Push ups

[Samber]

I am having a terrible time with push ups. I'm sure there is a lot of females with the same problem as me since the women do not have the upper body strength that men do. I can only knock out 2 or 3. That is horrible. Any advise on how to do better?

[Gio446]

hey it sounds like u need to really work on ur upper body strength try getting some lite weights like 3 lbs and 5 lbs and then do sets of them to help enhance the strength of ur arms and chest. also remember to stretch before using weights or doing push ups this will help to warm up ur muscles and prevent injury. you could also try swimming or rowing to help as well if lifting weights isn't exactly ur idea of fun. or if you live around a gym with a rock wall that's also a great way to help build up ur upper body strength and it's alot of fun also and if you have a fear of heights it will help with that also. just keep determined and motivated and u'll be able to do anything u want in no time. Good luck.

[Jan]

I am having a terrible time with push ups. I'm sure there is a lot of females with the same problem as me since the women do not have the upper body strength that men do. I can only knock out 2 or 3. That is horrible. Any advise on how to do better?

I'll let someone else give you the "correct" answer... in the meantime, I'll tell you what I did, and it seemed to work for me. The reason I said that, is because from all the websites I've seen on PT, you just gotta start knocking them off, and just go higher and higher, or do reps like 3x15's and pyramids and playing card games where you draw a card and do that many reps, etc. PLUS, it is true... the only way to really improve on those push-ups is to do actual PUSH-UPS.

That being said, let's call a spade a spade. If you can't do one single stinking pushup, it's really hard to "steadily increase the number of reps". And that's exactly where I was when I began. Not one single fricking pushup. No amount of pushing and shoving and sweat and effort were gonna make this body elevate.

So, I did all the "almost" pushups. I started with the ones against the wall, with my hands on the wall, arms extended, and feet about 2 feet away from the wall. Then, do a "push up"- bend your arms, get your face near the wall, and now push away from the wall. Seems pretty simple, huh? Now do like 50 of them. Not so simple. This is where the endurance comes in. Keep going, and going... you shouldn't be just a little tired- your arms should be quivering like jello, and ya still gotta pump out one more until you just CANNOT possibly do another one.

Then, I did the "girlie" ones. Those are regular push-ups, but you have your knees on the ground. These will still give you a work out, but one that's managable. Same thing- keep going and going and doing more reps and don't take "no" for an answer. And that's the secret to any PT; keep going past where you think you should stop, go past the comfort level; go and struggle and grunt until it's impossible to continue.

I also went to the gym, did lots of reps with light weights on about 4 different machines. No, I don't know which machines they were, I just told the really cute guy next to me I was joining the guard, and after he stopped laughing, he rattled off all sorts of info I didn't understand and then told me which machines to go on. Pecs, triceps, biceps, etc. I also have 10# weights that I use at home to work the same muscle groups. You know, all those silly excercises we did back in high school hoping to enhance our bust? Yup, those.

Did it work? Yeah, it did for me. I admit, I've really sluffed on my PT, since my ship-out date got pushed back 4 months and I won't go until January. I wussed out and didn't want to put too much effort into it, if I couldn't enlist (MEPS problems). But, since I just got rid of that DQ and enlisted this week, I gotta start pumping them out.

Yes, it did work. I went from ZERO P.U. to 1... next day 3...two days later 5... I ended up being able to do EIGHT within about a week and a half. And at that point, I was where I really COULD push myself to just keep on tacking one on. Trust me, it's addicting! Once you start seeing that bit of improvement- and trust me, YOU WILL,- you will be a push-up Goddess! HOOAH!!!

[megkathleen6]

wow, very well said!! That helps a lot, I went to lift weights yesterday, and was doing different machines, but couldnt tell you which ones. I am SORRRE today. I should be leaving for basic in about 3-4 weeks... and i could only do about 2 or 3 push ups... the first one would be good.. the 2nd it was a little shaky and by the 3rd.. it didnt even look like a push up anymore.

thanks for all the info and the advice.. sounds like you're very motivated yourself. i am as well..
if you have any more advice like that let me know... i will try what you said and let you know how it went...

HOOAH!

[invinceble]

I was a personal trainer for a little over a year. The bench press is a push up. If you can get to a gym, find a machine that duplicates the bench press. Don't do this on a regular bench with free weights. Use a machine. It will keep you in proper form and the weights won't fall on you. Do as many repititions as you can even if it means putting no weight on the machine at all. On the second set add a little weight. Don't worry about how many you do, just do as many as you can. The third set add a little more weight. Be careful. Don't strain yourself. You don't want to cause yourself any injuries. This will increase your strength gradually. You will also need to do an exercise that increases your tricep strength and your shoulder strengh. Do these in the same manner adding weight as you do additional sets. These are the muscle groups involved in the pushup. Do this twice per week (or in your case until you leave). Make sure to give yourself recovery time. If you work these muscle groups Monday, don't work them again until Thursday. Recovery time is very important to your muscles getting stronger. Don't worry about looking like a man. Every woman I've trained had the same fear. It won't happen. Good luck and be careful and don't overdo it.

[Dunkel]

Good advice so far, so I'll just add one quick thing. You don't necessarily need to do 20 or 50 or 100 pushups at a time to get value out of it. If you can only do one, just do one...but do it 20 times throughout the day. Or more, whatever, depending on how often you remember and can actually do it. It only takes a few seconds to drop down and do one or two, but when you're doing a lot over the course of a day, you'll be surprised at the increases you see.

[mnpatriot]

Thank you so much for the encouragement. The biggest problem I have in improving my pushups is ME! I kinda let my mind control me instead of me being in charge. DON'T DO THIS TO YOURSELF! They **** and all, but just do them everyday no matter what. During a commercial break, inbetween flipping pancakes, before you get in the shower, at a stoplight at halftime, I think you get the point. Getting yourself to do it is half the battle!