on harassing him while he was trying to do his workout, and Push-up Man ended up going ballistic on him. I don't remember exactly what he did or how serious it was, but he went to prison for it.
    Last edited by Jimbo; 10-02-2016 at 12:17 PM.

  6. #6
    Greetings,

    A used Soloflex can allow for quite a few bodyweight exercises that can be found on those park circuit trails:

    Chin ups

    Pull ups

    Dips

    Sit ups/elevated Sit ups/ Upside down Sit ups

    Leg Raises

    Elevated pushups

    Roman Chair Sit ups


    And you can buy those Soloflexes dirt cheap. People are often dying to get rid of them. You can check your local craigs list or classified ads.

    And if bird do is an issue, you can get a cover to throw over it.

    mickey

  7. #7
    I have a doorway one mounted. Mid range model. 350lbs limit. So I am good there. Yep, there was some door frame damage.

    So you have to choose. Cheap and lasts 2-3 years if used. Midrange and lasts 10+ if used maybe longer. Pro will outlast the user and the users kids.

    All free standing units can not be used for swinging and stuff . They can tip. The bases are not large enough. Kipping is out for any cheap units and maybe some midrange ones.

    If you are handy you can sink some 12' 4x4 posts and use plumbing pipe , floor flanges and lag screws like many park units. Yeah, the crows will crap on it, lol. But cheap and likely the most solid option.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by boxerbilly View Post
    If you are handy you can sink some 12' 4x4 posts and use plumbing pipe , floor flanges and lag screws like many park units. Yeah, the crows will crap on it, lol. But cheap and likely the most solid option.

    Greetings,

    This is a really good idea. And you can do other things with the posts.


    mickey

  9. #9
    Join Date
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    The lighter you are, the more you should be able to do without being completely fit. That applies to most all body weight workouts.

    If you are overweight and unfit, you start with small numbers and work up.

    Slow gradual progression is preferable and unavoidable when it comes to changing your body.
    Kung Fu is good for you.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
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    When you get over the 25 reps you really should look into making them harder since all you are really doing is developing muscular endurance to do more push ups.

    Feel elevated, weighted vest, on handed push ups or rings will increase the difficulty and make doing push ups more then just doing push ups.
    Psalms 144:1
    Praise be my Lord my Rock,
    He trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle !

  11. #11
    slow twitch muscle fibers are the power fibers. fast twitch fibers are for muscular endurance. when you work out in high rep ranges, you move outside of the realm of building musular size. Now, in terms or what you are working, close hand positions like diamond push upswork the triceps and the normal hand position works the chest. In addition to these variations, you have T push ups, hindu push ups, spiderman push ups, plyometric push ups, etc.
    i'm nobody...i'm nobody. i'm a tramp, a bum, a hobo... a boxcar and a jug of wine... but i'm a straight razor if you get to close to me.

    -Charles Manson

    I will punch, kick, choke, throw or joint manipulate any nationality equally without predjudice.

    - Shonie Carter

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by SevenStar View Post
    slow twitch muscle fibers are the power fibers. fast twitch fibers are for muscular endurance.
    By common convention it is the other way round. It is laid out neatly in the book "Body by Science" which I can only recommend to everyone. They do something like 45-60 seconds under load until complete muscle failure once a week (or something like that, will look it up) for the big muscle groups. Thus every fiber group will be evenly stressed for hypertrophy in minimal time.

    Quote Originally Posted by SevenStar View Post
    when you work out in high rep ranges, you move outside of the realm of building musular size.
    I don't think that's entirely true, also from my own experience. Many if not most body builders do a lot of reps. There's the sarcoplasmic hypertrophy theory.

    I've just added some endurance elements in my upper body training and it feels good and it seems to help in other areas as well. I don't know, but I just call it warmup.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Cataphract View Post
    By common convention it is the other way round. It is laid out neatly in the book "Body by Science" which I can only recommend to everyone. They do something like 45-60 seconds under load until complete muscle failure once a week (or something like that, will look it up) for the big muscle groups. Thus every fiber group will be evenly stressed for hypertrophy in minimal time.


    I don't think that's entirely true, also from my own experience. Many if not most body builders do a lot of reps. There's the sarcoplasmic hypertrophy theory.

    I've just added some endurance elements in my upper body training and it feels good and it seems to help in other areas as well. I don't know, but I just call it warmup.
    And......being one is doing higher reps that TUT sort of defaults. Of course there has to be at least some decent tension levels. I could rep out with 1lb weights and stay under tensions for a long time and likely not going to do a whole lot beside improve my ability to use 1lbs a long time.

    Anyway, for size when I was concerned with that. 20-30 rep range worked best for me. Just used normal speed . And 6-10 sets. Half and partial reps make an apperence as the sets add up.

    I myself am not a big fan of HIT or to failure approaches. But it does work well for some.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Cataphract View Post
    By common convention it is the other way round. It is laid out neatly in the book "Body by Science" which I can only recommend to everyone. They do something like 45-60 seconds under load until complete muscle failure once a week (or something like that, will look it up) for the big muscle groups. Thus every fiber group will be evenly stressed for hypertrophy in minimal time.


    I don't think that's entirely true, also from my own experience. Many if not most body builders do a lot of reps. There's the sarcoplasmic hypertrophy theory.

    I've just added some endurance elements in my upper body training and it feels good and it seems to help in other areas as well. I don't know, but I just call it warmup.
    bodybuilders don't do high reps for size though. they do high reps for "definition". low reps, high weight = power. moderate reps, fairly heavy weight = size, high reps, low weight = endurance and to a bodybuilder, definition. That being said, I guess you would have to define high rep, as the rep range for size is typically 8 - 12. when I say high rep, I mean greater than 15, and 25 was mentioned earlier in regard to pushups. The muscles are stubborn and lazy - you have to force them to grow. when they are used to a weight, a rep range, etc. they happily maintain themselves there. when you add that extra weight, for example, that's when the muscles realize that something change and the response to that stimulation is growth. power is short bursts of strength - quick, powerful contractions. fatigue sets in quickly, preventing you from doing those activities for long. if you can perform a lift for 25 reps, the intensity isn't there.

    as for the other, yes, I actually meant it the other way around. that's what happens when you reply to threads while trying not to curse out a mechanic.
    i'm nobody...i'm nobody. i'm a tramp, a bum, a hobo... a boxcar and a jug of wine... but i'm a straight razor if you get to close to me.

    -Charles Manson

    I will punch, kick, choke, throw or joint manipulate any nationality equally without predjudice.

    - Shonie Carter

  15. #15

    IronMind Pullup Bar

    Quote Originally Posted by Jimbo View Post
    What I'd really like now is my own quality stand-alone pull-up bar.
    IronMind Pullup Bar

    Here is what I have been using for nearly 10 years. It is very sturdy and strong. I weigh between 185# and 200# and have done chins with 100# with no problems and no bending. Give it a try. I don't have the aluminum one, i have the steel one.

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