Pushups

[Cataphract]

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

[Jimbo]

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.

[boxerbilly]

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 !

[Cataphract]

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.

[Jimbo]

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.

[mickey]

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

[Scott R. Brown]

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.

[Scott R. Brown]

IronMind Pullup, Dip, Squat Rack

[Jimbo]

Thanks for the link, Scott!

How is the stability, and do you need to secure it to the floor or use sandbags, or does it balance in place?

[Scott R. Brown]

Thanks for the link, Scott!

How is the stability, and do you need to secure it to the floor or use sandbags, or does it balance in place?

It is very stable. You can actually do some light kipping if you need to and if you don't overdo it. I tend strongly towards strict pullups myself, but i have experimented with kipping to check the stability and I was very please with the stability. Also it is highly portable so you can take it to the park or on vacation and put it up in a motel room very easily. It is also adjustable 2" increments so you can let your kids do pullups or you can do hanging rows with your feet on a bench or chair.

It is unnecessary to secure the base to the floor.