push ups

janiejoey

Cathlete
Cathe,
I've started on your workouts since last Fall in November. I'm serious about being healthy. Lost lots of weight by eating clean, gained muscle, and feel great.
I'm doing push ups using my knees. I still can't do but only 3 push ups with legs streight, then I have to revert back to knees. How can I gain the muscle needed to do streight leg push ups? This grandma of 53 is determined!

Seriously involved in staying in shape,
Janie
 
Not Cathe here, but like everyone I can't resist chiming in. Lifting as heavy as I could on back workouts, made me suddenly able to do pushups much better and get more out of them too.

Hope Cathe answers you, just adding my 2 cents.

:)

Bella
 
Bella,

Thank you for responding. I lift 40 lbs when I do back exercises. I wonder if I should do more planks, or perhaps I'm doing the push ups wrong. Wish I knew.

Anyone can chime in if they want.

Thanks again Bella,
Janie
 
Janie,

I'm so glad you asked this question because I was wondering about this just this morning. I can't wait to see the responses you get.

Traci
 
When I first started to do push ups I could only do 1 or 2. It was suggested to me to keep adding on 1 or 2 or until muscle failure. It has worked. I can now do about 30.

Joanne
 
Same here. When I started, I could only do about 5-8 pushups. I just started adding 1 more each time I did pushups. You get very strong fast with pushups. It does get easier and easier. I also find that if you stop doing them for a time period, it sets you back some, but it's just as easy to bounce back....so keep it up!

You need to keep your back and abs engaged. I keep my fingers spread and place most of the weight between my pinky, the back end of my palm and thumb.
Namita
 
Thanks Everyone,

I'll take your suggestions to heart, and try adding one more every time I do pushups. Great idea!

Janie
 
The only way to be able to do more pushups is to do them, unfortunately. However, my suggestion would be to try different types of pushups; there are a ton out there. Check out ronjones.org, he gives free photos of all the various types. What you can do is try to start with doing 2 of each kind, working different muscle groups and finding which you prefer (I sort of like the decline pushups now that I have gotten stronger). I do about 150 pushups total on my calisthenics days: dive bombers (also called Hindu pushups on mattfurey's combatconditioning.com website), regular, military, diamond, wide fly, decline, different speeds (hate those slow speeds, they are killer), etc. etc. All the weight lifting didn't help much for pullups, which I also do with the pushups. I have noticed that during the weeks I do only bodyweight exercises, for say a month, I can go back to weight lifting and go heavier, without hurting myself or getting too stiff and sore. I used to be able to do just regular 3 pushups, now I do 35 reg, 20 dive bombers (those are tough, tough, tough, work all your upper body muscles, my goal is to be able to do 50 of those monsters in 3 months or so).
Good luck, keep at it, and you'll soon notice that you can do 5, then 7, then 10, and after that it is all about how much time you have/
 
>Cathe,
>I've started on your workouts since last Fall in November. I'm
>serious about being healthy. Lost lots of weight by eating
>clean, gained muscle, and feel great.
>I'm doing push ups using my knees. I still can't do but only
>3 push ups with legs streight, then I have to revert back to
>knees. How can I gain the muscle needed to do streight leg
>push ups? This grandma of 53 is determined!
>
>Seriously involved in staying in shape,
>Janie

Dear Janie: I think I can help you learn to do "manly" pushups using the system of progressive overload. I am older than you, by the way, and I can do them. And if I can do them, so can you. It's just a matter of gradually training your body to accept the challenge. Most women can't do pushups because as you have discovered, we lack a lot of upper body strength. If you are already doing pushups from your knees, with your hands flat on the floor, you are halfway there.

All you would need is your step bench. The more risers you have, the better. I will put my method below, for someone unable to do any pushups even from her knees. Just pick up your own start point based on your level of fitness.

Using four risers on each side, with a total step bench height of 12 inches, perform pushups from your knees. When you can do three sets of 8, remove one pair of risers and work from a 10 inch platform. Again, when you can do all three sets, remove another two risers and go down to 8 inches. And do on, until you are doing pushups with your hands on the floor, from your knees.

Put all the risers back on your step bench and begin doing pushups from your toes. Strive to get three sets of 8. However long it takes, that's okay. When you can do those, remove one set of risers and repeat at 10 inches. Keep bringing the platform down one level until you're on the floor.

You can learn to do decline pushups much the same way, only this time, start with your toes on the four inch platform, and keep adding risers as you get stronger.

If you don't have all those risers, just use the two you probably have. This method will still work, although it may take you a bit longer to decrease the levels because you will be starting at a relatively difficult 8 inches. But the progressive overload is still the same.

Most women give up on pushups because they flop down on the floor and attempt them from their toes and pretty soon they're "kissing the carpet" as Cathe said in one of her routines. The leap from pushups on your knees to pushups on your toes is great. By teaching your body how to accomplish this in smaller doses makes it something almost all of us can do, with enough grit and determination.

Please try this system. You may very well surprise yourself!

Regards, Marlene
 
>Cathe,
>I've started on your workouts since last Fall in November. I'm
>serious about being healthy. Lost lots of weight by eating
>clean, gained muscle, and feel great.
>I'm doing push ups using my knees. I still can't do but only
>3 push ups with legs streight, then I have to revert back to
>knees. How can I gain the muscle needed to do streight leg
>push ups? This grandma of 53 is determined!
>
>Seriously involved in staying in shape,
>Janie
 
Hi Janie,

Ditto to everybody else....just wanted to add to check your arm/hand position. I had been doing them fine then began to have trouble and realized I was placing my hands too far forward, and my arms too wide or narrow (I began doing this trying to compensate for a wrist injury and didn't know it). Now that I pay more attention to keeping my arms just a bit outside of the shoulders, I am doing better.

Congratulations on your success thus far!

Julie
 
Marlene,

You have a great idea there, and I will be doing this system. After this note to you, I'm making a copy of it, and will do exacly what you say. And I do have lots of risers (14 of them, I get them from the 2nd hand stores). Can hardly wait to have more strength in my upper body.

I'm finding people my age who seem to have given up on themselves, and it saddens me, it feels sometimes that I'm alone out there. People close to me eat stuff that are so creasy or sugary and so full of fat, makes my tummy currdle just thinking about it. Yet they want me to eat the same as they do. I refuse to look like them. But I am determined to be fit until I die, even at a very old age, whatever the case may be. It can only be the best healthy choice for anyone.

Trust me, I have days that I allow myself a splurge, but not enough to make me gain weight or lose muscle.

I'm sure I will not be surprised,

Janie
 
Julie,

Thank you so much for your input and noticing my accomplishments. And I'll make sure my arms are just a bit outside of the shoulders.

Sincerely,
Janie
 
Deborah,

You are terrific! My lambs girl! It will take me some time to do what you have already accomplished, but, I will get there. Especially with wonderful inputs like yourself. Keeps me going.

Sorry it took me awhile to respond, hope you get this message,

Janie
 
Hey Janie,

I agree with what everyone else has said. What finally helped me (i'm still working on this) do pushiups on my toes was GS-Chest. Every time i do this workout i challenge myself to do 4 more pushups on my toes than i did last time. One of these day's I'll make it through them all!

Having Cathe tell me to do all those is much more effective (for me) than just trying to do them myself.

Good Luck!
-Leslie
 
Hi Leslie,

Yes, Cathe is quite the inspiration. Without all her DVD's and videos, I would be an elephant by now. How she can have so much charisma and charm towards people I don't know. Well, I'm hooked and grateful for that.

I'll look at GS-Chest, thanks for the Luck and advice,
Janie
 
This is a great thread. I agree with everyone above, add a couple more each workout and you'll get there.

I love what push-ups do for my triceps, but they absolutely kill my lower back. Has anyone else experienced this problem? I am careful to keep my back flat and abs tucked and still the pressure on my lower back is painful. Would love some advice.

Thanks.
Shopgirl
 
Hi Shopgirl,

Everyone does have great advice, don't they? I love it!

When I first started out doing exercises, my back hurt a lot. I got into really getting my back and abs stronger than anything because I felt that was the core of the body and if they were strong, then you could do more of a better job on the rest of the exercises.

I believe, if you work on your back and ab exercises, you will make your back stronger, thus perhaps when you do pushups, your back won't hurt. Just a thought. Hope that helps.

Sincerely,
Janie
 
Thanks for all the ideas. I don't really like push ups because I almost always end up quitting early. I especially like the idea of the risers and working your way down to the floor. Great thread. Beth
 

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