Push Ups! Daily goal! Feel free to join in!

I did 100,000 in 1983. That's roughly 275 a day- pretty easy.

A year ago my wife wanted to learn how to do pushups. It took a few days for her to manage one. After that, it was easy. At the end of the first month she could do 10-15, and after two months she could do 25-30 at a clip.

All you people doing scores of pushups, what do you define as a push up?

How far down do you go? Elbows at 90, or barely bent? I know there are different standards!

calhoun1 said:

All you people doing scores of pushups, what do you define as a push up?

How far down do you go? Elbows at 90, or barely bent? I know there are different standards!

Click to expand...

I try to do it like my old gym teacher taught us. He'd roll and tape a small hand towel and place it on the ground about even with your shoulders. It would be about 3 or 4 inches tall. Your chest had to touch the towel for it to count. Bear in mind, I'm only good for about 20-30 at a crack. Maybe 100 in a day, on a weekend, with a lot of pasta.

emt88 said:

I try to do it like my old gym teacher taught us. He'd roll and tape a small hand towel and place it on the ground about even with your shoulders. It would be about 3 or 4 inches tall. Your chest had to touch the towel for it to count. Bear in mind, I'm only good for about 20-30 at a crack. Maybe 100 in a day, on a weekend, with a lot of pasta.

Click to expand...

That's about right...feet together, hands shoulder-width apart, back straight. Bend at the elbows until your chest touches or comes close to touching (thin towel roll) the floor. Push back up until your arms are rigid straight. Rest only in the upright position. Head can either tilt up and look straight or stay in line with the spine...

Arms can lock out in the upright if you need to rest...but if you lay on the floor ur done!

calhoun1 said:

All you people doing scores of pushups, what do you define as a push up?

How far down do you go? Elbows at 90, or barely bent? I know there are different standards!

Click to expand...

Chest to ground.

I turn 60 this year and have arthritis in my wrists, so I use a pushup bar. The arthritis prevents me from putting my hands flat on the floor. My chest goes well below what would be floor level when doing them this way. I also have a 74" arm reach at 5" 10" (really long arms). That makes my range of motion really huge. Probably why I can only do 35-40 at a time. I do 4-5 sets every other day. My motion is slow and I use perfect form (only way these joints can handle them). After reading this, I'm going have to quit acting like a wimp and up this a bit. I'll set my goal as 500 in a day.

I was 83 pushups shy from my 300. The overall goal still stands as does the daily. My left elbow was giving me issues which tells me I jumped into it to fast. Overall happy with my own feedback and my slow progress.

At most, I'll do ten a day. That's on a good day, mind you.

I like doing push ups as an exercise, but I have a shoulder that very much disagrees with me. There seems to be something about the way you stretch when your wrist is bent like that??? I have to be very careful when bench pressing too. Lotsa reps with lower weight. Everything can be fine, then WHAM! It takes me six months to heal up and get back where I was.

You definitely have to watch your shoulders. I had a shoulder injury almost 2 years ago and it seemed to take forever to get any strength back. I was told to watch out for any pushups, pullups or bench press where your hands are wide. Supposedly better for your shoulders to keep your hands in close to your body as with military style pushups.

Glad I ran across this thread. I have started this program - its free & it builds your strength by doing sets - http://www.hundredpushups.com/

I am a young 62 with a lean build. I am on week 4 of the program and did the following reps in one session a couple of days ago- 20/25/20/20/35 for a total of 115. You do a set and rest for a recommended 90 seconds (or longer ) before moving on to the next set. I could do about 20 pushup total when I started. If you are doing push ups in your exercise routine then check out this program. They also have a free iphone & android app if you travel. Good Luck!

Armiger said:

Glad I ran across this thread. I have started this program - its free & it builds your strength by doing sets - http://www.hundredpushups.com/

I am a young 62 with a lean build. I am on week 4 of the program and did the following reps in one session a couple of days ago- 20/25/20/20/35 for a total of 115. You do a set and rest for a recommended 90 seconds (or longer ) before moving on to the next set. I could do about 20 pushup total when I started. If you are doing push ups in your exercise routine then check out this program. They also have a free iphone & android app if you travel. Good Luck!

Click to expand...

Thats a good app I have on my IPad...I just have to stick with it longer. I usually do it for a couple of weeks and get bored....you're motivating me to try it again!

Ru4scuba? said:

I thought he died heavyset?

Click to expand...

Yep because he was full of it.

Brijann said:

I was 83 pushups shy from my 300. The overall goal still stands as does the daily. My left elbow was giving me issues which tells me I jumped into it to fast. Overall happy with my own feedback and my slow progress.

Click to expand...

The repetitive movement might be the cause with your elbow. Doing hundreds of reps of most exercises will lead to injury for most. I am not trying to be a buzz kill but too much of a good thing....

So, Kim Jong Un and Chuck Norris decide to have a push-up contest....

robk said:

So, Kim Jong Un and Chuck Norris decide to have a push-up contest....

Click to expand...

When Chuck Norris does a pushup, he isn't lifting himself up, he's pushing the Earth down

I remember a few years ago, in our office, the two office fitness buffs were doing pressup challenges against each other in our server room. Teasing me for being ex-army and therefore "must be able to smash-out pressups" challenged me. They were both around the 70 mark and both ripped guys. I cracked 85 (which to be fair, hurt) but hid the pain, got up, shock myself off and grinned.

I don't find pressups or situps so difficult really, but have a long way to go, to get to the 1000 a day mark! However, challenge accepted. I'll check my baseline tonight and report back.

For me, a pressup is chest one fists distance from the ground. Back straight. Not looking like you are "fxxking a wormhole" as our old PTIs would say.

i found a book to help me along, probably similar to the app referenced above, the title ultimate guide to pushups by john peterson. it is motivating as all good workout books should be and i was all in. the workout is basically sets of push ups throughout the day based off a max set done at the beginning of the week. i did 700 the first week, just a hundred a day, but had improved my max by five in the first week. it was more than the left elbow was ready for. my problem was after a week like that, i was really flying through them, and overstressing the joints at the bottom. i'll restart in a week or two and go slower. my original goal of 100 reps will likely also be around the time i'm cranking out 1000 a day, so i dunno, i may just try to get back up to sets of 50 and reevaluate from there.