I don't understand.

[TridentX2]

Close thread please

[mcsap]

PRACTICE makes perfect. Do as many as you can and than the next day , do two more.

You can run farther, lift more, jump higher than you think you can if you put your mind to it. YOU want to quit to early and too easily. Tell yourslef you can do just one more and then do it.

It is not uncommon when I go running , that I feel like I cant keep going but it is a lot of mental fortitude that keeps me going. I know that I can do it but my body doesn't feel like it can. I push and tell myself that I CAN do it.

It is NOT All brute strength.

[mace_man]

Good advice above. Here are some things that help me. I'm a tall guy with long arms, so when I do pushups I have trained to keep my arms out wide, you don't have to go down as far to break the plane.

As far as keeping your back straight, do you keep you head up when you do pushups? I found that when my head was looking at the ground my body alignment was all wrong. Try that and see how it helps.

It's just going to take some time to get better. Another thing I did was at night, when watching tv just drop during a commercial and knock out a set of 10-15, then each week increase it.

Good luck to you, hope you can use some of these sugestions.

mace

[lax854]

Hey everyone, I have a few questions.

I can run a 400m (regulation size track) without so much as a pant, I can do 25 pullups without a problem.. I can get down a 26cuft SXS fridge stacked ontop of another without a problem (250+lbs).

HOWEVER

I can't do 10 pushups.

What muscles are these? I'm not sure if I have a problem or if for some bizarre reason I just can't do this.

Can anyone relate? I'm lost.

EDIT: It seems I simply cannot keep my back straight, any suggestions for working on this?

push ups incorporate chest, triceps, abs and youre core ( means abdominals and lower back, which is referred as your core stablity) and finally shoulders. I was a personal trainer for 3 years, to gain strength with pushups you start small and work your way up. Do a pushup on your knees and continue each week to increase. Once you master that, get off the knees and do a regular pushup. Once you get that down, pull your hands into a diamond shape connecting your fingers. this will localize the triceps. Then once you get this down, begin stability pushups. This is done by creating an unstable are to put your hands on like a ball. You will then need to balance yourself and will work all areas.

[TridentX2]

Close thread please

[1depd]

Something we had to do in the academy is the plank. Get down like you are going to do a push up. Instead of being on you hands go down and rest on your elbows. Do not move from this position. The idea is it works your core muscles by forcing you to hold the position. Kind of like holding a pull up at the top. Most people can't do this for more then a minute or so.

The other suggestion that many have given on this site that seems to work is do push ups during commercials while watching TV. Go to failure once during each set of commercials during an hour of watching TV. I also added crunches to the workout. I only did this workout three times per week and saw a quick increase in the number of each I could do.