Comments on: A Word About Pushups

By: webmaster

webmaster — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:58:43 +0000

This just fascinates me. You would think that resistance is resistance, but it is clear to me that progressive resistance exercise builds muscle faster. This is not to say that you do not have a muscular build, but the fact that you added size to your body only after switching to traditional strength training is so interesting. Why, in your opinion, do you think this is?

By: Mitchard

Mitchard — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:58:07 +0000

Frankie Edgar is a fan of pushups! if it worked for him, eh?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEhj09pG3E0

Also, maybe something else you bw nuts might like. Jason Armstrong tells how he trained to get the pullup world record, 2,409 pullups/chinups in 12 hours:
http://www.recordholders.org/en/list/chinups-armstrong.html

By: Mitchard

Mitchard — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:38:07 +0000

I started training up for high rep pushups late January. I posted above when I was finally able to make 1000. I wasn’t able to keep up with a thousand. I’d keep getting injured. I still do 500 pushups 3 times a week. Aesthetically wise I don’t look that big but I definitely put on muscle. I look like a slightly skinnier version of Fedor. There’s definitely faster and more efficient means to getting muscles than high rep bw stuff. I was doing about a 70 pullups and 70 chinups each workout and my arms stayed around 15 inches. I started lifting weights (curls, skull crushers, etc) last month and have already put an extra half inch on my arms.

I still mean to continue doing the pushups, pullups and bodyweight squats but I’m using it more and more as a supplement to my weightlifting.

By: Christopher Chipps

Christopher Chipps — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 19:56:10 +0000

Thank you. With the chinups, I am starting to see an increase in size in my biceps, and even my wife and a co-worker had noticed and commented on it.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 20:55:48 +0000

I have never tried a push-up program exclusively. I just cannot seem to let go of dips. I love’em! So, I am not qualified to answer your question. Maybe someone else?

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 12:57:11 +0000

Hi all,
This is a great comment thread. I’ll share my experiences, if this helps anyone. I was able to get really strong biceps and back from all sorts of variations of chin ups/pullups, working my way up to the one arm chin. (Look it up on beastskills.com) Negatives were the main thing that helped me there. I also did one arm and handstand pushups, but I never got a really big chest. (42″ at my peak) I would just advise everyone to take it easy with weird or one arm variations of exercises, b/c you can get injured easily.

Anyway, I’m just curious if anyone has gotten a big chest from high volumes of pushups alone. I’d like to attempt it, but I don’t know how effective it is. This article has a plan, but I don’t know if this is actually effective for people who are already strong.

Thanks for your help!

By: webmaster

webmaster — Sun, 30 May 2010 00:23:39 +0000

Hi Chris.

Thanks for the question.

While everybody’s body is slightly different there are some general rules and answers that may be of help to you. First, I think you can build a really thick slab or muscle over the chest area using just pushups, provided you get adequate recovery. You will know you are recovering from your pushup workouts when you see increased rep output from your chest muscles. Of course, the mirror will be useful as well, because you will notice your pecs increasing in size, along with triceps and shoulders, but the real tell-tale sign is increased stamina and the ability to do more and more reps. At some point you may wish to add resistance to your pushups through the use of bands like the ones some here at elite-fts. As for chins, here is a great rule of thumb to use:

Narrow grip chins, palms facing you, tends to train biceps, rear delts and middle back. If you want to widen the scapula area (around the shoulder-blades) widen your grip to just outside shoulder width or more. Make sure you place a focus on slowing down the movement, and train to failure. One to two sets is fine. On the last rep, squeeze like crazy for about 5 seconds, pulling with all your might. If you have done these correctly, your scapula area will be plenty sore the next day.

Try this and get back to me with your experience.

Timothy

By: Christopher Chipps

Christopher Chipps — Sun, 30 May 2010 00:05:30 +0000

Hello,
I have free weights, but would prefer to do just body weight exercises such as pushups and pullups and chinups. Could I still build a big chest with pushups as long as I did enough sets and reps? Also, when doing pullups, I cannot feel it in my lats, and was wondering if I’m pulling myself up correctly when doing pullups, and one other question, what variation of the pushup is best for building a big chest? I appreciate in advice. Thanks

By: sangos

sangos — Wed, 05 May 2010 13:54:57 +0000

No…lol(thought I might look like a marketeer)..but i have a copy of it. I believe it can be bought online. Would recommend it as an introduction to these routines, without actually travelling to India.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Tue, 04 May 2010 22:16:27 +0000

Are you selling this DVD found in the link?

By: sangos

sangos — Tue, 04 May 2010 22:07:00 +0000

Sorry here’s the correct link (ealrier messed up)

https://www.createspace.com/207195

By: sangos

sangos — Tue, 04 May 2010 22:00:23 +0000

Just wanted to add another interesting resource I found on ancient Indian techniques – authentic.

https://www.createspace.com/207195…there‘s a nice trailer that can be clicked!

Even though we do most these routines here in India, unfortunately there is no ‘great product’ yet unlike perhaps Yoga in the West. Glad to do my bit!

By: webmaster

webmaster — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 23:06:14 +0000

This is a GREAT post. I LOVE it Sangos. Thanks brother. What a great video!!!

By: sangos

sangos — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 22:19:15 +0000

Indian wrestlers follow body weight exercises; also add in ‘weights’ not like the conventinal western modelled stuff. Here’s a demo sample by the great Gotch himself
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CreCOrf9ExM

By: Mitchard

Mitchard — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:49:50 +0000

This article plus the discussion above has been really inspiring. I’ve read through Ironmunki’s workout log from bodyweightculture. That guy is a machine! So is Derek, Joe, and Adam from the discussion above. I’ve always done a lot of bw exercises but never put that much volume in. The last 8-10 weeks I’ve been gradually experimenting with adding a ton of reps.

A couple days ago I was able to finally knock out 1000 push ups in one session (my tri’s lats, chest and shoulders are still very sore!.) I didn’t time myself but I’m sure it took me 2 hours or more (way too long.) It’s taken a lot of work, and a small injury to get to this point. A few weeks back I injured my right elbow. I was trying to go too fast while doing the push ups. Ended up being too jarring I guess (and probably cheating.) After that I learned to slow down a bit and be more smooth throughout the movement.

Something I adopted from Ironmunki is his use of descending reps.
So to get to a 1000 I started with 45 push ups then the next set was 44. 43 then 42 and so on down to 1. It all adds up to 1035 if I did my math right. It get’s a bit monotonous once you get to 15 or so, so I usually start doubling up.

There’s no way I could pushups every day though. Anytime I do pushups I usually have to wait a couple days at least before I know I could comfortably do them again. Maybe your body adapts after a while, but that’s not happened to me yet.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:23:32 +0000

Hi Josh. I hear you on the time issue. Plus, eating 4K calories is hugely expensive. My suggestion is to definitely consider a good protein supplement. I recover much quicker when I have adequate levels of high quality protein in my diet, which at the moment I do not. As to your other question regarding exhaustion, I am not sure I can answer that unless it boils down to cellular energy and lack of proper levels of carb and/or protein intake. I wonder if anyone else has any ideas.

By: joshua fields

joshua fields — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:44:57 +0000

Not all of us have time or energy to do 1000 pushups and sit ups.I am 195 lbs and do the body pump routine then add 100 push ups and sit ups to the workout of cardio weight training.Anybody got any advice on why after doing body pump I can barely do 3 to 4 sets of 25 push ups? I work out 3 days a week and don’t desire to be the biggest or strongest.Just trying to hit my personal best.Any advice Is well appreciated.By the way,I cannot afford enough food to do 4000 calories a day every day.And my appetite just cannot handle the coloric Intake powerlifters and bodybuilders handle every day.I do no supplements or protein shakes.Should I start these?

By: Adam

Adam — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:17:58 +0000

Seems like it was to much for me to carry on just yet. I did continue on for a week more doing 500 but that weekend I moved and it really worked my arms. I only did a 100 a day last week and this week started doing 20 in a set again instead of the 25. Doing less again makes me feel better than doing a lot. And as for the max reps in a set it didnt increase doing them this way.
No suprise though as I read that military training uses a method like this but they dont do it for more than 2 weeks and I went well beyond that.

By: Adam

Adam — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:12:56 +0000

The biggest thing for me to prevent injury is to fully stretch and limber up. Ive jumped right into the push ups before and hurt my arm on the first set, effecting the entire day.

I drew a lot of inspiration from Herschel Walkers story here and the fact he did it all on 4hrs sleep a night (I get 5) and a diet with barely enough calories to keep a gnat alive.
Also I worked with a guy named Rob around 40yrs old who everyone thought did steriods. I asked him one day what he did to get the guns and he said it was easy, just do 300 pushups a day.
If 500 proves to much for me in the end Ill at least do the 300.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:15:30 +0000

This has turned out to be a really popular post, and thanks to Adam it is getting that much more informative!

By: webmaster

webmaster — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:14:19 +0000

Well, I think it is worth cautioning people against the risk of overtraining. I mean, I know we are talking body weight movements here, but in looking at your case-study, it would seem as though maybe, just maybe, your shoulders are saying, “ouch!”. Just respect what your body is telling you. On the days you see tangible improvements in either strength and/or endurance, take a look back and see what you did that might have permitted that growth. Then, continue to duplicate the approach that lead to that success.

By: Adam

Adam — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:12:32 +0000

Also I still consider this beginning stages and early in my attempt. I have no other goal as far as weight loss or gaining mass. Just want to do 500 a day and see what happens. If something negative happens then I will adjust accordingly to keep my goal.

By: Adam

Adam — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:07:46 +0000

It can be very easy too. Depending on your determination and will. I like to test both every now and then to please my spirit.
I believe I may be adding some muscle and losing fat to create the weight balance Im seeing. I feel pretty damn solid now and of course doing it all day creates a feeling of being swoll throughout the day. I remember leaving the gym after a killer workout only to have the swoll feeling go away in a half hour.
As far as soreness, a lot of days I would anticapate soreness and stop shy of my goal only to find the next day was easier to do. I started very curious of how many days I could do it in a row. The first week you can see I only did a few at the end of the week and that was cause I was drained and sore. But I grew back stronger and stronger.
Some days (like today 250 done already) I have shoulder joint pain that sometimes I can work thru and sometimes gets worse and I stop, im not trying to hurt myself.
The biggest help is getting past half way and then I feel big, strong and ready to finish.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:59:47 +0000

Actually, I am wondering how we might respond to doing a set of 20 push-ups followed by a set of 20 rep body weight squats?

As for diet, man, you burn off so many calories its no wonder you do not gain weight, and I bet you have to eat a ton just to keep from losing weight.

My only concern is whether or not this actually adds muscle size. I hate to hold such a myopic view of strength training, but gaining lean solid muscle matters to me. I am not interested in just having toned muscles.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:56:41 +0000

Adam, tell us about soreness? Also, if your body weight is remaining constant, then I am wondering if you are adding muscle or just shaping it.

Try doing just a one set max on your “day off”, if you have a day off that is. Can you remember what you were able to do for a one set max prior to this experiment?

This is very cool. I may try this myself.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:53:35 +0000

PS: I also want to thank you for taking the time to compose such a labor intensive and informative post!!!! Thanks a lot!

By: Adam

Adam — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:53:15 +0000

Yeah those are dates starting with the 4th of Jan. So it shows me doing 20-30reps per half hour on that date.
I started to notice I was MUCH thicker during the 3rd week. My neck, arms, and chest and back felt broader and fuller. I am toning up some but have been eating a lot to maintain energy. My weight has remained the same over this whole time @ 170lbs and Im 5′ 10″ and 25yrs old. I weigh in at the begining and end of each day and its always within a pd or to of 170.
I havent attempted one set max pushups yet.
I think I will attept so when I need to switch this up. Seems like a good idea to occasionally do my 500 in max rep sets. ya know lesser sets. to keep my body guessing.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:46:28 +0000

Aside from tone, how much growth/body weight did you gain, if any? Has your one set max for reps improved and if so, by how much.

Great post!

By: Adam

Adam — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:37:48 +0000

I set a goal to do 500 pushups a day for new years. Just during my work week. I met my goal on the 5th week and now will try to continue this till summer.
Here is my log so you can see the improvements in strength and volume

Push-Up log.

6:30- 1/4 20 -1/5 20 -1/6 20 -1/7 20 -1/8 20
7:00- 1/4 20 -1/5 20 -1/6 20 -1/7 20 -1/8 20
7:30- 1/4 20 -1/5 20 -1/6 20 -1/8 20
8:00- 1/4 20 -1/5 20 -1/6 20 -1/8 20
8:30- 1/4 20 -1/5 20 -1/6 20 -1/8 20
9:00- 1/4 20 -1/5 20 -1/6 20 -1/8 20
9:30- 1/4 20 -1/5 20 -1/6 20 -1/8 20
10:00-1/4 20 -1/5 20 -1/6 20 -1/8 20
10:30-1/4 20 -1/5 20 -1/6 20
11:00-1/4 20 -1/5 20 -1/6 20
11:30-1/4 20 -1/5 20 -1/6 20
12:00-1/4 20 -1/5 20 -1/6 20
12:30-1/4 20 -1/5 20 -1/6 20
1:00-1/4 20 -1/5 20 -1/6 20
1:30-1/4 20 -1/5 20 -1/6 20
2:00-1/4 15 -1/5 20
2:30- -1/5 15
3:00- -1/5 15
3:30-
315 365 300 40 160 = 1180
Week 2

6:30- 1/11 20 1/12 20 1/13 20 1/14 20 1/15 20
7:00- 1/11 20 1/12 20 1/13 20 1/14 20 1/15 25
7:30- 1/11 25 1/12 20 1/13 20 1/14 20 1/15 25
8:00- 1/11 20 1/12 20 1/13 20 1/14 20 1/15 25
8:30- 1/11 20 1/12 20 1/13 20 1/14 20 1/15 30
9:00- 1/11 20 1/12 20 1/13 20 1/14 20 1/15 25
9:30- 1/11 20 1/12 20 1/13 20 1/14 20 1/15 25
10:00-1/11 20 1/12 20 1/13 20 1/14 20 1/15 20
10:30-1/11 20 1/12 20 1/13 20 1/14 20
11:00-1/11 20 1/12 20 1/13 20 1/14 20
11:30-1/11 20 1/12 20 1/13 20 1/14 20
12:00-1/11 20 1/12 20 1/13 30 1/14 30
12:30-1/11 20 1/12 25 1/13 20 1/14 20
1:00- 1/11 20 1/12 25 1/13 30 1/14 30
1:30- 1/11 20 1/12 20 1/13 25 1/14 25
2:00- 1/11 20 1/12 20 1/13 25 1/14 25
2:30- 1/11 25 1/12 20
3:00-
3:30-
350 350 350 195 = 1245
Week 3

6:30- 1/18 20 1/19 25 1/20 25 1/21 25 1/22 25
7:00- 1/18 20 1/19 25 1/20 25 1/21 25 1/22 25
7:30- 1/18 20 1/19 25 1/20 25 1/21 25 1/22 25
8:00- 1/18 25 1/19 25 1/20 25 1/21 25
8:30- 1/18 25 1/19 25 1/20 25 1/21 25
9:00- 1/18 25 1/19 25 1/20 25 1/21 25
9:30- 1/18 25 1/19 25 1/20 25 1/21 25
10:00-1/18 25 1/19 25 1/20 25 1/21 25
10:30-1/18 25 1/19 25 1/20 25 1/21 25
11:00-1/18 25 1/19 25 1/20 25 1/21 25
11:30-1/18 25 1/19 25 1/20 25 1/21 25
12:00-1/18 25 1/19 25 1/20 25 1/21 25
12:30-1/18 25 1/19 25 1/20 25 1/21 25
1:00- 1/18 25 1/19 25 1/20 25 1/21 25
1:30- 1/18 25 1/19 25 1/20 25 1/21 25
2:00- 1/18 20 1/19 25 1/20 25 1/21 25
2:30- 1/18 20 1/19 25 1/20 25 1/21 25
3:00- 1/18 20 1/19 25 1/20 25
3:30- 1/19 25 1/20 20
4:00- 1/19 25

420 500 470 425 75 = 1890
Week 4

6:30- 1/25 25 1/26 25 1/27 25 1/28 25 1/29 25
7:00- 1/25 25 1/26 25 1/27 25 1/28 25 1/29 25
7:30- 1/25 25 1/26 25 1/27 25 1/28 25 1/29 25
8:00- 1/25 25 1/26 25 1/27 25 1/28 25 1/29 25
8:30- 1/25 25 1/26 25 1/27 25 1/28 25 1/29 25
9:00- 1/25 25 1/26 25 1/27 25 1/29 25
9:30- 1/25 25 1/26 25 1/27 25 1/29 25
10:00-1/25 25 1/26 25 1/27 25 1/29 25
10:30-1/25 25 1/26 25 1/27 25 1/29 25
11:00-1/25 25 1/26 25 1/27 25
11:30-1/25 25 1/26 25 1/27 25
12:00-1/25 25 1/26 25 1/27 25
12:30-1/25 25 1/26 25 1/27 25
1:00- 1/25 25 1/26 25 1/27 25
1:30- 1/25 25 1/26 25 1/27 25
2:00- 1/25 25 1/26 25 1/27 25
2:30- 1/25 25 1/26 25 1/27 25
3:00- 1/25 25 1/26 25 1/27 25
3:30- 1/25 25 1/26 25 1/27 25
4:00- 1/25 25 1/26 25 1/27 25

500 500 500 125 225 = 1850
Week 5

6:30- 2/1 25 2/2 25 2/3 25 2/4 25
7:00- 2/1 25 2/2 25 2/3 25 2/4 25
7:30- 2/1 25 2/2 25 2/3 25 2/4 25
8:00- 2/1 25 2/2 25 2/3 25 2/4 25
8:30- 2/1 25 2/2 25 2/3 25 2/4 25
9:00- 2/1 25 2/2 25 2/3 25 2/4 25
9:30- 2/1 25 2/2 25 2/3 25 2/4 25
10:00-2/1 25 2/2 25 2/3 25 2/4 25
10:30-2/1 25 2/2 25 2/3 25 2/4 25
11:00-2/1 25 2/2 25 2/3 25 2/4 25
11:30-2/1 25 2/2 25 2/3 25 2/4 25
12:00-2/1 25 2/2 25 2/3 25 2/4 25
12:30-2/1 25 2/2 25 2/3 25 2/4 25
1:00- 2/1 25 2/2 25 2/3 25 2/4 25
1:30- 2/1 25 2/2 25 2/3 25 2/4 25
2:00- 2/1 25 2/2 25 2/3 25 2/4 25
2:30- 2/1 25 2/2 25 2/3 25 2/4 25
3:00- 2/1 25 2/2 25 2/3 25 2/4 25
3:30- 2/1 25 2/2 25 2/3 25 2/4 25
4:00- 2/1 25 2/2 25 2/3 25 2/4 25

500 500 500 500 = 2000 Goal!

Week 6

6:30- 2/8 25 2/11 25 2/12 25
7:00- 2/8 25 2/11 25 2/12 25
7:30- 2/8 25 2/11 25 2/12 25
8:00- 2/8 25 2/11 25 2/12 25
8:30- 2/8 25 2/11 25 2/12 25
9:00- 2/8 25 2/11 25 2/12 25
9:30- 2/8 25 2/11 25 2/12 25
10:00-2/8 25 2/10 25 2/11 25 2/12 25
10:30-2/8 25 2/9 25 2/10 25 2/11 25
11:00- 2/9 25 2/10 25 2/11 25
11:30- 2/9 25 2/10 25 2/11 25
12:00- 2/9 25 2/10 25 2/11 25
12:30- 2/9 25 2/10 25 2/11 25
1:00- 2/9 25 2/10 25 2/11 25
1:30- 2/9 25 2/10 25 2/11 25
2:00- 2/9 25 2/10 25 2/11 25
2:30- 2/10 25 2/11 25
3:00- 2/10 25 2/11 25
3:30- 2/10 25 2/11 25
4:00- 2/10 25 2/11 25

225 200 325 500 200 = 1450

I missed a lot of work last week due to snow but will make up for it someday. I could either try for more a day by upping the reps per set or stay and see what it does. Also thinking of switching up to my heavy ass barbell for a little while so my body doesnt get to used to pushups.

By: ACJ108

ACJ108 — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:42:45 +0000

Webmaster,

I have couple of questions. What is your routine? What do you think about BW versus weight training?

By: webmaster

webmaster — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:54:03 +0000

Great addition to the content. Thanks AC!

By: ACJ108

ACJ108 — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:39:31 +0000

To add onto your point, all you have to do is look at gymnists. Those guys are huge. All they do is bodyweight exercises. There is a book called “building the gymnastics body” that focuses on their routines. As a matter of fact, the writer of the book pointed out that he spent his whole life doing BW routine. Once he retired, he started weight lifting. That was when he started getting hurt.

In terms of protein, I think its overrated. Americans consume too much protein. I saw an interview the other day (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IPpUC0YMiE) of Herschel Walker talking about how he eats only once a day. His meal is soup, veggies, and fruit. He also said his protein consumption is VERY low. The guy is huge. To be honest I think thats the reason Brock Lesnar was sick for several months. I saw an interview with him right before he got sick. He said that his diet is mostly protein. Your body uses energy to back down meat based protein. After the doctors saw he was getting better, they said he had to lower his protein intake and increase the amount of fruits and veggies. Now that I think about it I read a article that saw one of the reasons why americans have so much cancer is because he eat so much protein.

Several months ago my GF bought me a TRX. I have to say, its a pretty good piece of equipment for BW exercise.

Bar-barians, like the bartendaz, are also very impressive. They have tons of videos on youtube.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:33:54 +0000

Excellent post Andre. Thank you!

By: andre

andre — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:04:12 +0000

Hey everyone if you are interested in working out with bodyweight only exercises, don’t think that you have to reach a point where you have to move to free weights to challenge yourself.
There are so many variations to the pushup alone that you would never run out ways to progress in physique devlopement. Just for some suggestions try elevating your feet or one foot, try hanstand pushups, diamond pushups where you form a diamond with the index finger and thumb of both hands and lower your chest to your hands.

To get a feel for just how far you can take your physique with bodyweight only exercises go to youtube and look up hannibal for king and then check out the bartendaz. Amazing stuff and they use bodyweight only execises because a lot of them were in prisons that did not allow weights, or live in low income areas where gym memberships were out of the question.

These guys do not follow the recommended nutritional requirements touted in the magazines and they can’t afford steroids and look at the physiques they built. I’m not saying to ignore nutrition, I’m just saying that I believe good nutrition and supplementation has more to do with good health which should a be concern of everyone than it does with building muscle.

By: acai jones

acai jones — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:57:02 +0000

Great information thanks for getting this out there for people like me to read.

By: black lee

black lee — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:02:26 +0000

doing a 1000 push ups a day is a waste of time. doing 10 pushups 1 pull up will make you way stronger. or 5 push ups 1chin 1 pull up. do 20 sets. will make muscles like steel .

By: Luke

Luke — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 07:36:23 +0000

Since we’re talking about body weight exercises, I would be remissed if I didn’t at least mention the sheer brutality of Burpees. Believe me, after 1 set of 40 reps, you’re not only dizzy, but you feel like you ran 3 miles! FYI… a burpee consists of dropping down into a pushup position, followed by plyometrically pushing yourself up into the standing position followed by a jumping squat. Have fun with this one and thank the Few and the Proud for popularizing this exercise! Semper Fi!

By: webmaster

webmaster — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:17:50 +0000

Hi Nick. I will tell you this much – EVERY time that I have increased milk intake, two things have happened: One, I get stronger and bigger and two, I cough more. As a person with CF, the increased fluid in my lungs is an issue, however if you do not have any pre-existing lung issues I would go for it. If you are able to get raw, whole milk then that is best. If not, look for the least processed milk you can find. Also, I tend to prefer organic as it tastes better, but it is twice as expensive so I am not always able to afford it.

As for the bands, I use’em – a lot. And I think they are a tremendous way to add some strength and size if used in the way you are doing. Keep us posted.

By: Nick

Nick — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:38:00 +0000

I have been doing p90x for a few months now. Its a great workout but high reps. I have been trying to build muscle mass so I figured if I went with low reps using resistance bands which is all I have, I should build muscle. I’m going about 4-6 reps. I’m 6′ 200 lbs, and have been trying to eat alot of healthy food. I’m eating about 3000 cal a day. I heard about drinking a gallon of milk on top of your diet to gain muscle. Will this help?

By: webmaster

webmaster — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:41:14 +0000

Thanks!!!

By: D

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:19:39 +0000

However, if you really want to see what can be achieved with bodyweight exercise only… check out the calisthenicskingz, search for them on youtube. Their main guy, ‘hit man’ looks like a freaking bodybuilder, he does clapping handstand pushups and insane stuff like that.

By: D

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:18:27 +0000

He has not posted his workouts on the forum (bodyweightculture) for several months now but as far as I know he’s still beasting.

Here’s the link to his log: http://bodyweightculture.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11515&

And here is his ‘profile’ on the site, with some pictures: http://bodyweightculture.com/forum/member.php?u=50412

Last I heard he was 6 feet and a little over 200 pounds. Strong, dense muscle without much fat.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:59:31 +0000

I would be interested in seeing what this guys frame looks like. If you can build a huge muscular frame, including legs, with BW exercises only, I would be all for it.

By: D

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:44:09 +0000

Hey guys, good article and real inspiring stories. Personally, I’m 16 and as I have no access to barbells, etc. I mainly to bodyweight and some weighted variations of bodyweight exercises. I spend a lot of time getting information from the forum http://www.bodyweightculture.com, which is a great resource. One of the guys who posts his log over there worked up to doing 120 handstand pushups, or 600 pushups, or 400 dips, 200 pullups, nearly 100 one-leg squats or 500 hindu squats, 100 dragon flags or 1000 crunches in a session… the guy is a beast, period! He weighs over 200 pounds and he’s doing all this!
I’m working slowly to increase my own training volume, hopefully someday I can get to that level!

By: webmaster

webmaster — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:42:24 +0000

You know that is an interesting question.

Mike Mentzer and Arthur Jones felt that short, intense workouts to failure produced superior results.

The Bible says moderation in all things.

I say, try both. See what works. Keep a journal. That is the only way you will know for sure.

Try it for 4 weeks for each style. Get back to us with your experience.

Timothy

By: Nick

Nick — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:33:51 +0000

Would you say that more reps during the day would be better then doing sets to failure. For example, 5 x failure or reaching a desired number using multiple sets? I have read of people doing both. What would be better for strength and muscle gains? Thanks

By: webmaster

webmaster — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 15:27:06 +0000

OH and one other very important thing: POP TARTS. Lots and lots of Pop Tarts.

Teasing.

Stay strong!

By: Nick

Nick — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 15:00:20 +0000

Thanks for your help. I will keep you posted on how everything goes!

By: webmaster

webmaster — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:25:45 +0000

Hi Nick. My ‘puter was down for repairs, hence the delay in getting back to you.

The general rule of thumb is that the average person needs to consume more than 3500 calories per day to “gain weight”. While this may have been the prevailing school of thought for the longest time, and while I think it holds some merit, each body is different. The bottom line is that if you want to gain LEAN body mass the main concern is getting enough protein for tissue repair. That too is not without some debate, but since proteins are the building blocks of life, and since protein builds muscle, it stands to reason that if you do not consume adequate amounts of protein for your muscles, your lean tissue mass could deteriorate.

I have heard that 1.5 grams per pound of DESIRED body weight is what the bodybuilder looks at. So, if your target bw is 215 pounds, think of consuming 215 x 1.5, or around 320 grams of protein per day. That sounds like lot, doesn’t it? Well according to some it is.

Do some research of your own. Get a few different perspectives. Try several approaches and see what works best for you.

Make sure your sources of protein are lean and organic if possible, and get a good whey protein powder as a convenient supplement. Designer Whey is awesome.

As for the training….

If you are able to continually add reps and sets with your body weight, then you are making progress. If you are doing so many reps that you are getting bored, try adding some bands to your training for pushups, or strap on a few weight plates for chins once you get so strong that you can do 50 chins in a row.

As an aside, I seem to recall reading that Hesrchel Walker use to eat a HUGE dinner and nothing else for the day. He would sit down to two whole baked chickens and taters and whatever else he could eat, and that would be his meal for the day. I am not sure if this is apocryphal or not, but it sure seems interesting.

I think its been proven that you can add muscle with just pushups. Remember, body weight exercise and eating is all Herschel did prior to going to college. He had never even touched a weight.

Keep us posted with your progress.
TC

By: Nick

Nick — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:43:19 +0000

I was reading some of the replies and it looks like some people actually do pushups everyday, and alot of them. I was doing 300 pushups and situps a day but then was told I was not giving myself enough time to recover and I was actually making my muscles smaller. Is this true? I weigh about 200, but would like to get up to around 215 but be solid and like to be able to do this using bodyweight exercises. Is this possible? If so, how many calories should I eat and what type of program should I be doing? Thanks for your help.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:17:40 +0000

Great post Kevin. I agree whole heartedly.

By: kevin p

kevin p — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 06:06:26 +0000

I really do believe that doing push ups is the key. I was a 10-12% body fat guy previously, and looking to hit the next level but somehow all the cardio and dumbells didnt cut it.

I started doing lots of push ups daily for the last 6 weeks to try something different, and the results have been eye opening. My chest, traps & arms have become more defined and buff, and a faint 6 pack is threatening to appear… All this without cardio, and I have actually lost fat these last few weeks!

Secret is to keep doing many throughout the day..I usually do about 15-20 sets ( each time to semi/full fatigue) mainly while watching telly ( I time it during adverts) . Try to do about 3 sets before heading to work in the morning , then finish off the rest in the evenings.
Have also started serious squatting last 2 weeks to create the same impact for the legs.

Dont want to put the gyms outo business by shouting too loud but I have seriously found something here…Folks who are already doing this know what I mean.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:44:09 +0000

PS: Yesterday I did 3 super slow super sets of dumbbell flys and dumbbell bench presses. I am so sore on my chest today I may not train chest again for 3-4 days

By: webmaster

webmaster — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:42:32 +0000

Hi Nick.

You know, if I may be honest, Herschel’s claims always seemed a bit far fetched to me. It just does not make much sense. However, if doing even half of what he suggests would make you happy, then try breaking the workouts into chunks.

Let’s say you wanted to do 500 pushups. Well, do 100 pushups five times throughout one day. Do 100 pushups every 1 – 2 hours until you have done 500. Break the 100 pushups into sets of 50, do two sets. Wait an hour or so, do another 100 and so on.

Us that approach with chins, sit-ups and free squats as well. So, for workout 1) do 100 pushups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats. Wait an hour or two, and do it again and so on, until you have 500 of each.

My guess is that the next day you will be so sore you might decide to take yourself to the hospital, but at least you will have given it a try.

If you can adjust to the soreness so that you can do this every day, then awesome. But, if you are like most folks who work for a living, you may have to try to find a way to fit these workouts in around your job.

Anyone else care to chime in?

By: Nick

Nick — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:07:49 +0000

I understand Herchel Walker was very dedicated. But In his book it said he does Pushups and situps , handstand pushups everyday and does pullups, nothing about dips. But then I read things on him doing 1000 pushups,1000 pullups, 1000 situps, 1000 dips a day. How do you manage to do all of that in a day. If I could do half of that everyother day I would be happy. Just unsure on how to approach it. Thanks for the help.

By: Nick

Nick — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:48:12 +0000

I checked out the bands. What is your advise on a workout? Thanks

By: webmaster

webmaster — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:41:23 +0000

Hi Nick.

Well, my first reaction is to suggest adding bands/cables to your pushups. When I suggest bands/cables with pushups, I am suggesting something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZfr6fBHyRU

Have a look at that and get back to me with further questions.

The band the guy is using looks like what you could get here:

http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts/default.asp?cid=138

Have a look and get back to me.

By: Nick

Nick — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:23:48 +0000

I have been looking for a bodyweight routine that will put on mass and definition. I’m constantly changing my workouts due to either not feeling like they are enough work or I’m concentrating on the wrong things. I usually have 3-4 days to workout, then I go to work for 48 hrs where it’s hard to get a workout in. How can I use pushups,situps,hanstand p/u, pullups and dips to acheive my goal. It seemed like Hercshel Walker did 1500 pushups and 2500 situps a day, but in his book it just said he did pullups after his football training. Is it numbers I should strive for or should I be working to failure? I always wanted to acheive my goals with bodyweight workouts instead of using weights. I have been doing strictly calisthenics for about a year now, so I can handle a good workout. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks

By: webmaster

webmaster — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:51:44 +0000

Joe thanks for stopping by! And thanks for the comment. Yeah. the p90x program is solid!

By: Joe G, Trenton NJ

Joe G, Trenton NJ — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:11:41 +0000

P90X is a good program, but I get the same results with my high rep bodyweight sessions.
One thing I can say is that if an athlete, boxer, or MMA fighter followed the P90X program and added just and ONLY sparring to his training it would be enough to compete.
My friend an ex pro boxer worked 12 hour days.
He would do pushups/chins while at work then go spar double the amount of fight rounds and he was very successful on the state level for 10 years with this limited workout.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:17:17 +0000

Agreed. This is a pretty useful series of comments – yours included. So thanks for adding your hope and experience.

webmaster

By: Anthony Bondioli

Anthony Bondioli — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:11:50 +0000

I did put on a noticeable amount of muscle following this regimen, although I didn’t measure the gains in pounds, inches, etc. I was fairly muscular to begin with, but became visibly more broad-shouldered, deep-chested, and thick-armed by doing this. Muscle tone, in my experience, has much more to do with having a low body fat percentage than with having large muscles, and believe that definition is primarily won or lost in the kitchen.

And yes, a little extra deodorant was needed from time to time.

Thanks for the inspirational article and ensuing commentary. It’s actually lit a fire under my butt to RE-dedicate myself to self-improvement and earn the admiration you were kind enough to extend (yeah, I’ve let things slide a bit in the past year). The fact that the most impressive numbers mentioned in the comments above have been by guys in their 40s and 50s is amazing and extremely motivational. At 33, it’s nice to be reminded that with continued hard work, I can still be kicking butt and taking names for decades to come!

By: webmaster

webmaster — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:36:25 +0000

Anthony, this is interesting.

Do you happen to recall how your body responded in addition to staying in shape? Did muscles grow, tone improve et? Did you need extra antiperspirant at work? Heheh

I admire your dedication.

By: Anthony Bondioli

Anthony Bondioli — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 03:32:07 +0000

Here’s how I managed to get in 400 pushups (and 200-300 bodyweight squats) each weekday while working a deskjob: Every half hour, I’d hit the deck and crank out 25 pushups. In an 8-hour workday, that totalled 400. Every time I visited the restroom (4 or 5 times a day, depending on how much water I drank), I’d do 50 or 60 squats. On my lunch break, I’d walk about 3 miles, or, if the weather was nasty, I’d spend a half hour or so walking up and down the 3 flights of stairs in my office building. I also kept a pair of old, 30-pound dumbbells on the floor next to my desk, and would do some arm or shoulder work from time to time, throughout the day. Nothing fancy, but it kept me in pretty good shape during my 3 years of flying that desk.

By: Blake

Blake — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:02:10 +0000

Well my chest is certainly still growing, but the way I intend to stop the plateau effect is by switching hand positions and feet positions every set. Besides I’m trying for more compact muscle rather than big muscle.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:03:04 +0000

Blake, I have found this to be the case as well. I have often wondered if by adapting, does the body also stop responding? Is your chest growing? Are you still adding muscle? Or, did you plateau?

By: Blake

Blake — Mon, 04 May 2009 07:17:20 +0000

Not sure if this is still a question for you, plus I did not read any of the other posts, but I started doing pushups after I decided not to pay for a gym membership, after a month I can do 500 pushups in a session no sweat, seriously, I don’t even sweat. When I first started a month ago I could barely pull of 50 in a row, but now I can easily crank out 100. You just gotta work it, its easy for your body to adapt.

I think that if I can get to 500 in a session within a month, 2000 in a session doesn’t seem to be such a stretch, within a year at most.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:34:39 +0000

Hi Brian! Thank you for stopping by and offering your input.

1) I believe in training just enough to force an adaptive response, whether you are doing calisthenics or progressive resistance or both. The objective is to get stronger, faster, bigger and better. If you are able to achieve that training every day, try cutting back to training 4 days in a row and resting. Record your progress for that month and compare to the previous month. Do just enough to get superb results. Doing more than you need is counter productive.

2) As for training to failure, I say use the same approach. Try training to failure every day for a month. Record your progress. Then, the next month, train each day just shy of failure. Record your results. Then, compare the data.

Obviously, this methodology takes time, but fortunately you have a lifetime to discover yourself.

3) I tend to think 1-2 sets to failure is better at forcing an adaptive response than multiple sets that are performed at 80% intensity. Arthur Jones believed this as well. However, the data suggests that this may be true for the first 2-3 months, at which point your body adapts, and you find that you need to mix it up by doing things like pre-exhaustion and supersets. Again, record your progress each month, make adjustments, and re-adjust as necessary.

As you said, diet, sleep, water and a good supplement program with some powerful proteins and antioxidants as well as some healthy fat supplements are a must.

Anytime you find yourself stagnated, train less, not more. That is a great rule of thumb.

If this does not help and only confuses you, post another comment and I will do what I can to find the answers you need.

By the way, how do you like the site?

Thank you for stopping by!

Webmaster-Tim

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:21:41 +0000

So, I’ve read through this great thread and received quite a few tips. However, I still have a few questions I could use answered for clarification:

1. Should a push up/body weight (pull ups, sit ups, squats, etc.) routine be done EVERY day? Let’s say with no other weight training, for now; solely body weight exercises and cardio.

2. Should these exercises be done to failure daily, or should they be broken up into sets to achieve a total rep number. Say, if I want to do 100/day and my max is 30, should I do 3 sets of the max or break it into something smaller like 10 sets of 10 reps?

3. What is the rest time between these sets? Is the workout “lost” if the sets are broken up over hours of time? Should they be done with just a few minutes of rest between sets, or can they be spaced out over the length of the day and still be effective?

I am just trying to avoid overtraining. I understand diet, sleep, and listening to my body are all important and, for the most part, I take care of myself pretty well with the exception of maybe a few more adult beverages consumed than should be.

My main concern is with overtraining with the exercises themselves. Any input you gentleman have is greatly appreciated; as is your time. Thank you for the great resource.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:31:10 +0000

KC that is awesome mate! Keep up that pace and you are going to give Herschel Walker a run for his money in a few years!!!!!

By: kc

kc — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:28:48 +0000

hi , i am 13 currently i am 5ft 7in 126.8lbs . i do 2+ (add 2 to each workout) divebomber pushups, 50+(+5 each workout week) decline pushups , 100 bicycle crunches (+50 each workout week) 563 body twists (every day) 5+ pullups(+5 each workout) same with chinups. also i workout 3 days a week.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:25:21 +0000

Mike, while this may disappoint you I am not sure I can answer this with any degree of certainty. Everyones body responds in slightly different ways to stress and adapts to different forms of stress in somewhat unique ways.

The only way for you to see if you are getting stronger in the bench is to try benching after a certain period of time on a program and use the data to come to a conclusion.

By: mike

mike — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:45:48 +0000

Hi Im mike i am 18,I do 500 pushups on the perfect pushup with my feet elevated and 1000 situps, I also do a bench pyrmid going sets 15, 12, 10,8,6,4,2 and then go back up. with curl I start at 20 and go down 2 reps each set until i get to 2 and then I go from 2 to 20 with 65 on bicep curl. Right now my bodywieght is 180 and I last maxout in october with 355. should my bench max gone up alot since i do this workout everyday?

By: webmaster

webmaster — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:58:39 +0000

Derek, this is as inspiring as it is impressive. WOW! Your philosophy seems spot on to me.

Combat Training styles are the best for preparing the body for the rigors of life, so I encourage you to get back to what worked for you.

I am so glad you posted, and also thankful you stopped by.

I am curious if you can read the text? Do you like the layout? Color scheme, etc? This is a new layout and I am hoping that new visitors find it appealing.

Please sign up for the email alerts on the front splash page, and thanks for your continued support! Keep training and keep inspiring!

Webmaster

By: Derek

Derek — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:54:04 +0000

I just came across this site searching for exactly something like this. I am an Air Force Veteran of Desert Storm and have been out since 2001. I used to do 500+ pushups a day with the same amount of situps, 100 chair dips each(legs both front and under) 50 pullups where possible, 50 handstand pushups(in all positions I varied the hand placement throughout my career) and wall squats(7-10 minutes) along with body weight squats(between 3-500 a day). All done every week night during the evening watching TV commercials. It usually took me 3 half hour shows to complete, except for the wall squats which I did last. Usually done when I was at home or at a location where a chin bar was available, if not available, then that was not done. I don’t remember what I started out doing, but since at 17 I could do pushups, situps and handstand presses quite easily, and even one handed pushups I thought I would continue that and add as needed. I remember when I started I did just dips, pushups, handstands, and pullups, the rest came within the next 6 months or so.

I just wanted to share this with the readers, with the hope of motivating those on the fence about starting. I think that persistence and dedication to exercise is more important than any program out there, I am now dedicated for life. I noticed that P90X commercial, they do pretty much the same old routine, just clever variations added in along with yoga, shadow boxing etc. SO, if they can achieve those results with the same dedication you can too without paying for the program! I will employ their strategy of changing or varying the routine every 6 weeks though. That sounds critical to improvement of strength, and growth….

I was 5′ 6″ at about 165-75 for most of my career and when I did go to lift weights (about every other month) I would usually use 135 warm up 1 X 15, 225, 275, 315 in decending 3, 2, 1 sets X 10, 8, 6 reps for the bench. Squats were usually 3 X 10 on the seated machine 250 – 800# depending on how I felt. I have not done much of anything since 2002, and am out of condition and shape and in that mode again and was looking to see if there were any better methods available. It looks like it is all the same, just need to find what I feed good with and work it. Back to my story, I did get ALOT of looks from the gym regulars and some I befriended and they actually started similar routines. I cannot say how successful their routines became. Though I do remember several commenting on their strength gains later.

Based on that, I would like to comment about the pushups vs weights. When in HS I could barely lift 225 much less rep it. I was 5′ 6″ and about 150#. After about 2 years of doing just the body weight routine when I was about 20 years old. I went to the gym to see what I could lift. I was very suprised when I was able to rep the 225 up to 20 times and a one time lift(spottted of course) of 315! That is what set my bar for the routine I continued.
I did (while in Desert Storm, Saudi Arabia) manage to win a bench contest with a lift of 385 @ 165 #, I was 27 then, and now 44. I think that body weight exercises provide the training to boost most lifts with out risking injury with out the need for strength supplements, just a basic diet. Since I have not done ANYKIND of conditioning or exercise since a 2002 injury…I NEED to get back to my old routine. With that I now that I KNOW I NEED to continue my program for life to provide the strength, flexibility and agility I need to survive and extend my life on this earth.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:28:53 +0000

Yes, I see the wisdom of what you are saying. I mean, if I were accosted and had to defend myself I am afraid the best I could do is eat a power bar, but with intensity! You know, chew like I really mean it.

By: Joe, Trenton NJ

Joe, Trenton NJ — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:24:47 +0000

About sand bag training I treid it before but it does not fit into my workout needs.
That might be good for MMA guys or grapplers.
My “no frills” training is geared to fitness, self-defense, and to maintain.
Since my last post I went to a local boxing gym and went 5 rounds of sparring with the state golden gloves champ who is 21.
I more than held my own and at 53 felt that in a street situation being able to use my full Kenpo arsenal would easily take out this amateur stand out boxer.
What happens is that consistent training enables us “old men” to retain muscle memory.
Also, my thinking is that if forced to defend, I cannot worry that I had no sparring time(this applies to boxing, MMA, or Martial Arts in general)I must react and defend.
Just my personal 2 cents.
Happy holidays to everyone!

By: webmaster

webmaster — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 18:53:11 +0000

Aaron, excellent review, thank you!!!

By: Aaron Bennett

Aaron Bennett — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 17:52:48 +0000

I just got Herschel Walker’s Basic Training by Herschel Walker and Terry Todd, PhD and read the whole thing yesterday. I see why people don’t want to get rid of theirs and the aftermarket used price is so inflated. I saw the book on eBay mixed in with a grab-bag of fitness books for less than I’d ever seen it alone, so I snapped it up.
Walker’s autobiographical stuff is very interesting and adds a personal dimension to the book. Todd’s stuff adds a great deal with the science behind the exercises and is really what takes this book from a basic exercise manual to a classic book in the field. The plans in the back would be invaluable to young athletes looking to start out, and as the programs go to the Advanced level, they are helpful to more experienced athletes as well. I liked the included Karate, sprinting, stretching, and water workout tips.
It does cover basic weightlifting, as even Herschel Walker needed to add some iron to his regimen when he hit the pros. Overall, I think it’s a great book that deserves a reprinting. If you haven’t read it, track down a copy. It should be in every functional-fitness buff’s library.

By: Tim

Tim — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:58:48 +0000

Joe you really are amazing!!!!! Dang dude!! You are a machine.

Joe, I want to suggest something, and it was inspired by your comment and the mention of “bag work”. Would you be willing to do an experiment for a few weeks? Ironmind Enterprises sell sand bags! I would love to get someone in this thread to do some “bag work” with some sand bags. I am living off disability at the moment so my budget does not permit me to add to my training arsenal. Seeing as how you enjoy working with “the bag”, how would you feel about incorporating some sand bag training? Here is a link: http://www6.mailordercentral.com/ironmind/prodinfo.asp?number=1390

By: Joe, Trenton NJ

Joe, Trenton NJ — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:52:04 +0000

I am 53, but look like a “young” 35.
Yesterday I went 45 minutes non stop on the heavy bag throwing 8-15 punch combos.
This all due to my bodyweight exercise regiment.
You can transfer that levle of conditioning to most sports.
My goal for 2009 is 1000 pushups 3 times weekly.

By: Joe, Trenton NJ

Joe, Trenton NJ — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:14:28 +0000

To those that asked.
I’m 53.
For some strange reason my body has adapted to this workout and I feel fine.
Just started 4-5 rounds of bag work also.
Thanks for the compliments!

By: Kevin B.

Kevin B. — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 01:52:47 +0000

Hi, Im kinda in a little struggle here. Im 17 years old, im 5’10″ and I weigh 150lbs. Im currently looking forward to join the USMC. My struggle is that I want arm muscles and pecs. I have really good abs but I just cant seem to get pecs. I do push-ups, chin-ups, and sit-ups daily. Any tips on someone my age and wieght class?

By: KC

KC — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 03:27:17 +0000

If you want to get ripped and have plenty of endurance this is another good way to go.

1. Start out military style and put your hands close together to form a Diamond. Index Fingers and Thumbs touching.

Do as many pushups as you can for two minutes.

Then take two minutes off or have a partner go at it for two minutes.

2. Then come back with Standard Military Pushups for two minutes, as many as you can do.

3. Two minutes off, then come back with Wide Arm pushups for two minutes.

Repeat all three sets at 3 to 5 times, not suggested more then every other day except for in the first few weeks.

Turn your hands slightly on the regular military and wide arm pushups on the different sets.

If you have a partner they can spot you by standing over your back with a towel rolled up accross your chest and holding on to the ends.

They can give you a little lift up at the end when you need it for a few more reps.

It will take some getting used to, but the Diamond and Wide Arm Pushups will get alot easier, it may take a while to get to 75 to 100 per set.

If you did this twice a day or a strong 5 sets you could easily do a 1000+ in a day if you wanted.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 01:55:51 +0000

by the way, how old are you?

By: Kevin

Kevin — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 01:51:04 +0000

Joe,

Will we be seeing you on the cover of any cereal boxes soon?……….I mean really, training like that 3-4 times a week is no basic regime! I thought knocking out 400 push ups in 13 minutes accompanied with some barbell activity was impressive………….your work out makes mine look like a walk in the park……….12 reps of 250lbs on the bench press is quite impressive………….I need to go to the gym and see how weak I am………….keep up the good work!!!

By: webmaster

webmaster — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:07:18 +0000

I love comments like this. Thank you. I am getting quite inspired here.

Keep the stories coming.

By: Joe, Trenton NJ

Joe, Trenton NJ — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:51:10 +0000

Believe me, bodyweight exercises work!
I train 3-4 days on a few basic exercises like chin, dip, pushups, and bodyweight squat in high reps.
The key for me is to split the workouts.
I do 500 BW Squats in the morning to also enhance cardio(no seperate cardio session needed)this is followed by 250 crunches and a 5 minute cool down strecth.
In the late afternoon I do 50 chins(sets of 10), 75 dips(in sets of 15) and 500 pushups in sets of 20. I end with 150 leg raises and a 5 min cool down strecth.
That’s it.
And, acording to people including heavy lifters, I have a physique good enough to compete on a state level(I’m 5″8, 190lbs) and pretty good “functional” strength.
Never lifted, but the one time I “tested” my strength on the bench press was able to knock out 12 reps with 250lbs.

By: Tim

Tim — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:07:54 +0000

Well, all I can say is wow! That really is amazing and inspiring. It’s been a while since I did just push-ups for chest, but you have me so excited I may very well decide to give this a try myself. Please stay in touch with this web site as the Spirit moves you. The site is enjoyed by many and comments like your spice things up a LOT!

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:14:47 +0000

When I first started doing push-ups I was doing 4 sets of 50 for a total of 200. I can’t remember how long I rested in between sets, maybe 5 to 7 minutes or so. Then one day I just came up with the idea of timing myself to get em’done. I started off originally with 20 push-ups per minute. Now I’m at 30 per minute. So now instead of increasing the number done each set I have elected to increase the number of sets to where I am at now at 400. I’m going to try and work my way up eventually to 500 in 16 minutes…….truthfully, I have not been to the gym in years, so I wouldn’t know if it transfers to any level there. On my off days I play a lot of singles tennis for more aerobic training. Really enjoy it! Thank you for the nice comment.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 10:56:05 +0000

Kevin, this is impressive.

I am curious as to what you were doing in terms of reps when you first began? Did your stamina improve over time? Have you noticed if this type of strength transfers to the gym on any level?

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 03:01:58 +0000

A general comment on push-ups, I have been doing them on a regular basis now for 2 to 3 years. Currently I do 400 push-ups in 13 minutes. I do this 3 to 4 times a week on a every other day basis. I have a screen enclosed room with an 8 inch step that I use for my feet, somewhat of an incline that I think helps. I time myself with my wrist watch. I do 30 push-ups every minute for 11 minutes then top it off with 2 sets of 35 for the last 70. In my opinion it is a great work out. It is a combination of aerobic and strength training. Trust me, I am sweating when done. The nice thing about it is, it’s a quick workout yet very effective. Once done with the push-ups, I do three sets of 10 curls with each arm with a 50lb dumbell. I can have a very effective workout in 30 minutes. I am 48 years old.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 17:56:29 +0000

I wold like to see some folks chime in here, but I tend to think that you risk training if you perform intense push-ups every day in combination WITH load bearing exercise. I think in that case the push-ups might very well slow your recovery from the traditional training.

If all you were doing were push-ups then you still might want to vary the intensity day to day in order to prevent over training. Granted, this is not very specific, but I think you can understand what I am saying here.

Doing max numbers of pushups 7 days a week my very well be far to much for your body to respond well too. If you break the set and rep schemes up, without necessarily going to failure every day, then you might avoid OT.

Listen to your body. Experiment. Keep a journal and back off when you are not making progress. A good rule on any day. A good rule in life.

Hope this gives you a place to start.

Thanks for stopping by.

By: sam

sam — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 13:08:37 +0000

Actually its ok if you combine bench press with push ups,if the person is too used with his own bodyweight.But if u do not have access to gym,you could juz carry a bag on your back with some weights (not necessary to be free weights plates…could be anything for example: books or any heavy stuff ) and continue doing push ups with the new added resistance.This was what a gym intructor told me few months back…but guys i got two qustion…is it ok to do push ups everyday and push ups trains the anterior deltoids only but not the middle and back deltolds..is’ent tis overdeveloping the anterior deloids..hope u guys can reply me .10x

By: Stanley

Stanley — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 08:26:09 +0000

Hi, I read in an interview with Herschel Walker that he started by just doing them during commercials when he watched TV and would just do them all throughout the day. So, he might do 10 pushups, watch TV till the next commercial and then do another 10, watch TV till the next commercial, etc.

When I was a teenager, one summer I worked up to something like 200 to 400 pushups everyday. I do remember I did them in sets of 10′s, with a few minutes break between sets. The only bad thing was when I got up past about 150 I quickly got bored because there wasn’t anyway for me to increase the resistance. So I stopped doing them. Also when I stopped doing them my chest strength quickly disappeared.

I think pushups are great for beginners but at some point they need to combine bench presses with pushups.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 19:38:53 +0000

I am curious how sore you will be and for how long if one attempts 500 push-ups?

I have read about people doing 500, 1500, 2000 etc. and I have just wondered how beneficial doing so many reps is.

Opinions?

By: Rick

Rick — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:30:49 +0000

Set a rep goal, and then divide it into even sets. For example, if you want to do 100 pushups, and you are having a difficult time, then do 10 sets of 10. Want to do 500? Do 50 sets of 10, or 20 sets of 25. It is much easier to build up this way. As you become more comfortable, increase the size of your sets. Remember: Make sure to drink lots of water during an extended pushup workout.

By: Jason Ross

Jason Ross — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 20:06:49 +0000

Wow… I cannot dospute what works for someone else… but if I ate like that and did that many reps, I would be absolutely starving to death all day, every day. I’m 30, 6’0 and 180 lbs, and right now in decent shape but not really very muscular. I have a very inactive day job, and I’ve been doing only bodyweight exercises for several months. I’ve found that I’ve gotten progressively weaker with the bodyweight exercises, though my overall cardio fitness has improved. I eat 6 times a day, and as I am vegetarian, I include some cheese, nuts, beans and meat substitutes for protein. My body fat level has decreased, but I am not really gaining any weight or strength, so I am probably undereating as it is… It amazes me the differences between different peoples’ metabolism!

By: webmaster

webmaster — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 14:48:34 +0000

Joe, this is great!!!!

Thank you. Your comments added so much to this thread.

Keep coming back!!

By: Joe G.

Joe G. — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 14:45:23 +0000

Hello again. My eating regiment could be much better, but this is pretty much it in a nutshell.
Breakfast: 2-3 eggs scrambled in vey litle, light olive oil, 8 oz. glass orange juice which I water down a bit, and 4 oz cup of coffee.
Lunch: A 6 inch tuna or turkey sub with some veggies, a 12 oz. water, Dinner: Cup of soup-varies, small salad, and steak or fish baked or broiled,1-2 slices of rye or wheat toast. Inbetween breakfast and lunch, lunnh and dinner I will drink an 8oz glass of skim milk. This is a “no frills” eating regiment.
To progress on my exercises I plan to ONLY add additional reps to pushups 5reps weekly trying to reach 10 sets of 75-100. At 55 it may require extra rest between sets, but I believe I can do it and not injure or overtrain. Now, for me the key is that I do my 350 bodyweight squats in the morning also because it has some cardio benefit then the pushups. In the evening I knock out the chin and dip work.
My Kenpo work on alternate days is an “active rest” session as I go through the techniques and moves at a slow to moderate pace to retain skill through “muscle memory”. This session also doubles as flexability work. I get TOTAL rest weekends.
That’s it. If it works for me and can work for someone younger and it does not take a lot of time. Just dedication and commitment.