I can't do press-ups :(

[Anakin_Skywalker]

Hello People,

I have a small proplem. Its embarrasing that as a man I can't do 10. I can't do press ups to save my life. I did 5 and just struggled to get to 10. Is there an easier way to start and then gradually make it harder as I go along?

[Jay]

practice make perfect im afraid iv got push up bars and they make it harder so they are good but really dont worry bout it some people are just better than others i can do bout 25 on bars with nose to the floor but really try doing some weights do a bit of CV it builds your arms and makes press ups easier i have found

[Ben Martin]

ha i feel your pain. when i first started kickboxing i was to fat to do more then 2 or 3 propper pressups so i used to do them on my knees along with all the females in my class. but the best way as stated above is just to keep trying, the more you practice the better you will get. my friend always does 200 pressups everytime he leaves his house so maybe you could try doing 10.

Good Luck!

[AndrewGreen]

Lot's of different way to try and improve that.

Pyramiding, Do 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1 - That's 12 done, have a little rest in between. After that's comfortable go to 5, which will give you 25.

Elevate your hands or go from your knees. Decrease the amount of weight until the mechanics are cleaned up and the muscles stronger.

Just do 5, not 10 don't burn yourself out, but do 5 everytime you get the opportunity, so 10 or more times throughout the day. Every week or so do as many as you can without rest and keeping good form. Take a day off, then use 1/2 that number to do everytime you get the chance.

[TheDevilAside]

Andrew Green's suggestion of doing the pyramid method is a great way to start.

You might also want to do some free weight exercises that emphasize the chest muscles, such as bench or dumbbell press, dumbbelly fly's and so forth. That way, you will be able to do higher repitions (I would do 10 - 14 reps, if you're a novice I would train more for muscle endurance rather than raw strength) and as a result work that muscle group more effectively.

And don't be embarassed, most people start out at the bottom

[Infidel]

A great way to start is to do push-ups at a higher angle so you're not pushing as much body weight. Example, try doing push-ups with your hands on a wall and your legs angled outward.

As you get stronger, you can gradually work your way down (your body angle) so you're pushing more of your body weight.

Conversely, to make push-ups more difficult, you can place your feet on a table or bed so they are elevated and push yourself up from the floor.

[orion82698]

A great way to start is to do push-ups at a higher angle so you're not pushing as much body weight. Example, try doing push-ups with your hands on a wall and your legs angled outward.

As you get stronger, you can gradually work your way down (your body angle) so you're pushing more of your body weight.

Conversely, to make push-ups more difficult, you can place your feet on a table or bed so they are elevated and push yourself up from the floor.

This is hard. I do my push-ups on a pilates ball. This is about 15inches off the ground (for my feet) I can do 40. Every day, I try to do one more. My goal, is to do 300 a day. It's getting tougher, but everyday, I push myself to one more. It's really hard after my chest day at the gym

[CagedWarrior]

If you can't do ten, do as many as you can for 3 sets. Don't do any more until your chest isn't sore, then repeat. The numbers should go up, and for now, it's that easy.

[karatekid1975]

My Jujitsu instructor had a really good suggestion when we got into the same talk about push ups. I can't do more them 15 proper push ups (25 on a good day). Like some suggested here, he said do flies with weights to build chest muscles. He also suggested doing push ups on your knees or against a wall. I never tried these. I just did the normal push ups in class. But I am going to try these different methods to see how it works for me.