Overdoing it?

[TankerT]

OK.

I'm 30, and looking to get back into the guard. (I lost 12 lbs to get down to my max weight through dieting.)

I've started doing an excercise routine to get back into shape to pass the APFT. (My goal is to be able to pass to standard before I sign up.)

Situps probably are not going to be a problem for me. I drop and do 15 of those every two hours while I am at work, (and having no problems. I'll probably up those to 20 next week) and And, the run, obviously, just takes some jogging. (I'm up to a mile, three times a week, at a slow, but reasonable pace.)

I started doing a push-up regimin, and I think I overdid it. I did 20 push-ups, followed by 10 a few minutes later. Then did 10 every two hours while at work. (Figuring, hey, that's nothing... 10 years... and 40lbs ago, I used to be able to max the PU event.) For the past two days, my arms and chest have been killing me. And, when I drop to do my 10, I can barely do five. (I only do push-ups every other day. So, there was a day break in activity to let my muscles rest up.)

Am I hitting it to fast? Suggestions?

[oldarmyvet]

Yes you should slow down on the push ups. Your muscles need about a day of recovery.

[Chris89]

TankerT(I only do push-ups every other day. So, there was a day break in activity to let my muscles rest up.)

Oldarmyvet : Yes you should slow down on the push ups. Your muscles need about a day of recovery.

Your doing just fine TankerT. That is what I think!

[LRSU_Dog]

Truth be told, you are overdoing it. There is a pushup training post in this section, give that a try. If you are just starting out you need to take the time to let your muscles rest and rebuild - your efforts, although praiseworthy, may be doing you more harm than good in reality.

Perhaps once or twice a day on even days, and rest or once a day on odd days to start out and give your muscles a chance to do what they need to do. After you get a firm base of physical fitness then you can up your intensity a bit, increasing as you go, and altering your workouts so you do not plateau too quickly.

[VTguard]

Like LRSU said, every other day is plenty for pushups. I would also recommend doing more reps at a time to build up muscular endurance. If you go until you reach muscle failure, you can even take a couple of days off in between workouts. Situps can be done every day. The Abdominals are a unique muscle group that can be worked out daily without a recovery period. Undoubtedly, you will have sore abs if you go to muscle failure each day, but the muscle itself can recover very quickly. I would recommend focusing on situps and running on the recovery days.

[TankerT]

Thanks all for the advice. I appreciate it!