Wow that's impossibleTry Diamond pushups.
Managed 4. No exhaustion just a complete inability to lift myself off the floor with arms in that position Felt horrible too!Poll: How many push-ups can you do consecutively?
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Managed 4. No exhaustion just a complete inability to lift myself off the floor with arms in that position Felt horrible too!
Soldato
Wow that's impossible
This 100%!!!
I've actually been doing 100 push ups a day, since 1st Jan - I tend to do them in blocks of 20 to 30 throughout the day but any more than that in one go really hammers my arms!
This gave me a false sense of security and when I tried the diamond push ups I think I managed about 4!!!
I also thought I might even be able to do a "clap" push up - nope!!!!
Well according to Men's Health diamond push-ups aren't that great, and are bad for your shoulders. They recommend, if you want to make things harder, using the regular hand position but having hands closer together than shoulder width.
The diamond push up just felt really, really awkward. Tried the close-hands push-up and could do 10 of those. Defo harder than the regular shoulder-width but didn't feel mechanically wrong.
The diamond push up just felt really, really awkward. Tried the close-hands push-up and could do 10 of those. Defo harder than the regular shoulder-width but didn't feel mechanically wrong.
Soldato
Wasn't a good morning for me. On a PT session he set it up with around 10 exercises and then 4 sets of that, and inbetween every second exercise was 30 seconds of press-ups and 30 seconds of crunches.
Started off ok, but even at the end of the first run through i was dying on the press-ups and had to drop my knees. Wasn't a proud moment!
Started off ok, but even at the end of the first run through i was dying on the press-ups and had to drop my knees. Wasn't a proud moment!
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I generally don't do push ups, but I would imagine if you tucked your elbows in and stopped your elbows flaring just like when you bench it will be fine.
Caporegime
Did 17 diamond pushups from cold without too much issue but it aggravates my elbows which are already bad from years of climbing. Didn't seem much harder than normal or wide pushups.
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Sustained my first push-up related injury today Not even whilst doing push-ups
Went for a jog, did some stretching after, bent over to touch my toes (successfully!!), and some muscle or other - just under my lowest right rib (how does I biology?) - started flapping about. In a most unpleasant and "this shouldn't happen" kind of way. Something either popped in or popped out, and it's been uncomfortable all night long.
Exercise is dangerous, y'all.
Not even whilst doing push-ups Went for a jog, did some stretching after, bent over to touch my toes (successfully!!), and some muscle or other - just under my lowest right rib (how does I biology?) - started flapping about. In a most unpleasant and "this shouldn't happen" kind of way. Something either popped in or popped out, and it's been uncomfortable all night long.
Exercise is dangerous, y'all.
Sustained my first push-up related injury today
Went for a jog, did some stretching after, bent over to touch my toes (successfully!!), and some muscle or other - just under my lowest right rib (how does I biology?) - started flapping about. In a most unpleasant and "this shouldn't happen" kind of way. Something either popped in or popped out, and it's been uncomfortable all night long.
Exercise is dangerous, y'all.
It's the age
Not old enough to retire, not young enough to expect a fully working body. The agony of the middle-agedIt's the age
Not old enough to retire, not young enough to expect a fully working body. The agony of the middle-aged
Also not young enough to learn and too old to change
Soldato
Re diamond push-ups, it's a bit anatomically compromised in the same way close-grip bench press with the hands really close together is.
Instead...
Regular push-ups = arm angle somewhere around 45 degrees from body so from above you look like an arrow not a 'T'. The function of the pecs is to adduct the arm (think of the chest fly exercise), so if you then want to reduce the amount the chest can contribute and increase the demands on the triceps, you keep your elbows close to your sides and do the yoga Chaturanga push-ups (use your feet to send the body forward so that your elbows stay relatively vertical above the wrists through the movement).
Instead...
Regular push-ups = arm angle somewhere around 45 degrees from body so from above you look like an arrow not a 'T'. The function of the pecs is to adduct the arm (think of the chest fly exercise), so if you then want to reduce the amount the chest can contribute and increase the demands on the triceps, you keep your elbows close to your sides and do the yoga Chaturanga push-ups (use your feet to send the body forward so that your elbows stay relatively vertical above the wrists through the movement).
Soldato
To not mess up the shoulders when you do these, slightly rotate your hands out to the side. This should give more chest activation.
Also don't go for numbers, 6 good quality press ups are better then 12 ****** ones.
Also don't go for numbers, 6 good quality press ups are better then 12 ****** ones.
Just found this thread!! Very interesting reading 
For me a proper push up is all about form. Fully up and fully down. Body should be straight throughout the whole motion, glutes and core engaged. And when you are the bottom of the push up, you should be looking slightly forward not down and your elbows should be as close to been parallel to your body as possible not flared out.
I can do between 30 and 40 push ups.
But, I am thinking of starting this challenge/program listed in the OP. https://hundredpushups.com/index.html .
How many of your completed it? Were you happy with results?
EDIT: Just seen that they also do a Squat and Lunge programs. Would be a good 30 minute workout to do all three programs. Not sure I have the discipline to keep it going for the 6 weeks!!
EDIT 2: Day one done of the 3 programs, Push Ups, Squats and Lunges.
For me a proper push up is all about form. Fully up and fully down. Body should be straight throughout the whole motion, glutes and core engaged. And when you are the bottom of the push up, you should be looking slightly forward not down and your elbows should be as close to been parallel to your body as possible not flared out.
I can do between 30 and 40 push ups.
But, I am thinking of starting this challenge/program listed in the OP. https://hundredpushups.com/index.html .
How many of your completed it? Were you happy with results?
EDIT: Just seen that they also do a Squat and Lunge programs. Would be a good 30 minute workout to do all three programs. Not sure I have the discipline to keep it going for the 6 weeks!!
EDIT 2: Day one done of the 3 programs, Push Ups, Squats and Lunges.
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Man of Honour
I had not seen this thread before even though it was posted last year! I have watched an Athlean-X video about this exact subject and why chasing numbers is totally the wrong way to go about it because it messes with your head without even realising and ever since this my mindset is totally different to how I approach this particular workout.
Personally I have been working on 12x12x12 as that works for me. A short break in between because by the time I get to 12 on set 2 I am already at the brink of failure. I do full range of motion and the descent is always slow so each rep takes about 4-5 seconds. I also go below the bars on each descent. This offers greater advantage and gains vs just smashes out quick reps of which I can do a lot more, at least double.
I have been slacking since the last lockdown and because of my metabolism all my gains can be fully lost in just a week from previous weeks of hard work! I have very low bodyfat percentage (5ft 8 @ 58KG) so all my gains are noticeable very quickly. At the moment I have been using RipRightHD's PRX sticks whilst sat at my desk working from home, as well as using my desk chair to do pseudo planche dips using the chair's armrests and then once a day will use parallettes to do deep push-ups as mentioned above.
Honestly doing push-ups (even pull-ups) properly with perfect form and range of motion every single rep is extremely difficult especially once you employ time under tension and something I never appreciated until more recently when actually watching, reading and trying. So when someone tells me they can do 50 pushups and they don't physically look like they're got the shoulders, triceps and back for it, I'm always a bit dubious
This is me 3 weeks in, obligatory duckface:
Once I can easily do 12x12x12 without any sign of impending failure I'll move onto one-armed variation and then focus on abs (dragon flag) but one focus point at a time as that's what seems to work for me!
Edit* typos/words...
Personally I have been working on 12x12x12 as that works for me. A short break in between because by the time I get to 12 on set 2 I am already at the brink of failure. I do full range of motion and the descent is always slow so each rep takes about 4-5 seconds. I also go below the bars on each descent. This offers greater advantage and gains vs just smashes out quick reps of which I can do a lot more, at least double.
I have been slacking since the last lockdown and because of my metabolism all my gains can be fully lost in just a week from previous weeks of hard work! I have very low bodyfat percentage (5ft 8 @ 58KG) so all my gains are noticeable very quickly. At the moment I have been using RipRightHD's PRX sticks whilst sat at my desk working from home, as well as using my desk chair to do pseudo planche dips using the chair's armrests and then once a day will use parallettes to do deep push-ups as mentioned above.
Honestly doing push-ups (even pull-ups) properly with perfect form and range of motion every single rep is extremely difficult especially once you employ time under tension and something I never appreciated until more recently when actually watching, reading and trying. So when someone tells me they can do 50 pushups and they don't physically look like they're got the shoulders, triceps and back for it, I'm always a bit dubious
This is me 3 weeks in, obligatory duckface:
Once I can easily do 12x12x12 without any sign of impending failure I'll move onto one-armed variation and then focus on abs (dragon flag) but one focus point at a time as that's what seems to work for me!
Edit* typos/words...
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This is not weights with numbered sets, I do what I was taught and that is Pull Ups / Chin Ups/ Push Ups till exhaustion then rest at least 30secs but as much as 2mins (depends on how long you been doing them) then do next set and do at least 3 sets but ideally 4 or 5 sets.
I only mentioned Diamond Push Ups as I knew many would find it hard or impossible but I do not do these, I do shoulder width with perfect form and they are hard enough.
I only mentioned Diamond Push Ups as I knew many would find it hard or impossible but I do not do these, I do shoulder width with perfect form and they are hard enough.
Big issue is just people not knowing how to do a proper pushup - if you've never had any military experience or perhaps I guess been taught by a decent PTI in a gym then you might just be bobbing up and down without using the full range of motion.
This is a good video just showing how to do the basic pushup, though there are also plenty of variations that you can add in to compliment these too.
This is a good video just showing how to do the basic pushup, though there are also plenty of variations that you can add in to compliment these too.
Soldato
I do a half way house, my arms are always wider, as i find the ones above put too much strain on my dodgy left wrist. I do make sure i touch the floor though and full extend my arms at the top.
Man of Honour
If floor push-ups put strain on your wrist then def get parallettes, can be 5cm raised ones as opposed to the big 45cm ones but the taller ones will benefit other activities too of which there are pretty much endless variations so nice to have those given how cheap these things are.