@shirleymontreal I got to my first real push up this way! 'Girl' push ups don't seem to really have a progression so I guess that's the problem? Anyway I can 100% vouch for this method, it surprised me a lot when I finally got to the first real push up but I'm so happy about it! And it also teaches you to really focus on your form
I can’t do push-ups
- Thread starter ilovejesuschristourlord
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ilovejesuschristourlord
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@shirleymontreal Oh thank goodness they are advanced I’m still a beginner
threecrosses
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@shirleymontreal second this! Also, proper push ups are an intermediate/advanced move! No one should feel bad not being able to do them immediately.
In addition to the other good tips here, like doing negatives, I would advise you to learn to do scapula push ups (they're not actual push ups, jut moving your shoulder blades in and out of position while holding a plank). These protect shoulders. In addition, working on simply holding a proper plank position with arms extended will help a lot. From there, switch to doing planks with shoulder taps and planks while dragging an object across from one side to the other... basically any plank exercise will help you maintain proper body position and build core strength for push ups.
In addition to the other good tips here, like doing negatives, I would advise you to learn to do scapula push ups (they're not actual push ups, jut moving your shoulder blades in and out of position while holding a plank). These protect shoulders. In addition, working on simply holding a proper plank position with arms extended will help a lot. From there, switch to doing planks with shoulder taps and planks while dragging an object across from one side to the other... basically any plank exercise will help you maintain proper body position and build core strength for push ups.
@threecrosses Definitely second the scapula push ups/serratus punches. I haven’t quite gotten to full push ups yet, but I’ve built a lot of strength and stability from the serratus punches!
@threecrosses sure wish the american school system got that message. we were required to do 5 push ups to the point our forearms and biceps were at 90 degrees with our backs straight, and surprise! most of the class failed because we were kids and only a few were in actual sports.
@wrt There's a whole podcast episode on Maintenance Phase about the President's Physical Fitness Test (and what a failure it was)
@wrt Or just teach a proper progression and make sport a bigger part of the curriculum from the beginning. Like in Germany we had to do 12 for girls and I think 17 for the boys in secondary but it wasn't an issue because they build it up over the years and you have mandatory sports class for 3h a week from elementary through til you graduated. If you give them 12 years to learn it even the unsporty kids managed the fitness tests. It always makes me angry to hear how bad the health and fitness education in so many places. Our school system has many fuck ups but at least it gets that right.
mother4ever
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@echegoyen Idk, where I lived in the US, we had PE everyday from kindergarten to senior year of high school, and even then lots of people couldn't do a push up. I think some people are just too heavy for themselves. I remember we did the presidential fitness challenges and those were rough for lots of kids.
@echegoyen Don't know where in Germany you grew up but I didn't do a single pushup in school and our sports classes were awful. I guess you can't generalize, and certainly not in a country with different education systems in each federal state.
Yeah, the same goes for schools in the United States - while there’s some national things like the presidential fitness test... how sports classes are handled are variable state to state and even school district to school district. The area I grew up in put a high value on athleticism so we spent a fair bit of time training, however I have friends who grew up in other parts of the same state who received dramatically different education.
@dawn16 Oh right I forgot about damn ferderalism. I was in Saxony. 8 different schools total but saxon curriculum is pretty strict. My friends in Bavaria had the same things though. The plain fitness stuff like Pushups, situps etc was only during Sekundarstufe 2 though. Up until year 10 the it was mostly ball sports, running, gymnastics etc.
@echegoyen yeah, proper progression would have been nice. we got 2 days of “practice” out of the whole year. and none before that. we had some sports outside recess in primary school (mostly dodgeball if that even counts) and we had to be well behaved to earn minutes for those. which looking back, having more of that time may have helped behavior issues instead of the other way around.
@wrt That is so sad to hear honestly. I mean most the kids hated sports class but since you had to do it every week all throughout school everybody just got used to it. Misbehaving mostly meant having to run lapses 
which barely anybody ever risked. And we always got grades so failing sports could fuck you up just as much as failing maths or English so everybody at least tried.
which barely anybody ever risked. And we always got grades so failing sports could fuck you up just as much as failing maths or English so everybody at least tried.@ilovejesuschristourlord So before the military I couldn’t do a single push up. Here are the tricks and secrets I learned.
•In order to do a regular push up you have to move beyond girl push ups and try to do it the regular way until u get it right. Muscle memory and upper body strength play a key role.
•Bench press. I can’t stress this enough. Bench press and progressively add more weight until you get better and can push up more weight. This will also help with strength to be able to push yourself up.
•push off a wall. Push ups on your knees will only get you so far but it’s a strength thing more than anything.
All in all don’t just do push ups on your knees forever. It won’t work out because you’re not pushing your whole body weight up.
The lighter you are the easier it’ll be.
But I’m 5’11 and a solid 200LBS and body build and I can still push myself up and have been able to for the past 7 years.
Any exercise that u can use that engages the pectoral muscles, biceps, triceps, forearms and other muscles from the chest and up will help add strength to doing a push up.
•In order to do a regular push up you have to move beyond girl push ups and try to do it the regular way until u get it right. Muscle memory and upper body strength play a key role.
•Bench press. I can’t stress this enough. Bench press and progressively add more weight until you get better and can push up more weight. This will also help with strength to be able to push yourself up.
•push off a wall. Push ups on your knees will only get you so far but it’s a strength thing more than anything.
All in all don’t just do push ups on your knees forever. It won’t work out because you’re not pushing your whole body weight up.
The lighter you are the easier it’ll be.
But I’m 5’11 and a solid 200LBS and body build and I can still push myself up and have been able to for the past 7 years.
Any exercise that u can use that engages the pectoral muscles, biceps, triceps, forearms and other muscles from the chest and up will help add strength to doing a push up.
ilovejesuschristourlord
New member
@ilovejesuschristourlord No problem!
@mistygirl Yup, so let’s call them knee push-ups.