Push ups

[Thegreatgiginthesky]

I have been trying to improve my strength for almost a year, mainly through Caroline Girvan programmes. When I started a year ago I couldn't do a single push up but now can manage around 8.

I looked online and it says the average woman my age should be able to do 11-14 in a row so I still seem to be lagging https://www.livestrong.com/article/421691-the-average-push-ups-for-men-women/

Is this other's experience? I am wondering if I need to train push ups specifically so am thinking of doing 100 a day (not all in one go!) to see if I can increase my number. Anyone want to join me?

My experience would suggest that most woman cannot do a single proper form push up. That would apply to a large chunk of men, too.

Example -- this pretty fit woman took 30 days to barely do one proper pushup, with advice and support.

100 press-up challenges may not be a good idea. . Both the man and woman in this video don't go low enough for a full pressup in my view (esp the man!).

Just aim to increase by one, so aim for 9. Then when you’re comfortably at 9, increase to 10. It’s just practise, keep doing them everyday. Or try doing assisted push ups with a band around your upper arms, it may help you with your form.

I’d ignore the age standards though.

I use the perfect fitness perfect push-up . Got mine from Costco. Looks like the only option is Amazon now.

It takes the strain out of the pushups and also gives you different ones to do open, closed, wide and when you’re really built up strength inverted off a chair. The program that comes with it starts you off from kneeling and builds you up.

it’s really improved my strength and core. Previously I’d been doing lots of push-ups with bad form. I definitely do less now with the pads but it’s a case of quality vs quantity.

best of luck

I can do 30 military style push ups. I am 52. It took me a year or so to get to this amount. Sometimes I do three sets of 10 other times 20 and 10 or the full 30.

I worked with resistance bands, yoga poses - crane etc and handstands are also useful for wrist strength. I also wear gloves that potect my wrists and use a yoga mat rolled up under my hands.

Thanks all, I think you are right, I need to focus on progressive overload and quality rather than number.

The perfect fitness tool looks interesting although I generally find them harder when doing them on dumbbells (as in some of the Caroline Girvan workouts) than when they are just on the floor.

Planks are also very useful - all varieties. Every part of you body needs to be engaged when you do a press up. Once you have the strength/engagement all areas they are fairly easy.

It does take time to build the muscles.

I don’t think any women I know could do 11-14 in a row. I’ve been strength training for a year and can do 5 with good form - when I started I could barely do 1 on my knees!

I haven’t particularly tried to get better, if I’d practiced at home more I imagine I could do 8-10 by now, but building strength takes a long time for women.

I've seen that article before. The stated expected number of pushups is ridiculous. No way would most AVERAGE people be able to do that.

I'm 57. I train. I am strong. I lift weights. I can do 10 proper pushups, 12 on an exceptional day. According to the chart an AVERAGE woman my age is able to do 7-10 push ups. That's just bollocks.

@rewilded I have been doing the boxflex 3 minute plank most days for a year but what I am hopeless at is challenging myself and making things more difficult. I think I tend to get stuck doing the same thing for too long.

It can be done I am a woman so living proof! I could probably do more than 30 now but I don't want shoulder problems.

I don't lift heavy weights apart from myself :)

You can do it OP. If you can do 8 -10 now you can definitely do a lot more!

I've been doing CG for 9 months, I use pretty heavy weights (for me), visible muscles etc and still can only do about 6 press ups. I couldn't even do one for ages though! As for those tricep press ups she does...I can do 2 on a good day, and I've literally only been able to do that for a couple of weeks.

I just add different exercises every couple of weeks.

For example, a headstand and then I will change it into an elbow stand or I will do a mini press up whilst doing a handstand against the wall. Pull ups - I can't do these very well but hanging from a bar will help increase strength and help your back.

@AtomicBlondeRose You are doing better than me. I still can't do a single tricep press up. I find them much easier when my hands are widely spaced. And as for the diamond press up she does .......

That article is nuts. After 18 months of work I have gone from zero push ups to 10 modified push ups - using the end of the bed instead of the floor.

I don't think my zero is unusual. Real push ups also remain a distant dream.

I mean the actual average woman is unfit so that seems pretty unlikely. And even when I was fit but didn't have the muscle mass I have now, I did my pushups on my knees and would have struggled with one full proper pushup with good form. I'm also a long term CGer and can smash them now though! I can even do multiple tricep pushups without collapsing.

I'm working on chinups for no reason other than I want to. When I started I could barely raise myself a little in a static hang, now I'm on 4 full unassisted chinups. My goal is 10 (11 is elite apparently) but my immediate goal is just to do one more than my current max. Stick with it!

I would say at first the perfect push-up is harder which is why they start you with kneeling. I could do a number of conventional PUs but struggled at first. It’s not like a dumbell PU because the plate turns with your form. I usually do sets 8,6,4 of each type.

I would also add as mentioned above that I always use a yoga mat and I find I get better tonne in my legs with bare feet 👍

@rewilded I haven't tried pull ups because I have not got the kit but suspect I will still be at the just hanging stage. Might get one of the door bars for home...

Oh P.s. I have some pushup bars at home (cheap from Decathlon) which are small, good to help with form and easier than doing them on dumbbells. I had some lingering issues in one of my wrists from my first pregnancy and they helped to reduce the wrist strain Vs the floor when I first started doing full pushups and trying to improve my form. It also makes it easier to get a little lower.

@Doingthework That does sound good, I suspect my form needs work. Might add these to my birthday list.

Haha I just hang from a branch on my tree!

I spent a year doing knee push ups in my HIIT class, then graduated to three full form, then was able to manage 15 max. Then covid. Now I can barely do three on my knees. 11-14 full form from a standing start, I'd say barely anyone could do that, male or female.

I used to be able to do 100 push-ups. I was a lot lighter (and younger) then so that probably helped! I got there using the 100 push-ups training programme https://hundredpushups.com/ - so NOT just trying to do 100 every single day, but a structured programme with workouts three times a week. It works brilliantly as long as you're not actually expecting it to take the advertised 6 weeks - it actually took months and I had to repeat loads of weeks before I got there. I think I started at 5 or 6. Back when I was actually training, I could also do 12 pull-ups (once I'd got strong from the push-ups). Currently I can do about 4 or 5 push-ups and 0 pull-ups.

@BarnacleBeasley ooh thank you, that looks like a really good programme to try and encouraging that it worked for you.

This is just my opinion. I think progression is easier when you assist your upper body rather than your lower body.

So I’d suggest don’t start out on the floor on the knees and then progress to full leg. Instead start in the full proper push-up position but elevate your hands eg on the 4th stair up at home, then move to the third etc so you get lower and lower to the ground.

Also put a folded towel under hands as sometimes the discomfort can be limiting.

I can do 25 - 30 but do martial arts and we do many in the lessons. I usually do 20 in a morning.