How Often Should I Do Push-Ups/Pull-Ups?

>2. For your chin-ups: After you've tried to do whatever you
>can unassisted, do as many as you can on the Gravitron for
>your first set, then keep doing them until you can't do any
>more. For example, if you can do 10 for your first set, make
>you subsequent sets 5's for as many as you can manage.
>
If I can do 10 assisted chin-ups using 45 lbs of assistance, but can't get to 5 on the second set using that same weight, should I increase the weight in order to get to 5 reps or just do as many as I can at 45 lbs? (In other words, should I shoot for a certain amount of sets regardless of weight?)
 
"Yes Mom". .....this is what I have trained my kids to say after I have shared with them my incredibly vast knowledge of motherly wisdom, which obviously does not flow into the realms of fitness. x( x( x( x( .

In other words, thanks for your advise....sometimes you just need to hear it from someone. AND YES...I did take a recovery week....it consisted of falling off the boat and eating everything in sight. Obviously I should PLAN a recovery week as you mentioned so as to prevent this in the future. I could use a week of yoga and stretching. I think I am in need of switching things up a bit.

On the fun side...I took the kids rollerblading at a skating rink last night....I haven't had this much FUN in a long time. Many my age sat on the side lines and talked while the kids rollerskated. BUT, in my mind I rehashed why I do what I do everyday - Cathe and I - so I can have a blast with my kids....I refuse to sit and watch!! :7 :7 :7 AND I'm thankful for all of you here who keep me motivated!!

Briee
 
>you can do push ups and pull ups every single day. they are
>only bodyweight exercises. don't let anyone tell you about
>over training with these type of exercises.... push ups and
>pull ups can do so much for your body.

I've never understood this, Wayne. What's the difference between 90 lbs of your own body weight or a 90 lb barbell as far as the need for recovery goes?
 
I did the same thing at my son's birthday party last month - rollerbladed while the other moms sat on the side.
 
I respectfully disagree with our dear Wayne's statement. If you are lifing your body weight doing a chin-up, which in my case is 128 lbs., I feel you really should NOT do it everyday! Mind you, I do LOTS of push-ups, hundreds in a day, and I certainly would never entertain the notion of doing that everyday. Twice a week is plenty for me, and rarely 3 times a week. Just MHO.
Just Do It! :)
 
>I respectfully disagree with our dear Wayne's statement. If
>you are lifing your body weight doing a chin-up, which in my
>case is 128 lbs., I feel you really should NOT do it everyday!
> Mind you, I do LOTS of push-ups, hundreds in a day, and I
>certainly would never entertain the notion of doing that
>everyday. Twice a week is plenty for me, and rarely 3 times a
>week. Just MHO.

These posts make me laugh:D :D

What's the difference between doing 400 push-ups 2 or 3 times a week (total of 800-1200 a week) or doing 100-200 push-ups 6 days a week (total of 600-1200 a week)? Sorry to be a pain in the a$$, but these posts regarding how many and how often are often misleading for the masses. Without a doubt, push-ups and pull-ups give mucho bang your buck. I think they should be a part of everyone's exercise regime if at all possible. My advice is don't get too hung up on the numbers. Do as many as you can with what you've got and work up from there. I always try to think "just one more than last time" and that seems to help me eek out one more rep each time and that's how I've built up to multiple sets of 20 pull-ups. (When I started many eons ago I could do 3) I now strap a weight on and boy when I take that puppy off they feel so much easier. Attitude has a lot to do with success with these as well. Get it in your MIND that you KNOW you are going to be able to do 1 or 5 or 10 of whatever exercise challenges you and your BODY will follow suit.
 
The point is to give your body a rest between workouts. The point is to avoid overuse injuries. You can overdo it with push-ups and pull-ups just as you can with other exercises.

Just Do It! :)
 
>What's the difference between doing 400 push-ups 2 or 3 times
>a week (total of 800-1200 a week) or doing 100-200 push-ups 6
>days a week (total of 600-1200 a week)?

I guess the difference is that if you do them 2-3 times a week rather than 6, you're getting recovery time which, as I understand it, is essential for muscle growth.

>I think they should be a part of everyone's exercise regime if at all possible.

So, Honeybunch (and others), wouldn't it be more beneficial for a hard-gainer like me to not do them exclusively but to include as many sets as I can do 3 times a week along with weightlifting?

>My advice is don't get too hung up on the numbers. Do as many
>as you can with what you've got and work up from there.

I do as many push-ups as I can until I lose my form. Improvement is achingly slow. Pull-ups are even worse. I'm going to increase the number of times I do them each week and see where that gets me.

>always try to think "just one more than last time" and that
>seems to help me eek out one more rep each time and that's how
>I've built up to multiple sets of 20 pull-ups.

Wow! Multiple sets of 20! I try to think the same thing when doing push-ups ("just one more than last time"), but I very often can't manage even one more without collapsing onto the floor.x(
 
>The point is to give your body a rest between workouts. The
>point is to avoid overuse injuries. You can overdo it with
>push-ups and pull-ups just as you can with other exercises.
>

Don't get me wrong. I agree on what the point is. I think the methods of getting results differs is all. A truckload of pull-ups/push-ups a couple of times a week vice a few times a week with less reps are just two different ways of getting the same amount of reps in a week. I really don't think either one is wrong per se. This is similar to the argument between those who work out three hours a day and take rest days and those who work out an hour or so every day and rarely take rest days. I don't condemn either side. I have seen the pictures posted by the followers of both of these schools of thought and I cannot tell the difference between who does what! The road to results is different for everyone. Keep setting goals and striving to achieve them. Most importantly stay in tune to your body - if you ask too much it will tell you - all you have to do is listen.:)
 
I'm getting a kick out of these posts too, Rogue.

There are SOOOOOO many ways to work out and we're all different.

Susan....interestingly. When I did the P90X, I increased in my pullup reps, I was doing sets of pullups twice a week. When I wasn't doing the P90X (full time) I went through a few weeks where I would do a few pullups every time I walked through our school room door way, all throughout the day. I think they both worked, but I'd lean towards the side of the "do them all through the day"...whenever you pass the door.

Mind you, I would only do maybe 2-3 at a time, sometimes 1...but several times a day for days in a row. What seemed to happen was...when I went for a "formal workout" where I would do an all out "do as many as I can" sets.....I had increased in reps from doing all those minisets through the week. AND..when I took a 2-3 day rest from this and then tried...I was at the point where I could do 10 reps - an all time high for me. What I'm saying is "play with it". You'll find that any effort helps as long as you keep it up. Do them 2-3 days a week and then once you get that pullup bar installed...do little sets all through the day!! :7 :7 :7

AND then once your doing this...you'll be hangin pots and pans from your waist while doing pullups, cast iron ones...I like to use small children, and that's when it happens...you'll be walkin through the store and spot a clothes bar and you'll look around to see who's looking and you'll do a few. AND you'll pass playgrounds and pull over..just to get in a few reps, etc....you see where this is going..pullup insanity.

Briee (dishin it out...now I gotta get my tush back in gear!!)
 
Briee, were you ever at a point where you couldn't raise yourself more than a centimeter, or could you always do at least one or close to one (once you were pretty fit from doing Cathe or other workouts)?

You're right about the need to play with it. I think I'm going to continue with weights for now, increase the frequency of my pull-ups/push-ups and see what happens. Maybe we can install a pull-up bar in our newly renovated attic (now a playroom). Then the kids can get in on the action too, like yours!

I've got several heavy pans, 3 children and a cat. That'll be next year's birthday goal.:p
 
Yes I believe I was at that point about 2 years ago...prior to the P90X I could eek one out, but sometimes I could barely get to the top. I would try hopping a little from the ground to give me a boost and then I would lower down as SLOW AS IS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. Even now...sometimes I pull myself up and then go down to that "sticky point" and I lift and lower, lift and lower just an inch or two...oh those are killers and I can only do one and I'm fried.

Honestly Susan...I would dream about doing pullups...like 20-30..oh what a dream and then in the morning I would run down to the bar...imagining myself in the dream and.....it was only a dream x( x( x( . But mentally...imagine yourself doing it. I have only done 4 sets of 10 total in my whole life and my mind had to be right..somewhere around 6-7 I swore I couldn't do anymore...I just couldn't and somehow I fought to the top. You have to fight to the top. If your starting that first one, believe you can do it and I mean fight...it's gonna take all you have..as if your life depended on it. (this is pullup psychology at it's best). When you have gotten to the top...you are mentally set up to do more, because you know you can do one. It's a mental war to win in the beginning...you can do it...you will do it.

Now...what amazes me is LauraMax doing 6 sets of 10. I can't do that yet, but I WANT IT. Oh and overhand with hands wide...that's just too much. This is a psychological/physical battle that I would love to win, but it seems a lifetime away..but I KNOW it can be done..because she's doin it. I think it's just her darn stubborn fiesty nature that's helping her!! It IS very MUCH in one's head and the body will follow!! And there is NOTHING that will get your back as nicely defined as pullups. You can do it Susan, get on your game face!!!!

Briee (wow ....I did ramble...sorry!)
 
firstly, i love you guys. you are all so respectful and i really appreciate the way in which you handle things when you don't agree with someone.
when i wrote my statement, (which i stand by!!!!) i was referring to my own program and that of gymnast and dancers. both of these sports (especially gymnasts) are train hours (2,3,4) a day, using they're body weight (ring work, bar work, etc...) and they train day after day, and have the most amazing upper body development of anything i've ever seen, and they never lift standard weights. they don't seem to over train and they (gymnasts) are notoriously bad eaters. many moons ago i did gymnastics and my coach said you can never do too many press-ups and pull-ups. i forgot this advice, until about 3 months ago. i then started doing a ladder style training with push ups and pull-ups, and let me say, my arms are bigger and my chest, well, i've never looked more toned from just pushups. bench presses never did this. i do about 200 push ups aday. (not all at once!) and about 50-60 pulls ups throughout the day. edited to say: infact, i think someone above mentioned it.
 
I think I'll start doing push-ups and chin-ups everyday, just not as many push-ups! I think I'll start with drop sets starting with 30, which will total 240 going down by 2's. I'm so glad I've ditched the weights! For another thing, it solves the problem of how to exercise while on vacation!
Just Do It! :)
 
honeybunch,

How long do you rest between sets? And when you are doing both push-ups and pull-ups, which do you do first? If for instance, you do pull-ups first, do you do all sets of those then move on to push-ups? Or do you alternate the two exercises between sets?

Thanks,
Melissa
 
I do chin-ups first, because they take the most energy. I'll do several sets of them, then do more later in the day. For the drop sets of push-ups, I rest maybe 30 seconds to a minute. It doesn't take long to do the whole 240.
Just Do It! :)
 
they are such great exercises. i love them. pull ups. different hand grips. sexy back and arms. push ups, great chest and triceps. beautiful. and best of all..... no weights. you can do so many different variations.
i like to sometimes time myself. 15 minutes. how many push up and pullups i can do. then every time i repeat it 3x a week, i try and beat my total reps.
this is a great thread. i honestly believe that with pull ups and pull up and the variations, weight training is optional.
 
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