Not Another Pushup Post!

[JKTT]

I know that there have been a lot of posts on pushups but I have another one for you.

 

Last year I tested myself and I only got 12 pushups. I'm not heavy or anything (135lbs.), but I never really trained before that. So at the beginning of January I tested myself again and I did 18. Since January I have done pushups every other day until about 2 weeks ago. My max is still at 18 (on good days I can squeeze out 19).

 

I have tried absolutely everything I have ever heard of. I alternated variations every two weeks. I tried basic sets (45 PU's total)I tried sets where I max out on each one (18, 15, 11, 10, 7, 5). I have tried pyramid sets ( I only got up to 5 or 6 and back). I tried ladder sets (Got up to 6 or 7) and finally I tried volume training where I did around 10-15 every 5 minutes during my workout.

 

I was wondering if anyone has had a pushup plateau similar to mine and if so how did you break through it. Or it may just be that I am not a pushup (or bench press) kind of guy.

[iolair]

I plateaued at 35 for a long time.

 

Firstly, have you tried resistance training? Build up the muscles using different exercises.

 

e.g. weights: benchpress, triceps extension, dumbbell flies. (use a weight you can lift about 8-10 times with proper form).

 

or push up variations

 

a) Hands wide (works chest muscles more)

 

b) Hands together (works triceps more)

 

c) Feet raised on chair (increases resistance)

 

Secondly, if you've been training with the same frequency (you said every other day) for ages, just changing that can help you get results, by helping you get your body out of a rut. You might try (just for a week) doing push ups two or three times every day. Or do push ups just one day a week, push up variations or weights one day a week, and no resistance training on your chest/triceps for the rest of the week.

[nathanjusko]

Put a 10-25 pound plate on your back and do push-ups that way until you get to failure. Rest for one minute then do it again, rest for one minute then do it another time.

[hobz]

Iolair is right, you need to add something different. If youve been doing the same thing for ages, your body is used to it. You need to shock your body. Try changing things around. If you're just doing pushups it's tough, but if you're lifting weights, and you usually do... dips before bench press, trying doing bench press before dips. Or try supersetting... do a set of bench press, then go do some dips ASAP. then rest.

 

You eating properly ? Most of muscle is made from nutrition, with 135 lbs. Id say your body type is what is known as ectomorph, tall, skinny, long muscles, and a fast metabolism.

 

Eat lots of food! You're body needs it to build muscle especially with your body type! By food I mean, vegetables, and food with protein, ie: Milk, Cheese, Tuna, Chicken, anything that comes from an animal will have protein.

 

http://www.bodybuilding.com/teen/mclane15.htm

[JKTT]

I will try out full day volume training like you suggested Iolair. I will start varying my workouts daily, because I always used to do them routinely which may have been the cause of my plateau. I will also try Nathan's suggestion of weighted pushups.

 

Hobz, you are exactly right about my ectomorph body type. I'm 6'2. But I wasn't always like this. I used to be about 6' 165 but I gave up junk food and sweets and just started losing weight. I'm also a vegan, but I eat more than anyone I know. I get plenty of protein from breads, nuts, cereals, vegetables, and soy milk so I don't think that should be a problem.

[iolair]

I'm also a vegan, but I eat more than anyone I know. I get plenty of protein from breads, nuts, cereals, vegetables, and soy milk so I don't think that should be a problem.

I'm vegetarian, and struggle to eat enough protein. A couple of days I made the effort to write down everything I ate and work out the amount of Carbohydrate, Protein and Fat in my diet. (THIS IS AN EXCELLENT IDEA TO DO ONCE IN A WHILE).

 

To my shock, I discovered that despite my varied diet I was only having 35 to 40 grams of protein a day. For my size and exercise plan, I should have been having more like 100 grams of protein a day. I added two protein milkshakes a day (I presume you'll be able to find vegan versions if you hunt around) to make up the shortftall (each shake is about 32g of protein). This made a huge difference to my rate of progress at strength training.

[iolair]

By the way, I'm similar height to you ... 6 ft 3 ins, but I weigh 225 pounds! Plenty of muscle - which I had to work very hard for (I'm naturually a slow gainer) - though I've just got a body fat monitor and it puts me at 22% body fat, so I could stand to lose a few pounds too. (Recommended range for men is 8% to 20%. My target is to go down to 210 lbs).

[Kev70]

You may want to try and go for quantity. I started out killing myself to get out 200 every other day. Then everyday, and finally 300 the day I work out and 350 the day that I don't. Doing pushups everyday is not a great idea unless you have trained your body to do so, or just dont have a lot of time to get in shape. Also try using chairs, weights, or one handed pushups if you are short on time. There is something to be said for having three things- BenGay (Maximum Strenght), Aspirin, and a massager. Dont forget to stretch out every few sets!