Push up count question for a man's body, T or F

[pitt_transplant]

Originally Posted by Wayneb

I have seen guys who could not do even 1 real pushup, at least he is trying. I used to do 500 pushups every morning(about 21 minutes, no breaks) along with 500 situps and another hour or so of cardio, after awhile they all feel the same. I was not special, just about anyone can can work up to a high number if they work at it. Start slow and add a little at a time, just don't hurt yourself trying to do too much all at once.

Wow....are you serious? NOT ONE?

[Wayneb]

Originally Posted by pitt_transplant

Wow....are you serious? NOT ONE?

Yes I am serious, we even had a guard where I worked who weighed 550 lbs. I worked with some people in there 20's that were weak as kittens, this country is full of obese people who don't eat right and never excercise. When I was younger people were in much better shape and you
did not see fat kids everywhere like you do now.

[pitt_transplant]

Wow...I am just really shocked on the ONE....I could even do one coming off of doing nada with my arm for a couple years due to nerve damage.

The guy who says he "can't" actually CAN. He works a job where he has to move around 200lb items. His BMI is obese but his bodyfat % is just overweight. BUT he has that heart attack fat around the stomach. I know he is not weak as a kitten. That is what drives me insane. I have stood there and done it with him just as a test. He can..he totally can...Ugh
I prefer workouts/workout buddies that push...and when you actually can't do something you just collapse and laugh about it trying to. Not just whine "i cant i cant" and be all overdramatic about the effort like some diva. Its just such a kill joy.

[Wayneb]

Some people have different priorities in life, I always liked to work out and it made me feel better plus I felt energized by a good workout. I have an Uncle who walks about 5 hours a day, he is 77 years old, my dad (his brother) smoked and drank and died at 62. I think that alone shows me the benefit of exercise.

[Pug Life]

Originally Posted by pitt_transplant

T or F

As a male only doing 25 push ups/ day is not doing much.

_____________________

I tried to tell the boyfriend this as he is working on losing weight and he does not believe me that he should be shooting for at least 100 eventually and not settle for 25 unless he does different types (sets). He complains the progress is slow and then...well yeh...

He is doing his cardio but he needs to build up his chest muscles. I can feel more bone than muscle there. I told him to take advantage of the weight he has on to help with building. Plus he does them like a girl on his knees. Which I also told him is not ideal...

Words?
Thoughts?
Factoids of experience?

I personally am shooting for my old number of 1000..someday.
And I don't do them on my knees even though I am a girl. I think doing them the man way sorta works the lower back for me because you have to stay strait. It feels like that is the area anyway.

I'm nowhere near my Navy shape (when I used to do 500 pushups and 1000 crunches before showering every morning), but I can still do 25 ONE-HANDED pushups.

I'm dating a woman who is also struggling with her weight. She complains about being fat all the time, but her workouts last less than an hour and then she sits on the couch for 6 hours.

99% of the time you complain about a diet not working or being overweight, it's your fault. I went from 36% body fat to 6% in just 4 years, so it's possible.

[militarymom]

Im a girl and do 25 full (male) pushups and 2 sets of 20 female (half) push ups easy on a daily basis. So no-25 push ups is not alot as a routine to build muscle for a man.

[CosmicWizard]

Pug Life wrote:

but her workouts last less than an hour

Basing the value of a workout on the length of it, misses the point IMO. To me, workout valueis determined more by intensity. My workouts are realtively short ( about 45 mins ), but during that 45 minutes I am continuously exercising. No sitting on the bench between sets for me. Although I've never actually calculated it, I feel certain that my total tonnage during my 45 mins in the gym surpasses the total tonnage of most of the people who spend twice the amount of time in the gym. Half of their time is spent sitting on a bench between sets resting between consecutive sets of the same exercise. While I'm resting my biceps for example, I'm working my triceps, or doing another exercise that does not engage my biceps. Alternating bodyparts like this keeps my biceps pretty fresh, so I can handle heavier weights than I could by ding the sets consecutively. If/when I get overly winded, I do calf raises or ab work which allows me to catch my breath. Over the years, I've had some incredibly intense 30 min workouts, and some really low intensity 2 hour workouts. I much prefer the higher intensity, shorter workout.....more time to be a couch potatoe afterwards.