Why Pushups Are a Waste of Time
Tags: bodyweight, pushups, push, ups, training

Why Pushups Are a Waste of Time Yeah, I know, pushups are actually a very good exercise that you can do in the comfort of your home. I just needed a catchy title. I have always wanted to be able to do 100 push ups. It just seemed like a big strength feat. Kind of like benching x number of plates or being able to do 20 pull ups or a single one armed chin up. I have tried several routines. Some have worked better than others. One of the routines that I tried can be found at the following site: http://www.impulseadventure.com/weights/100push.html It got me to around 50 push ups. I have also tried the routine that Pavel Tsatsouline described in his book Beyond Bodybuilding. It involved doing multiple sets of push ups every day. Some days I got to as many as 500+ push ups a day. The program originally called for two weeks of practice. After one week, my push up performance went up by 10 to 60 push ups. Another routine involves training every other day. I would do as many fresh push ups as I could, get up and rest just a little bit and then get on the floor and do another set with one less repetition. I would repeat this until I reach a set of one. Then I would rest for 2 minutes and do a max set of push ups. And finally - the simplest routine. I like simple stuff. This super simple routine is actually my current push up training regimen. Why use complicated stuff when simple does it? Just do an easy set of perfect form push ups. Add one more every day. Regarding form - I prefer strict style. Abs, chest and chin should touch the floor. Try fisted pushups if your knuckles can handle that.

on 1/19/2008

1 - 9 out of 9
crista reading ur title I wanted to come and yell at you. but.....nice post!
crista on 3/16/2008 Respond

Yavor Rick, same here buddy :)
Yavor on 1/25/2008 Respond

rickm8 lol ew yeah no bulky shouldered chicks for me yavor haha
rickm8 on 1/25/2008 Respond

exsquaddie When i was a serving soldier the pt sessions in remedial sections were as follows regarding upperbody strength, 8 x sets of 25 movements, ie: dips, press-ups, sit-ups etc, with a period of rest between sets! My opinion is when first started its pretty tough, but after a few days and you get into this method, it really does benefit your routine....

Nice one yavor...
exsquaddie on 1/23/2008 Respond

ApolloFit Great blog...I like your exploration of each technique and how well it worked for you!
ApolloFit on 1/22/2008 Respond

Yavor Jen, push ups will give female a nice looking shoulder area without unsightly bulk. In my experience with training clients, females get great looking arms and shoulders from weights/push ups, etc. Bulkiness in women comes from being too heavy (eating too much) and/or being a pro athlete on steroids and not from push ups or weights in general.
Yavor on 1/22/2008 Respond

Jen24 Great post.. I'm a female (not looking to gain muscle) and I even do pushups. They are key.
Jen24 on 1/22/2008 Respond

Yavor Hey man, thanks for the comment. I aspire to reach the level of your writing proficiency and wit :)
Yavor on 1/20/2008 Respond

Rusty Yavor,

Great post. I like how you pulled me in with the title. Obviously push ups work well...pretty much every military unit in the world emphasize push ups on a regular basis. This exercise along with pull ups can do a lot to develop the upper body. Keep these posts coming buddy!

Rusty
Rusty on 1/20/2008 Respond