Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

Hey everyone! New to this forum. i have browsed quite a while and now I'm ready to join in. I have been accepted into the Academy through our college and I start next month. I've been physically active for a long time and have breezed through everything required (the running, situps, etc) but I am seriously struggling with the pushups (i'm female!!)

Any ideas on how to improve? I've been lifting heavier weights than normal and making sure I do the push-ups every day. I'm only up to about 13 and I need to be able to finish 18.

Thanks for any tips.

Oh would losing weight help? A friend told me to try that. The only thing is I'm already 5'4" and 115 pounds, 16% body fat :eek:

Pushups are not about heavy weight, they are about endurance.

Try a search on a push-up/sit-up routine that I posted some time ago. If you can't find it, I can try to retype it later.

...the bottom line is that you need to do push-ups. Once you can't do anymore, go to your knees and keep the motion.

Pushups are not about heavy weight, they are about endurance.

Try a search on a push-up/sit-up routine that I posted some time ago. If you can't find it, I can try to retype it later.

...the bottom line is that you need to do push-ups. Once you can't do anymore, go to your knees and keep the motion.

Exactly right. Lifting heavy weights helps with strength, but not the endurance required for quantities of pushups (rather than quality pushups). Only thing for it is... more pushups :D

Lose much weight and you might blow away ;)

Here is something that I used.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!

To perform an acceptable push-up, you should start the push-ups in a face downward position with your arms extended and your neck, back, hips, and knees straight such that only your hands and toes are touching the ground. Your hands should be shoulder width apart and your feet 3 inches apart or less. With your back and knees kept straight, you should lower yourself to a position in which your chest is approximately 3 inches from the ground (or until your upper arm is parallel to the ground) then push up until your arms are extended.


Week Sets Repetitions Frequency
1 1 ITRD 3 times/week
2 2 ITRD divided by 2 3 times/week
3 3 ITRD divided by 2 3 times/week
4 3 ITRD divided by 2 plus 2 3 times/week
5 3 ITRD divided by 2 plus 4 3 times/week
6 3 ITRD divided by 2 plus 6 3 times/week
7 3 ITRD divided by 2 plus 8 3 times/week
8 ___!__] ITRD divided by 2 plus 10 3 times/week
For successive weeks keep adding 2 more repetitions per week.
If you cannot do a regular push-up at first, do the modified push-up (with knees bent
and on the ground) for several weeks following the same routine, then advance to the
regular push-up.

One thing I have learned that helps increasing my overall pushup count is doing as many as I can in 20 seconds and 30 second intervals. In the long run, it will improve your ability to increase in number.

If you look at the concept, your going to want to knock out as many during the test in the first 30 seconds, as the last half of the minute or whatever time you have slowly drops in pushup count..

I am female and current in an academy (they loooove pushups). I maxed out at 16 on day one. I found that just doing as many as you can, rest, then do more will help. Don't go to you knees, it will not help you. What we do in the academy (during strength building exercises) is just the top 3rd of the motion when you can't go all the way down anymore. I have doubled the amount I did on day one. When you are doing reps, don't go down slowly. You waste a lot of energy holding yourself up. Go down quickly, but in control, and push back up. It will increase your numbers. I would also check to see how the academy you are going to does them and be sure to practice their way. Good Luck with everything. I hope this helps you.

Im female also and the same body comp. as you. I am 5'4 and 115lbs and can do 50 push ups. The key is to just do them EVERYDAY. An exercise ball is helpful also. Be in a push up position but with your feet on an exercise ball-it makes it harder because you have to stabalize yourself, but it makes it easier to go back and do do regular push ups. Everytime you do a set of push ups, do one more than the last time. Push ups is one exercise your body can adapt to quickly- given you practice them. Most of all....it is a psychological thing- just try to think mind over matter :)

GOOD LUCK!! :)

At the risk of sounding stupid, just do them. Push ups were the hardest thing for me in basic training. At the gentle advice of a Drill Instructer, I just STFU and did them. Then I did some more.

At the risk of sounding stupid, just do them. Push ups were the hardest thing for me in basic training. At the gentle advice of a Drill Instructer, I just STFU and did them. Then I did some more.
I hate to say it but Norms right. Just keep doing them.

I can personally say that the ceramic breaching rounds out of a 12 gauge work very well.
:)

...and you get a lot less splatter.

Everyone has said exactly what I was going to say. Just do them. Keep doing them.

I can personally say that the ceramic breaching rounds out of a 12 gauge work very well.
:)

...and you get a lot less splatter.
:confused: Uhhhhh I think Switch has been bitten by a camel spider

Just do them. :D

All though, a 260lb, 6ft Deputy Sheriff Screaming at us often helped motivate us to do more. :D

One thing they taught us, is start off working on an angle. If you really need to start off, push yourself off against a wall. Then work your way down to a folded up mat, then work your way down to the ground.

The other thing we did is rotations. Start off doing 10 push ups, then 10 sit ups, then 9 push ups, then 9 sit ups. Keep going until you get to 1.

Thanks for all the great tips :) I'm trying your techniques and have already noticed a huge improvement, I'm sure as soon as the academy begins I'll have a million questions for all of you :D