Pressups - pros & cons??

[J540lover]

I`ve recently started doing pressups to gain strength in my arms and shoulders so I can walk around on my hands more and maybe learn some capoeira techniques. (Or at least try to).
Anyone know if pressups are bad in large doses? Ive read around about the shoulders being easy to mess up if over-stretched or over-worked.
I`ve slowly worked up to it, but now im doing 120 a day, in reps of 30 pressups. The strength is definetely coming through, just wondering if I shouldn`t be doing this.
Any ideas?

[mr popular]

it's fine

[J540lover]

Cool.

[compleks]

If you're doing 30 reps comfortably, then you are training endurance more than anything.

If you want to get stronger (by the technical definition of strength, in regards to exercise) then you need to find a more challenging exercise.

If you do continue with the pushups, then it's a good idea to balance things out by doing some sort of pulling/rowing movement (like chinups). You can potentially create a muscle imbalance if you only do pushups.

Doing all those pushups will have very limited benefit on your ability to do handstands and other gymnastic/capoeira moves.

[J540lover]

Thanks for that.
Any idea what could help for gymnastics/capoeira moves?

[compleks]

Just keep practicing the moves.

[Skilzat85X]

And gain greater flexibility!


Mostly dynamic.

[Papa Lazarou]

Any idea what could help for gymnastics/capoeira moves?

More difficult variations of pushups for a start. i.e., variations which permit around 10 reps or less. Doing more than about 20 reps is endurance work, not strength work. It's logical really - if you want to increase the resistance your muscles can overcome, you must train by overcoming great resistance.


Oh yeah, and keep practicing =p

[receive]

Holding handstands, and wall-suported ones for long periods of time, should help you with staying up there longer when you're walking on your hands. And handstand pushups, or holding a partly-bent position? Improving shit in a handstand position will most directly help your handstand walking.

[anfeyd]

And gain greater flexibility!


Mostly dynamic.

And dynamic is largely Dependant on static passive so work both.

[J540lover]

Ok thanks everyone. I think the 4 reps of 40 has slowed a bit, It doesn't seem to be going any further, so I'll try some of the other ideas. Cheers.

[receive]

im doing 120 a day, in reps of 30 pressups.

I think the 4 reps of 40 has slowed a bit

btw dude, I think you mean 'sets' when you said 'reps' there. You do sets comprised of multiple reps, [rep1-rep2-rep3-rep4-rep5] = a set of 5

[J540lover]

Right. Got my terms wrong. I do 30 pressups, 4 times a day. Thats simpler.

[Ashtar]

Nothing inherantly bad, if they are bad in large does for you you'd be feeling pain from t and losing the ability to do progressively more.

[Kay]

Don't Just do one type of press
Do loads of variations so that you target loads of different muscles

I do 300 press ups a day 3 times a week
and i do it in 15 reps of every different press up i know

Heres a good Variation Video for Press ups *19 Variations* (http://my.break.com/content/view.aspx?ContentId=243118)

But if u want Handstands i would work on my core since that helps alot in a handstand....But yeh Good luck

PEace!

[Ashtar]

Variations will slightly alter what muscles are emphasized, but their necessity overemphasized. Those muscles targeted more by a variation will also be targetted more by adding a load.

[J540lover]

Ok cool.
I`m not getting pain from it, so thats ok. I`ll try some of the variations too. Thanks for the vid Kay :wink:

[Urban_Juggernaut]

No disrespect but this shouldn't even be posted if your not able to do at least 80, when they talk about hurting yourself or overworking a press up that's in high numbers repeatedly throughout the day. You should go partial 4x a day for like 1 or 200 at a time.

[anfeyd]

I think a ban is necessary. Skilz or Jan NOW.

[compleks]

I think a ban is necessary. Skilz or Jan NOW.

Yeah, sorry Urban_Juggernaut, but you have been spewing some nonsense around lately.

[NightHunter]

Not to mention reviving dead threads.

[Urban_Juggernaut]

If you done any capoeira u know pressups is a must. Do one leg pressups and stand all the way up at the top, up and down a field it will definitely increase handstand time. Just doing the handstand will increase both.

[NightHunter]

Jesus Christ! Let sleeping threads lie.