Pushups daily?

[Lynne]

Can you do pushups daily? I'm wondering about muscle recovery.

 

[elder999]

Can you do pushups daily? I'm wondering about muscle recovery.

Been doing them every morning for more than 30 years......what some would call LOTS of them. Muscle recovery hasn't been an issue; that's why it's called a "routine." :lol:

 

[bostonbomber]

Whether or not you do them every day depends on your physical condition and what else you are doing. It's always best to "listen" to your body. If you are feeling run down, having trouble sleeping, etc you may be over-training, which can be really slow down overall progress. Also, mental stress at work can contribute to over-training as much as physical stress from working out.

 

[Lynne]

Thanks for the advice. My Sa Ba Nim recommends that we do them daily. Sometimes, we don't do them in class. Then, we'll do 60 in class or we might do 200 or even more (200 interspersed throughout the warmup and maybe throughout the class).

If we do 100 or so, I'll be sore two days later. I know I need more conditioning. So, I'll start doing them daily, in different positions...and listen to my body.

There is so much to work on. I'm trying to figure out how to get in my conditioning without overworking muscle groups. I never know what we are going to work on in class. This week we are doing lots of lower body stuff.

 

[Nomad]

In short, yes, you can do pushups everyday. If you aren't used to this, you may feel soreness and your body will complain. Start slow (either every other day at first to let your body get used to it), or with low numbers, and build up gradually.

Don't do knee or "girl" pushups... they do very little to increase your strength and are mostly regarded as a waste of time... it's much better to do 3 full pushups with good form than 20 knee pushups (and harder too, which should tell you something).

Good luck!

Whoa... just read your last post. If you're already doing that much in some of your classes, you should definitely be able to add daily pushups to your routine.

 

[exile]

The thing about pushups is, once your muscles develop to the point where you can do a certain number, you won't gain any more strength no matter how many you do, because you're limiting the overload on those muscles to your body weight. A pushup is kind of an inverted bench press, where you're pressing your own body; but the difference is, you can keep adding weights to a barbell, whereas to get the same effect with pushups, you need to have someone sit on your back while you do the push up. They're really a low intensity exercise. If you want to gain strength and continue gaining it, do very heavy bench presses in a very short, optimum-leverage range—that will probably add 50% to the weight you can bench press immediately—and go for a fixed number of reps in a fixed period of time at progressively higher weights. This kind of high intensity routine will add phenomenal amounts of strength, if you keep it up steadily and allow plenty of recovery time. A few years ago, doing this kind of routine once every three or four weeks led me to 405-lb benches (with a rep range of about an inch), working in a power rack. I've gotten away from it, alas, but I'm going to be starting up again and I know that in roughly two years from when I begin, I'll be back to that, or close to it.

Endless pushup reps, like endless anything else, will add to your endurance. But for strength, and the power that strength plus technique translates into, a higher intensity regime will do you much more good, if that that's what you're looking for.

 

[CuongNhuka]

I did push ups daily for awhile before boot camp. Not a lot, but enough that I was getting results (50 a day before I shipped). I also did alot of air squats (120 a day before I shipped). I plan on getting into a similar routine when I get to my MOS school. I plan on doing push ups, pull ups, and running daily. By the way, while at boot camp I did up to 7 pull ups three times a day.

 

[SensibleManiac]

"Been doing them every morning for more than 30 years......what some would call LOTS of them. Muscle recovery hasn't been an issue; that's why it's called a "routine." "

Just out of curiosity, how many is LOTS?
I used to do about 50 a day, I'm considering getting back into this habit.
Thanks

 

[elder999]

"Been doing them every morning for more than 30 years......what some would call LOTS of them. Muscle recovery hasn't been an issue; that's why it's called a "routine." "

Just out of curiosity, how many is LOTS?
I used to do about 50 a day, I'm considering getting back into this habit.
Thanks

Depends on the day and how much time I have. 100 minimum. Usually more. Then situps, then a quick weight routine, then something aerobic for about 25-30 minutes. Then, if I'm home, I feed the animals and shower...

I do other stuff, too-my son used to take great delight in bringing his wrestling buddies over to work out with the old man, just to watch them puke.....

 

[MBuzzy]

While you can do them daily, if you're not used to them, as you get started, it is best to work up to that. Start off with a reasonable number one day, possibly take a day off, then do it again. You will slowly work your way up to doing them daily. But what Exile said is very important....even if you do them everyday, there is a point when you will "hit the wall." At that point, you have to start supplementing with other exercises. Throw in some free weight exercises and you'll increase your push up numbers fast, since you are using more than your body weight.

You will also run into muscle memory issues. If you train the same exercise enough, your muscles get very good and very efficient doing just that one exercise. So there are people who may be able to do 100 push ups....but are still not very strong, because their muscle have just learned the push up movement. A regular weight lifting or calisthenics based work out will go a VERY long way. By doing other exercises, you will increase your push ups....Just keep in mind, push ups are NOT just your arms, they have a lot to do with your core as well.

 

[CuongNhuka]

When I was doing my push up routine I started at 20, and added 5 after a three week 'adjustment' period. Then, I added 5 a week till I was at 50. adding by week made it easier for me to keep track. I also was planning on spending two weeks on 50 push ups since I was starting to have a hard time. I figured if I kept going the way I was going (add 5 a week, take two weeks at every 50) I shouldn't have to worry too much about over doing it, and should still be getting some pretty good results.

 

[punisher73]

The issue on this that has not been touched on and is the only thing that really matters to the question at hand is; Are you going to failure?

If you tax the muscle so you get to the point that you can't do another push up, then you can't do them everyday because you need to allow your muscles time to rebuild and recover.

BUT, if for example you can easily do a set of 20 max. and do sets of 15 spaced throughout the day you will increase your max amount and allow your body to be able to train everyday.

Powerlifters don't train till failure and will practice their lift throughout the day and train everyday because of the fact that they don't train to failure.

I used to just do a set of 10 pushups once an hour while at work and did that everyday and got very good results overall. Then I actually upped it 25 an hour.

 

[Lynne]

I see the point about going to failure and not being able to (or one shouldn't) do pushups the following day.

I like the idea of doing pushups throughout the day. If my pecs are sore, I'll take a day off. I get tremendously sore if we (in class) place our hands in a diamond right under the chest. The thing is we don't do that very often.

See, this week we aren't doing pushups at all. It's kill-the-legs week. Next week we will probably do loads of pushups.

I want to be conditioned so that I don't get sore from doing pushups in class. Soreness is not a bad thing but when I'm very sore I know I need to be doing more outside of class. And, of course, functional strength is a great thing.

 

[ajs1976]

If you do not do them daily already, ease into them. I tried doing them daily after not doing them very regularly and within a couple of weeks developed tennis elbow. Being overweight contributed to the problem.

 

[Lynne]

If you do not do them daily already, ease into them. I tried doing them daily after not doing them very regularly and within a couple of weeks developed tennis elbow. Being overweight contributed to the problem.

Good advice. I still have elbow tendonitis from punching drills. It's been about 7 months now and is almost gone.

 

[KempoGuy06]

get some of those perfect push-ups. i thought they were a gimmick but they work and they make you work muscels you didnt know were involved, plus they take a lot of pressure off your should, elbows and wrists. I got a set a couple months ago and love them

B

 

[elder999]

get some of those perfect push-ups. i thought they were a gimmick but they work and they make you work muscels you didnt know were involved, plus they take a lot of pressure off your should, elbows and wrists. I got a set a couple months ago and love them

B

I've got one word for "perfect push-ups": towel. :lol:

(Two towels, actually, one for each hand. Put them on a smooth floor, put your fists in them, and you can do pushups with the same motion as those "perfect" ones......)

 

[KempoGuy06]

I've got one word for "perfect push-ups": towel. :lol:

(Two towels, actually, one for each hand. Put them on a smooth floor, put your fists in them, and you can do pushups with the same motion as those "perfect" ones......)

or you can do that.

B

 

[punisher73]

I've got one word for "perfect push-ups": towel. :lol:

(Two towels, actually, one for each hand. Put them on a smooth floor, put your fists in them, and you can do pushups with the same motion as those "perfect" ones......)

My office has carpet so that doesn't work. I keep a pair of the "perfect push ups" in my filing cabinet to use.

An added bonus of the towel method is you can do knuckle pushups with the twist as well. Supposedly, the company is going to make a model that will allow you to do that as well.

 

[zDom]

If you do not do them daily already, ease into them. I tried doing them daily after not doing them very regularly and within a couple of weeks developed tennis elbow. Being overweight contributed to the problem.

I do daily pushups and, back awhile ago (last year? year before?) started to have the same problem.

My instructor suggested it was because I was developing an imbalance (too much tricep, not enough bicep).

Curls with a dumbell DID correct the problem.