So I have been reading about regular push-ups and so I don't think I am doing them correctly. (I am doing these while I recover from abdominal surgery.)

I start out elevated, with my hands wider than shoulder width (like about so my thumbs line up with the edge of my shoulders on either side. My hands are somewhat spread pointing forward.)

Keeping a straight form, with tummy controlled, I go down but only until my back is level with my elbows... I don't go down to the floor. I don't think I can get down to the floor or even close. Even this way, the most I can get up to is 7.

Everything I have read have the hands shoulder width and getting down at least sufficiently to have the elbows raised above the torso.

I know about putting the knees down to make it easier, or the wall version. But I don't want to do that. (Pride... :o )

I know any exercise is good.. but am I wasting my time doing them this way?

As for your form, your hand position are responsible for targeting different muscles. Wider the hand position the more you target your chest, closer the hands more the triceps.

I like to go for a wide stance, hands out side shoulders. I think most people recommend hands should width because it is a good balance.

I enjoy push ups, I have hear people say that is does not help for building mass on your chest but rather endurance.

As for your way of doing them, would you say your elbows go to 90 degrees? If so, you should be fine.

PB

Keeping a straight form, with tummy controlled, I go down but only until my back is level with my elbows... I don't go down to the floor. I don't think I can get down to the floor or even close. Even this way, the most I can get up to is 7.

What is the problem? 7 is a decent number. It will go up little by little. If you could only do 3, maybe you would have to go to an easier version. But 7 should be OK.

If you want a slightly easier version that isn't knees, then put your hands on something slightly elevated like a step. This will get you more than 7 if that is what you want.

But 7 is actually OK.

As for your form, your hand position are responsible for targeting different muscles. Wider the hand position the more you target your chest, closer the hands more the triceps.

I like to go for a wide stance, hands out side shoulders. I think most people recommend hands should width because it is a good balance.

I enjoy push ups, I have hear people say that is does not help for building mass on your chest but rather endurance.

As for your way of doing them, would you say your elbows go to 90 degrees? If so, you should be fine.

PB

Yes my elbows get to 90 degrees... and what you say is helpful... as I want to work out my chest more because m routine has push-ups specifically focused on tri's.

So both you and Zen: my other concern is not the number (7), I know that will improve, but how far down I go. DO you think I need to be concerned about that?

The Army loves pushups. I have done more than I really care to talk about, but I have gotten to know them very well along the way.

First, the standard Army pushup calls for you to go low enough that your upper arms are parallel to the ground. You can put your hands wherever you want, but it's tough to go real low with a wide stance. However, in practice, many NCO's will only count them if your chest touches the ground. It certainly makes a big difference in the number that you can do.

For most men who are intermediate to advanced with lifting weights, sets of 20, 30, or 40 pushups definitely won't build any mass. But for many women, pushups are probably a fine alternative to benchpressing or dips. Afterall, you can only do 7. That qualifies as intense weightlifting in my book. Personally, I remember when I couldn't do much more than that, and I added quite a bit of muscle to my chest and shoulders by working my way up to 30-40.

Now, any time you aren't going full range of motion, you are sort of cheating yourself. So if it is "a matter of pride" and you can't go all the way down and come back up yet, then do negatives (just letting yourself down as slow as possible) through that sticking point. You'll be able to do them eventually. I've seen some women do amazing numbers of pushups (I'm talking 80-90 in a couple minutes).

Tim

Here's an alternative way to start with push-ups that's good for beginners. Lie flat, with your arms un-weighted, but in the correct position for the push-up. Then pull you stomach towards your spine, tighten your core and press yourself up to the top position of the push-up. Then slowly let yourself down to the un-weighted position.

This technique will give your muscles a brief rest between reps. The trick is not to stay in the low position for too long - but stay there long enough not to hurt yourself on the next rep.

Start with 5, then add two every day until you reach 20 or 30. Then you should have no problem switching over to the standard up-position first.

Good luck with your push/press-ups. They are a fantastic way to get your arms in shape without the cost of expensive equiptment.

Adam

Yes my elbows get to 90 degrees...

how far down I go. DO you think I need to be concerned about that?

NO. 90 degrees is fine.

Just like anything else, you get some value from some range of motion. You also have a risk of injury that goes with that range of motion.

If you are really strong, pushups with your nose to the floor are OK, but just like bench presses all the way down, you get more risk of an impingement injury over time.

So unless you have some reason why you need to go more than 90 degrees with your upper arms, don't worry about it. Keep your back pretty straight and in line with your legs.

First, the standard Army pushup calls for you to go low enough that your upper arms are parallel to the ground.

For most men who are intermediate to advanced with lifting weights, sets of 20, 30, or 40 pushups definitely won't build any mass.

There is a good reason for the "parallel" standard - it avoids impingement injury. Since the Army likes lots and lots of pushups, they are right to consider that risk.

As far as 40 pushups not building mass - depends on where your feet are. By the time you get the feet up to handstand pushups, it's pretty serious. 40 of that is not that common I would think.

Ahhh garbage. :)

Palms under the shoulders, elbows tucked and kiss the ground, come back up to full extension. Only thing that moves are the arms.

Anything else is a travesty.



For extra fun, make some parallettes and increase the downward angle.


After a solid 3 months of that, you'll be itchin’ to challenge people at the grocery store and pharmacy to push up contests. :tucool:

Anything else is a travesty....After a solid 3 months of that, you'll be itchin’ to challenge people at the grocery store and pharmacy to push up contests. :tucool:

Either that or dealing with a lifelong shoulder debility.

(from here) (http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1608/is_3_18/ai_83343027/pg_3)Marilyn Pink, Ph.D., P.T., a key member of Jobe's Centinela Medical Center team, implores weightlifters to follow one general rule: Keep the elbows and the press/pull bars in front of your body on all exercises. "Any time you put your body below or in front of your elbows--an unnatural position--you're asking for trouble," she says. This creates excessive leverage on the head of the humerus bone, stretching the connective tissue around the shoulder joint.

Anything that Frank Jobe has his people saying about shoulders you ought to think about.

That is akin to saying "Keep your knees behind your toes".

Everything in your body grows and becomes stronger. If you don't work the joints, how can they?

You don't get cut by a sharp knife, it's the dull ones that will get you.


Push ups are also horrible for the wrists. Running is bad for the knees. The list goes on.

So I have DOMS like I never had before and in places I have never had before. I finally took AT's ETS last night and I am definitely better this AM.

But I have DOMS in my quads (well that I have had before... but not this bad), DOMS in my bi's and tri's (again b/f but not this bad), my shoulders, my delts (never before), my pecs under my boobies :eek: (NEVER before), my Lats, particularly under my arm Terres Major & Minor( never before) Middle and lower traps (never before), Rhomboids (:nope: ) (am looking this up on Ex-Rx, DOMS right down past the shoulder blades over all.

Wow! Does this mean my workouts in the past haven't exercised these enough? Whatever.... I think I am enjoying what is happening. :claphigh:

Isn't DOMS great! :) But the sounds of your other posts your doing the push-ups fine. Like the others say, there are tons of variations but it looks like you defenatly hit some new muscles this round.

Keep it up!

Everything in your body grows and becomes stronger. If you don't work the joints, how can they?

Joints grow very very slowly compared to muscle. If you don't do a lot of cardio, they don't grow at all. If you do too much cardio, you wear them out.

So most people are not really growing their joints optimally.

Frank Jobe has put together more wrecked shoulders and elbows than anyone else on the planet. Tommy John thinks Jobe should be the first doctor inducted in to the baseball hall of fame.

Frank Jobe is also a weightlifting enthusiast who tells everyone to start lifting weights if they don't already. He's famous for his shoulder exercise program. (The other guy he developed them with is called Moynes but for some reason he's not famous for it.)

OK so he doesn't want people to press or row with their elbows behind their body. People who think different should at least be aware of that advice.

So I have DOMS like I never had before....Wow! Does this mean my workouts in the past haven't exercised these enough?

No. Soreness doesn't mean anything other than you are sore. Some people can do absolutely huge workouts and not have DOMS. If you stay well hydrated and do cooldown which has a decent elevation of the heart rate, you might minimize DOMS. Drinking the water and adding a little exercise does absolutely nothing to reduce the effectiveness of the workout, but it does reduce the DOMS. That pretty much shows that DOMS are a side effect.