andy100

I get what you're saying Sperki - my research has progressed a lot since I posted this question originally. I have to admit in answer to your point about walking, that when I started it again after a few month's lay-off of walking, my legs did ache quite a bit, but soon adapted. As for now, I'm still doing burpees (about 90-100 per workout) but the amount I can manage had definitely increased as they've got easier. In fact, I'm now doing more burpees/squat thrusts than press ups. I'm also doing pull ups but due to difficulties of where I can do them (a long story) I'm not happy with the ratio of pulling to pushing exercises and the muscle imbalances it could potentially lead to. Currently I'm considering dumping the whole BW conditioning routine at home in favour of picking up Muay Thai. I've tried kickboxing before and enjoyed it on the whole, but didn't continue for various reasons. Money & classes permitting, I'm starting to think that participating in an active MA like Thai boxing will be better for a healthy body & mind than doing plain BW exercises alone. It'll also provide a greater range of variation and stop plateuing I hope! Time will tell!

When I started my hands & wrists were sore too, but after a few weeks you'll really notice how much stronger not only your wrists are, but your forearms, upper arms and shoulders! Btw I'm 29 so don't think age affects the soreness that much, just lack of practice

Very true! Though to be honest I don't think doing a 100 push ups type workout for a relatively short period of time will actually create that much imbalance (unless you've previous shoulder injury of course) - I'm not expert on it all, but I imagine that a year or two of doing push exercise only would cause problems, but 3-6 months....probably not! IMHO

Go for it! Personally I hate waiting around doing nothing too (or jogging on the spot, still seems pretty wasteful of time). Now I know I can do 120 push ups in one go, probably more if I pushed myself. Interspercing the push ups with burpees really knackers me, but feels good!

My advice would be to give it a go! I started it, but it fell by the wayside when I started my own plan for reaching 100 push ups...my routine was using a ladder set: I started at 10 reps, then 9, 8 and so on down to 1 (totalling 55). Each week I added a set with 1 higher rep, until I was doing 15 reps, then 14, 13 and so on down to 1 (120 reps total). In fact, I actually did this in about 4 weeks as I advanced a bit quicker than my proposed routine. If you can't do 10 down to 1, then start with a lower starting set. For me, I found the best way of doing things was to do a set of push ups then a set of sit ups, alternating the two in the ladder sets without a break. After about 6 weeks I integrated a low number of squat thrusts per set (started at 4 per set I think), until I stopped the sit ups completely and replaced them with the squat thrusts. Now I'm doing an ascending then descending lader set of 1-9, 9-1 (of push ups & squat thrusts) which totals 90 reps, all back to back. Not only is it a great way of building endurance, but it also gets the heart pumping and helped me drop a jean's waist size in about 2 months, plus I'm leanber and more toned than I've ever been. I've also integrated pull ups into my routine either within the above routine or seperately, to balance my back and bicep muscles with all the pushing exercise, though I really hate them! Anyway, hope my ramblings helped, good luck with whatever plan you go with! Andy

I've read similar before. I can do 100 in ladders, but think doing descending sets of 20 - 1 would kill me!

Me too, until recently when I discovered they're the same thing in fact!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burpee_%28exercise%29 Though another basic version (that I use) is to start in a standing position, then squat, and after the kick back return to a standing position. They're also known as squat thrusts...

Over the last 10 weeks I've been working on getting fit(ter) and using basic bodyweight exercises combined with a 3 mile walk (including up & down some pretty steep hills) 5 times a week. My routine has varied but is centred around push ups, sit ups (now stopped doing these), basic burpees & more recently pull & chin ups. Already I've dropped a jeans size and my body is showing some muscular definition, plus I feel physically stronger and fitter. Currently I've reached doing 100 push ups & burpees in ladder sets and 30 chin ups in varied set lengths, 3 times a week. However both for quickness and simplicity I've been wondering whether doing basic burpees only would be effective conditioning to maintain my current physique but maybe help to keep building up my core strength? I really enjoy doing push ups (and the burpees mostly, believe it or not!) but have had problems finding somewhere to do pull ups properly - I've found a pretty good solution at home by sling a metal bar across to high parallel cupboards, but I'm not 100% happy with it. Plus I'm worried that if I continue doing push ups without pull ups I'll end up with muscle imbalances and all that it entails. However you read that burpees are an all over body workout (and of convicts using them only) so wondered whether they're my 'ultimate' solution? Thanks for any advice!

Maybe in time mate, but for now I just want to be able to make it to the club with enough energy to get through the hour's training! As my fitness improves, hopefully so too will my ability/desire to jog that far!

Well I've contacted the local boxing club and they only have spaces for one session a week that I can make it to, unfortunately. But the main trainer sounds really nice and said he'll let me know if & when spaces become available on the other night I can make (bloody work, getting in the way of fitness! ). I think I'm going to go this Saturday and see how it goes - at the moment I'm still walking the 3 mile 5-days-a-week walk to & from work, plus have managed to keep to doing 5 x 10 reps of press-ups every other day. If I walk to & from the boxing gym, then that'll add on another 6 miles of walking to my weekly exercise. I think all of that should supplement an hours training a week in boxing, which itself should hopefully improve my fitness & strength! Plus I'mlooking forward to the opportunity to 'toughen up' Andy

Thanks for the advice Sibylla. As I said before, I can't afford to take regular lessons at present, but hopefully I will be able to soon, then I think I'll go for the boxing option - it's a bit farther to travel than the kickboxing or Krav, but I think it'd be the one I most enjoy

That's exactly what I was thinking along the lines of mate. On a side note, I was passing Boots today so popped in to weigh myself and check my body fat ratio (I know it's not the most accurate test, but I've never done it before, so thought I'd give it a go). I've dropped a pound in the last week through resuming my regular walk (of 3 miles) and by fat ratio is 20.1, so I'm not as unhealthy as I thought! Just need to lose the bit of flab around my belly and tone up my arms & chest

Thanks for the reply Sibylla. I've been doing a lot of reading about fitness through MA and by using bodyweight exercises and a lot of it makes real sense (short, sharp bursts of training and energy to build up strength and your metabolism). Through walking my legs are in pretty good shape (if I do say so myself ) even if they're not that flexible for kicking arts, so I am leaning towards the boxing to build up my upper body strength. In fact, when i went to the most recent kickboxing class and we were practicing drills, I've realised looking back that i was actually bobbing and weaving from the attack which makes me think I may be suited to boxing more than the kicking arts. Will the press ups done regularly (every other day) help to increase my upper core strength (providing I up the no. of reps obviously as they get easier)? Basically I can't afford the regular boxing training at present and am just researching my options, but know that doing something now at least will help when it does come to taking classes! Cheers, Andy

I'm tempted to try out training in a 'combat sport' to help get fit mainly and was wondering how often a week I should train for to see results, and how long roughly it'll take. The options I have near to me are kickboxing, boxing, or Krav Maga. I tried out kickboxing several years ago for half a dozen or so lessons, but stopped for various reasons (one of the main ones being the pain it was causing in my knees). Since moving to a new area, I've attended the closest kickboxing class but wasn't too taken with it, as the teaching structure didn't seem very focused on learning proper technique, plus expanded out into some knife defence stuff (again, without any real instruction or cohesion IMO). There's also another local gym which teaches kick and Thai boxing seperately, though I haven't tried them out yet. Duration of the local classes are: Kickboxing (both) - an hour (though the one i went to actually lasted almost 2 hours, though quite a lot of the second hour was spent standing around watching the knife stuff) Boxing - an hour session, though the website gives a good description of the types of training in that hour: "A typical beginners session would include a general warm up with range of movement stretches, a specific warm up of shadow boxing (mirror work), tech sparring learning the moves without getting hit, bag work, one on one coaching on the pads where the emphasis will be on technique rather than work rate, a CV & resistance circuit (a selection of exercises specifically chosen to develop your fitness and strength for boxing), an abs & back circuit and finally a warm down and stretch out." Krav Maga - 2 hours per session. I currently walk for about 3 miles each day to & from work at a brisk pace (5 days/week), plus try to climb up 6 flights of stairs 4-5 times a day during work and have just started a routine of 5 x 10 reps of press-ups every other day, but am thinking that broadening into some proper training will help my fitness goals. Cheers, Andy