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Soul Walker
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 Posted: 08/01/07 - 17:38 Post subject: Push Ups |
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| hey all, whats the most effective way todo push ups? i've watched videos on you tube n stuff, at the minute i usually do about, 10 regular push on my fists, 10 cross Push Ups (i dont know there real name) and 10 dog Push Ups (i also dont know there real name lol) then i get a chair and do 3 sets of 10 reverse push ups, but what i'm woundering is, is it better to do 3 differant kinds of push ups, like 10 or more of one kind then 10 or more of another, or just do one kinda but repeated? |
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Ninja1200
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| Posted: 08/02/07 - 08:37 Post subject: |
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I'm not familiar with the different types of Push Ups you mentioned but I would definatly recommend doing different type of Push Ups so that you stimulate different muscle fibers in your chest, shoulders, and triceps.
The points you need to remember are to keep your lower back from sagging so that when you lower yourself to the ground your stomach should still be 8 to 10 inches from the ground as your face and chest get within an inch of the ground. Keep your hands about shoulder width or slightly wider apart and if you drew a line between your hands, that line would hit your chest. I'll change my body position in relation to my hands so that imaginary line will hit my lower chest (nipples) mid chest and upper chest on sucessive sets. I'll also do pretty wide Push Ups with my hands pointed slightly outwards to prevent wrist strain. These are very challenging and will really tax the chest and shoulder muscles.
If you are reaching rep ranges of 15-20 than you might try elevating your feet so there will be more of your body weight for your body to press against.
I've been bodybuilding for 15 years and all that time used heavy weights. I injured my back last year and have been rehabilitating it and discovered that a chest workout composed of mainly Push Ups is getting my chest more sore than all the crazy weights I used in the past. |
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Soul Walker
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| Posted: 08/02/07 - 08:43 Post subject: |
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| thx, thats really helpful stuff, i'm wanting to get some weights and start using weights aswell, but for now i'm mainly just doing push ups, i've heard Push Ups arnt very good for adding mass tho. |
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Ninja1200
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| Posted: 08/02/07 - 09:01 Post subject: |
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Well I'm still early in my new program but Push Ups are definately giving me some shape and definition that has been lacking in my program. It all depends on the intensity level but anything can add mass if you can push past the point of fatigue and pain where your body is screaming at you to STOP!
You can do this by several different methods. Here's what I'd recommend for your push-up chest routine:
1. Wide hand position push ups. Strech your hands all the way out as if you were trying to demonstrate the size of the 'fish that got away'.  Now, bring them in about halfway between that point and the point that would be equal to shoulder width. (Does that make sense?). Now, place your hands on the floor and pivot your fingers outwards about 2-3 inches so you won't stress your wrists at the bottom of the movement. Use a tempo of 3 seconds down so that your chest almost touches the floor and stop for a split second to break the momentum then use 2 seconds to push back up to the top of the movement. Make sure you flex your chest as hard as you can at the top of the movement (stick your chest out towards the ground at the top of your movement). Do this movement until failure, which means you can't return to the top. I'd suggest at least 2 sets like this.
2. High chest push ups. This is a regular push up so that your hands are slightly wider than shoulder width. If you drew an imaginary line between your hands (like bench pressing with a bar) it would hit the upper part of your chest, about 6 inches below your adam's apple. Use the same tempo as above, 3 seconds down and 2 seconds up with a slight pause at the top to flex. When you hit failure, drop your knees to the ground and then do as many more reps as you can manage. I'd also suggest 2 sets here.
3. Mid chest push ups. Same as above except this time the imaginary line will cross the center of your chest. Same tempo, same tempo, same failure procedure here. I'd drop to 1 set here as you should be just about spent at this point.
4. Lower chest push ups. Same as above except the line will cross your nipple level and you also might want to pivot your fingers outwards to take the stress off your wrists. Also position your hands just inside shoulder width which is going to work the dead center of your chest and place more stress on your triceps. Use the same failure method as above by dropping to you knees and continuing the reps. Just 1 set here should be more than enough.
At this point your triceps are probably going to be through but if you want to continue with the reverse Push Ups just make sure you tighten up your shoulders enough so they don't sag and risk hurting your rotator cuff.
I promise your chest will be sore after this program and you should get some growth. The best way to continue building muscle is to keep your body guessing and keep feeding it. If you do anything the same way long enough your body will stop responding so it's all about finding new ways to shock it into growth.
Hope this helps! |
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Soul Walker
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| Posted: 08/02/07 - 15:45 Post subject: |
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| thx, i'll deffinitly try these, but i dont really get the line thing, how do i control where my chest will touch the ground? just move my hands further forward or backward? also, do you think it will be best to do this instead of the routine i'm doing now or try add them on to my current routine? |
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Ninja1200
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| Posted: 08/06/07 - 08:50 Post subject: |
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The line thing is just an imaginary line that you would draw between your hands to represent where a bar would hit your chest if you were doing a bench press movement. This just gives you a point of reference where to align your hands with your chest. If your chest is coming down with your hands high up in relation to your chest, it will work the upper chest muscles. If your hands are low in relation to your chest, it will work the lower chest muscles. The imaginary line will ensure that you work each region of your chest muscles equally.
Does that help clear it up? |
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Soul Walker
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| Posted: 08/06/07 - 11:44 Post subject: |
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yeah thx  |
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srizvi1
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| Posted: 08/14/07 - 15:52 Post subject: |
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| Ninja1200 wrote: | Well I'm still early in my new program but push ups are definately giving me some shape and definition that has been lacking in my program. It all depends on the intensity level but anything can add mass if you can push past the point of fatigue and pain where your body is screaming at you to STOP!
You can do this by several different methods. Here's what I'd recommend for your push-up chest routine:
1. Wide hand position push ups. Strech your hands all the way out as if you were trying to demonstrate the size of the 'fish that got away'. Now, bring them in about halfway between that point and the point that would be equal to shoulder width. (Does that make sense?). Now, place your hands on the floor and pivot your fingers outwards about 2-3 inches so you won't stress your wrists at the bottom of the movement. Use a tempo of 3 seconds down so that your chest almost touches the floor and stop for a split second to break the momentum then use 2 seconds to push back up to the top of the movement. Make sure you flex your chest as hard as you can at the top of the movement (stick your chest out towards the ground at the top of your movement). Do this movement until failure, which means you can't return to the top. I'd suggest at least 2 sets like this.
2. High chest push ups. This is a regular push up so that your hands are slightly wider than shoulder width. If you drew an imaginary line between your hands (like bench pressing with a bar) it would hit the upper part of your chest, about 6 inches below your adam's apple. Use the same tempo as above, 3 seconds down and 2 seconds up with a slight pause at the top to flex. When you hit failure, drop your knees to the ground and then do as many more reps as you can manage. I'd also suggest 2 sets here.
3. Mid chest push ups. Same as above except this time the imaginary line will cross the center of your chest. Same tempo, same tempo, same failure procedure here. I'd drop to 1 set here as you should be just about spent at this point.
4. Lower chest push ups. Same as above except the line will cross your nipple level and you also might want to pivot your fingers outwards to take the stress off your wrists. Also position your hands just inside shoulder width which is going to work the dead center of your chest and place more stress on your triceps. Use the same failure method as above by dropping to you knees and continuing the reps. Just 1 set here should be more than enough.
At this point your triceps are probably going to be through but if you want to continue with the reverse push ups just make sure you tighten up your shoulders enough so they don't sag and risk hurting your rotator cuff.
I promise your chest will be sore after this program and you should get some growth. The best way to continue building muscle is to keep your body guessing and keep feeding it. If you do anything the same way long enough your body will stop responding so it's all about finding new ways to shock it into growth.
Hope this helps! |
This seems pretty cool. So if I was going to have a chest day, could I combine this with 3 chest dummbell workouts? dumbbell flys and chest press? I feel Push Ups are more about toning while using weights would be about making your chest bigger. |
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Ninja1200
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| Posted: 08/15/07 - 10:29 Post subject: |
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| srizvi1 wrote: | | This seems pretty cool. So if I was going to have a chest day, could I combine this with 3 chest dummbell workouts? dumbbell flys and chest press? I feel push ups are more about toning while using weights would be about making your chest bigger. |
Well obviously we are all different and you might benefit from adapting the program to suit your individual physiology but I really believe you'll be getting dangerously close to overtraining the chest/delts/triceps if you add the dumbell work. THe late Mike Mentzer pioneered the "Heavy Duty Training" program where he advocated just 1 set to stimulate muscle growth. I've tried his program and I honestly DON'T have the mental fortitude to make it through, and I've been seriously training for 15 years. I've taken the approach that Dorian Yates took by doing a few sets for each muscle group and still trying to reach full intensity. Muscle will respond and grow when it is taxed beyond its current capability so you have to go beyond the point where everything in your body is screaming at you to stop. IF you train in this manner you won't be able to do very many sets to full intensity so that's why I don't recommend adding dumbbell work to the push up program.
As I said, I've been serously weight training for 15 years and I work part time at a gym as a trainer/nutrition advisor. Before switching to this push up program I was pushing some seriously heavy dumbbells for my chest work but I am getting more soreness and fatigue from this push up program than I did from the dumbbell work.
If you have access and some training experiance, consider super-setting the push ups with a pec deck or dumbbell flyes. Start with a set on the pec deck or with dumbbell flyes with a weight you can complete about 18-20 reps with and then go immediately to the first push up movement. Preceed each push up set with a set of flyes or pec deck and you'll really fatigue the chest muscles deeply. I do this becuase my tris are smaller than my chest and tend to give out first leaving my chest wanting more.
Dorian Yates typically did only 3-4 work sets for his chest but each one was full blown intensity. If you think you have MORE muscle to work than Dorian Yates than by all means, do more sets...
“Only high intensity training can force the body to resort to its reserve ability sufficiently to stimulate compensatory growth.”
-Mike Mentzer, 1978 Mr Universe
“The crux of your training for any given exercise on any given day boils down to one do-or-die, balls-to-the-wall set.”
-Dorian Yates, 6 time Mr Olympia |
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Soul Walker
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| Posted: 08/22/07 - 09:24 Post subject: |
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| i've mixed this routine up with the current one i have, and i can really feel it on my biceps and triceps, they are saw right now, but my chest isnt as saw, am i doing something wrong? i try to make sure my elbows are in and not out so it works the chest more, do i just need to try and go for more? |
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