# Pushups, how effective and how many reps?



## Halcyon (Nov 24, 2003)

Push ups are supposed to work the chest right and are a free/inexpensive way of helping out those muscles.

I can do about 30 pushups in one sitting before I feel tired and need to move on to something else

I'm confused about the whole "Reps" repetition? 

Right now I have a workout of 30 minutes on the treadmill 5 days a week that has me running for for 15 min/remaining 15 min is walk/run right as I wake up in the mornings.

At night I'll do 30 pushups, 30 dumbbell curls, 30 dumbbell hammer curls and 20 situps and i'll repeat this about 3 times in a 30-40 min span with breaks between.

I haven't mustered up the guts to go to the gym yet so everything as of now is home gear I can work with.

Is what i'm doing effective, and anyone else do basic pushups and notice a change in their body?


----------



## pentagon (Dec 13, 2005)

calisthenics are a good workout, but you can only go so far with them. If you are trying to build strength and not just muscle mass you need to do alot less reps and more weight. 

I'm not sure how much weight lifting equipment you have, but you can exercise the chest by doing dumbbell press. you can also work the shoulders by doing dumbbell military press.

Reading what your current exercise routine is, it looks like you workout your chest, abs, biceps, and a little triceps. You are not doing much of anything for your legs, back, shoulders, traps, lats, etc..

Yes, what you are doing is effective. But you could be getting alot more done if you had more equipment or a gym membership. 

When I first went to the gym I was very anxious. After I kept going it got easier and easier, doesn't bother me at all anymore. The people really never bother you or talk to you unless they want to share the workout equipment or something. There are certain time spans that the gym is almost dead as well.


----------



## soundsgood (Nov 7, 2005)

what your doing is moderately effective to start out with. the term 'reps' stands for how repetitions you complete of a particular exercise in one go before you take a break. push-ups are are an excellent exercise. if you consistently do multiple sets until failure you will see benefits. you might want to try elevating your feet up on a chair or something similar to give a little variety. also vary the rest periods between sets. the rep. range you are using for your arms is too high, find a heavier weight, you do not want to doing 30 plus reps unless you simply want to loose a little weight or build endurance.


----------



## Blue Oval (Oct 18, 2006)

the rep range for building the most mass is 6-12, but that doesnt mean take a weight you can do for 30+ reps and only do it 6-12 times, it has to be a weight that causes you to fail by the 12th rep. if you do 1-5 reps with really heavy weight its more of neurological adaptation and growth will happen but wont be the primary response, lots of reps works a different type of fibers, i think type I, but theyre not as big as the other kind, and its more for endurance


----------



## Blue Oval (Oct 18, 2006)

dips are great


----------



## scairy (Sep 18, 2005)

Halcyon said:


> Push ups are supposed to work the chest right and are a free/inexpensive way of helping out those muscles.
> 
> I can do about 30 pushups in one sitting before I feel tired and need to move on to something else
> 
> ...


If you really want to feel the burn I suggest getting pushup stands. They allow you to get full extension really stretching your chest out. The key with pushups and most resistance training is avoid cheating or using momentum. Don't do your pushups fast. Do them slow and controlled all the way down and all the way up. Also alternate how wide or how narrow your hands are apart.

Try adding in incline and decline pushups. You can do this by using a bench to put your feet on and then put your hands on the ground. Then do a set where your hands are on the bench and your feet are on the ground. Back when I was trying to increas my bench press numbers I didn't try doing more bench press, I did pushups!

If it starts getting too easy change it up. Get in the pushup position and lower yourself to the ground. Then come up half way and slowly lower yourself back to the ground then come up all the way. Then lower yourself all the way to the ground and repeat. Also do not allow yourself to rest on the ground. Keep your muscles working throughout the range of motion. Once you get pushup stands one thing I do is lower myself close to the ground but not to where I'm resting on the ground and hold that position for 2 seconds then come back up.

I really should get into nutrition and personal training. I enjoy this stuff so much. I just physically lack the results or genetics not sure which, lol.

After you finish your workout get fruit and protein into you stat. Also eat 30 minutes to an hour before your workout. Without food in you your workout is pointless. You'll catabolize, which essentially is breaking down protein/muscle for energy.


----------



## Halcyon (Nov 24, 2003)

scairy said:


> Halcyon said:
> 
> 
> > Push ups are supposed to work the chest right and are a free/inexpensive way of helping out those muscles.
> ...


Nice thanks all

i've been reading up on bodybuilding.com losing fat forum http://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=16 and great to see you guys are spot on with what i've been reading there so far

How about running first thing in the morning once you wake up? Is that alright? I've heard it increases your metabolism rate throughout the day?

Also I've been trying to eat 5 meals a day to try to keep metabolism up


----------



## Blue Oval (Oct 18, 2006)

ive never tried doing 21's with pushups but you can probably do it. do the first 7 reps only doing the lower half of the movement, do the next 7 reps with just the upper half, and do the last 7 reps with full range of movement. its all about shocking your muscles into growing by doing new stuff. try doing pushups so hard you fly off the ground, you dont have to clap your hands at the top thats just for show. also cutting down on your rest time between sets will stimulate growth. ive read eating fruit after working out isnt as good as glucose. the fructose from the fruit goes mainly to the liver, whereas glucose goes to the muscles


----------



## scairy (Sep 18, 2005)

Halcyon said:


> scairy said:
> 
> 
> > Halcyon said:
> ...


Make sure you eat first. Food is key. Eating healthy is even a bigger key. This is an area I could improve in and would probably see better results. Eating will start your metabolism.


----------



## scairy (Sep 18, 2005)

Blue Oval said:


> ive never tried doing 21's with pushups but you can probably do it. do the first 7 reps only doing the lower half of the movement, do the next 7 reps with just the upper half, and do the last 7 reps with full range of movement. its all about shocking your muscles into growing by doing new stuff. try doing pushups so hard you fly off the ground, you dont have to clap your hands at the top thats just for show. also cutting down on your rest time between sets will stimulate growth. ive read eating fruit after working out isnt as good as glucose. the fructose from the fruit goes mainly to the liver, whereas glucose goes to the muscles


I'm not yet a fan of the explosive training method. I believe it can create injuries mainly to your joints. This can be tried just make sure you listen to your body. I believe explosive movements put a strain on your joints and tendons. You're not going to tend to cause muscular injury doing this which is unfortunate because muscles heal much faster than tendons and joints.


----------



## Blue Oval (Oct 18, 2006)

yea heres some more shocking principles that should get you growing, you can try doing whats called rest pause, where after you do pushups to failure, you wait a few seconds at the top, and try and get out another couple reps, then you can repeat that if you want. another thing you can try is emphasize the negative part of the rep when your going down, try taking 1-2 seconds to lower youself under control instead of just falling back down. if you have any place you can do pullups you should try doing all these things for that too


----------



## kikachuck (Nov 10, 2003)

Halcyon said:


> i've been reading up on bodybuilding.com losing fat forum http://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=16 and great to see you guys are spot on with what i've been reading there so far


That is a great forum! I spent some time reading it this afternoon and I have to say that I'm quite tempted to start a journal over there.


----------



## Blue Oval (Oct 18, 2006)

http://www.abcbodybuilding.com is even better, lots of research type essays if your into that sort of stuff. knowledge is power


----------



## scairy (Sep 18, 2005)

Blue Oval said:


> www.abcbodybuilding.com is even better, lots of research type essays if your into that sort of stuff. knowledge is power


Awesome man! I enjoy the more research based docs.


----------

