Pushups- Try Reading Here First- Merged Thread
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I don't seem to be progressing in pushups very quickly and have begun examining my workout routine.
I have been doing pushups every other day, but also on those same days doing weights.
For example on Monday I have been starting with pushups 5 sets of 15-20, immediately following it with Bench Press, Bicep Curls, Tricep Extensions and a few others. The weights are about 3 sets of 8 reps.
Wednesday is pushups first, then followed by Shoulder Lifts, Raises, etc with the weights.
Then Friday is the same as Monday. Pushups 5x15-20, then more upper body/chest with weights.
I'm looking for everyones' opinions, what are the thoughts on doing BOTH the pushup sets and weight sets, is this just too much and hampering improvement? Should i just be doing one or the other on a day?
I have been doing pushups every other day, but also on those same days doing weights.
For example on Monday I have been starting with pushups 5 sets of 15-20, immediately following it with Bench Press, Bicep Curls, Tricep Extensions and a few others. The weights are about 3 sets of 8 reps.
Wednesday is pushups first, then followed by Shoulder Lifts, Raises, etc with the weights.
Then Friday is the same as Monday. Pushups 5x15-20, then more upper body/chest with weights.
I'm looking for everyones' opinions, what are the thoughts on doing BOTH the pushup sets and weight sets, is this just too much and hampering improvement? Should i just be doing one or the other on a day?
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They are awarding special patches for those who attain the 100 push-up level, it is sewn on your cuffs and resembles the Nike swoosh. 
That hundred push up program doesnt work. What I did to improve my push ups a fair bit was have feet on the second stair do 10 then drop down to the next stair do 10 then 10 regular, then work your way back up. Then the next time try and get 11 for a few of them and just keep adding. It worked pretty good for me.
Eye In The Sky
Army.ca Legend
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I did 100 pushups!
It took me about 20 days or so...but did I meet the challenge?? And...I only had to do half of them on my knees too! yay me!
(sorry...boring day at work here)
It took me about 20 days or so...but did I meet the challenge?? And...I only had to do half of them on my knees too! yay me!
(sorry...boring day at work here)
I think a big part of it is the psychological motivation that comes with having a set number you "have" to meet in order to advance to the next day or week. The same (or at least a similar) effect occurs when you force yourself to do a certain number of pushups/situps/etc. within a time limit.
It pushes you to keep going to reach your goal when you might have otherwise given up.
It pushes you to keep going to reach your goal when you might have otherwise given up.
One thing you have to remember, is while doing the standard military push up, you might think its good to touch your chest to the ground (which i do way more than I should)... but it is in fact back for your elbows. It's all about joint stress. :crybaby:
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Cluett said:
Well, if you're doing the standard military push up, then you're not going to be able to touch your chest to the floor. The EXPRES evaluation specifically mentions that you go down low enough that your upper arms are parallel to the floor. This will certainly not be low enough for your chest to touch, unless you have an extremely, ahem, large chest.
As for the whole 100 pushups thing, I've tried the system a few times before but always found I gave up after a couple of weeks. Laziness I guess. I started up again earlier this week, so we'll see how that goes.
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Honestly, even completing the program using their style of push-ups will very likely translate to results that would be applicable for the EXPRES test. Sure, maybe you might not be able to pump out 100, but really, who does that on an EXPRES test anyways? Pumping out 40 - 50 is still extremely impressive.
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Thanks for posting the links to the 100 pushup test and 200 situp test. I have been doing 4 sets of 25 p/u throughout the day currently, but I like the structured plan of the test. I find a set of 25 before I run, then another set after running goes pretty easy. Another 25 in the morning and 25 at night has been my program for the last couple of weeks.
Just looking to pass the physical test with good form for a 42 year old.
Just looking to pass the physical test with good form for a 42 year old.
OK I have been working out and doing all I can for BMQ on Sept 14th,2009 and I've got everything down pat exept the pushups....Why can't I do these?I'm doing it like it shows me on the canadian forces fitness papers.Can someone please tell me how to do this because I am getting so frustrated.I'm going infantry and I am strong everywhere else but this is a serious matter to me.Like I said I am doing the pushups right but can't do the required amount.I feel so stupid for even posting this but shame will be if I get there and get sent home.
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Don't be afraid to deviate from the "Canadian Forces Standard Pushup" while you prepare for BMQ.
Doing pushups from your knees is a good way to push yourself past your failure point of regular pushups. For example: when you've reached your max of regular pushups, drop your knees down and keep going. If the number of pushups you can do has plateaued, this method will help you break past that.
Don't be put off when you hear people refer to these as "Girl Pushups". I've seen some hard men - infantry Sr NCOs and WOs - do these so called "Girl Pushups" because they know how to push themselves past the point of failure.
Doing pushups from your knees is a good way to push yourself past your failure point of regular pushups. For example: when you've reached your max of regular pushups, drop your knees down and keep going. If the number of pushups you can do has plateaued, this method will help you break past that.
Don't be put off when you hear people refer to these as "Girl Pushups". I've seen some hard men - infantry Sr NCOs and WOs - do these so called "Girl Pushups" because they know how to push themselves past the point of failure.
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fancyface said:
It took me a long time to build up the strength to do even one push-up. One thing that helped me was getting into a plank position and holding for as long as possible. Another thing was using my stability ball to elevate my feet while I lowered myself to do 'half push-ups'. Weight training specifically for the upper arms seems to help as well. It's been more than a year and a half and I can still only do 15 push-ups on a good day, so it's been an ongoing struggle for me. However, I have done as many as 60 push-ups during one workout, so I guess that's not too bad for a female.
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fancyface said:
If you are female, 10 push-ups will get you a pass on that portion of the Expres. Females 35+ = 7 push-ups, 34 - = 9 push-ups.
However, if you are male, you will need to do more than 10. I know it's 19 for the 34 and under set, not sure about 35+...maybe 14? (If you do a search on the site, you can get all the requirements for gender and age for the Expres...I'm too lazy right now to search, cut, and paste.
)Even if 10 is enough for you to pass, you should aim for more for the simple fact that the folks testing you may not count every one of your push-ups. Also, focus on doing them continuously, no pauses. A pause during the push-up test is the kiss of death (i.e. the test is over right then). I've heard of this happening to people at basic...they are able to do enough push-ups to pass, but for some reason pause during the test and end up failing. :-\ So keeping a continuous flow is very important.
You still have 6 weeks to work on them! (Me too!!) Good luck!
Hi celtic girl, sorry but i neglected to tell you I am female,31...and is it that easy to fail the test and be sent home?oh my now i'm worried.So what you are saying is to do least 15 because if they stop you at 9 then i'm good but they might make me do more and if so reaching the goal of 15 pushups is going to come in handy???
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fancyface said:
No, sorry, perhaps I wasn't clear. They won't stop you. The test will stop if *you* stop or even pause during the push-ups. You can pause during sit-ups without penalty, but push-ups have to be continuous.
If your form is wrong, what they will do is not count them...so you'll be going along..."4, 5, 6..." and then suddenly you hear "6, 6, 6...". They won't say "7" until you fix your form, so you can end up doing way more push-ups than what get counted. You can ask them what you are doing wrong (just don't stop doing push-ups while you are talking!) and they will tell you. It's usually that you aren't going low enough or are not fully extending your arms.
If you can do 10 push-ups and need 9, that means you can only miss 1 for form. If you can do 15, then you have more leeway (6).
All 14 of mine counted on my test in January because I worked on my form a lot (doesn't hurt that my spouse has been in the military for 22 years so he could check it for me
). I had hoped to be able to do more than that, but I was pleased with it for my first attempt.My next Expres is this Friday, though, so wish me luck!
WOW thank you so much celtic girl for letting us all know that.That truly will push me now for sure to get these done right so I can pass.I'm sure there will be alot of people on here thanking you for those hints and a very very good luck on your next test.
and a very very good luck on your next test. 