Is this enough?

[KatnissEverdeen]

Hi guys,
I have made a plan to improve my push ups as currently they are w*nk. Just wondering if this is enough or too much regarding the actual workout. And how often I should do this I am open for improvements. Thanks in advance
3 X 25 sets of bicep curls
2 min rest
3x25 knee push ups
2 min rest
3x25 restraint band push ups
2 min rest
3x25 incline push ups
2 min rest
3X20 negative push ups
2 min rest
3x20 normal push ups
2 min rest
1 min plank
3 min rest.
Sit up gainers

 

[DreamOf43]

To be honest mate I think you could drop the curls and just do all the variations of push ups, as push ups are more chest and triceps. Maybe reduce the volume depending on how your muscles react to high volume but other than that it looks good.

 

[ThreadpigeonsAlpha]

To be honest mate I think you could drop the curls and just do all the variations of push ups, as push ups are more chest and triceps. Maybe reduce the volume depending on how your muscles react to high volume but other than that it looks good.

Yea, push-ups are part of your push muscles. Biceps are part of your pull muscles.
Doing biceps for push-ups won’t do much. Use dips and or tricep extensions. You can vary the toughness of dips from on your feet, to full body.

 

[Advocado]

There are so many different types of push ups you can do to improve your strength.

Normal
Close arm
Wide arm
Feet raised
Hand release
Plyometric
Gecko
Superman

Change it up so it doesn't get boring. I find that supersetting push ups with feet rested tricep dips is a good burner.

 

[KatnissEverdeen]

How often should I do workouts involving the push up muscles? I am still young so worried that I might do too much too often

 

[Biggles]

Do gainers 3 x per week mate on non consecutive days, 3 sets with perfect form to the beep, work on increasing reps over time - that'll give you real strength endurance in the chest and triceps. I used to bolt them onto the end of my normal circuit training so I was training somewhat fatigued, but that only added to the gains made over time.

Was doing pushups daily before RT but got tendonitis so backed off pretty quick.

Test every month to the RMFA beep maximum effort.

Example :

Session1 : 20,20,20

Session 2: 21,20,20

Session 3: 21,21,20

then 21,21,21 then 22,21,21 then 22,22,21 etc until you work your way up to 50,50,50.

 

[Chelonian]

I have made a plan to improve my push ups as currently they are w*nk.

Consider also adding in some more core stability exercises. The planks on your schedule are a good place to start.

Core conditioning is the foundation on which everything else stands. Additionally, a conditioned core can help in avoidance of many niggles.

It's very important to have an awareness of the exact form Royal Marines push up. Once this is hard-wired into the mind you won't forget it. Plenty of resources on YouTube. Someone might link the best one.

 

[Vine]

To be honest mate I think you could drop the curls and just do all the variations of push ups, as push ups are more chest and triceps. Maybe reduce the volume depending on how your muscles react to high volume but other than that it looks good.

Come on now no bicep curls what is this profanity...

 

[AsdaOwn]

Come on now no bicep curls what is this profanity...

Gots to have beach muscles mates!! But yes Kat, how old are you as you’ve got to bare in mind you may growing still but definitely look to do different types of press ups and set working more on your triceps.

 

[mace]

I just posted this for somebody. It might be applicable for you as well:


On the push up front let me chip in as well what I would do:
3 separate workouts. Depending on your recovery either 1 or 2 days between the push up session.

Workout 1: gainers to the beep (see above, 3 sets, every session you add 1 rep): this one takes care of specificity and a tried and proven way to improve your reps.

Workout 2: eccentric push ups (you need to have someone to help you): place something heavy 5-10kg to begin with on your back, go down as slow as possible -eccentric phase, triceps lengthens under load and is capable of handling more load-, at the bottom position have someone to remove the weight off your back so you can press yourself up -concentric phase, triceps shorten, you can’t handle more weight in a concentric phase than in eccentric- quickly, place the weight back -in the front support position make sure you are holding a “hollow position” and throughout the whole reps- and next rep. Eccentric training is a fantastic way of building strength and strengthening the connective tissue. Try 3-4 sets of 4-6 reps with at least 4 seconds of lowering, ideally 6 seconds. It’s strength training, low reps, low sets. Don’t go to failure with this one. Clean reps, good form.


Workout 3: greasing the groove. This one will take care of building up overall volume without overworking. Start by figuring out your max reps (let’s say 20). Now take 50% of that (10). Start with 10 sets (you can add an extra set per workout if you can do them all nice and clean). You do a set of 10 push ups (or whatever your 50% is). Then you are going to have a minimum of 15 minutes of rest. 20 minutes is even better. After the rest you do your next set of 10 push ups. And again 15-20 minutes of rest and repeat. You continue with this until you feel fresh. You don’t go nowhere near to failure. This one takes a big ego check to control ourselves and a lot of free time. As you progress you can easily do 600-700 push ups in a day without feeling tired.

+1 tip: learn the “Turkish get up (TGU)” (Mark Wildman on YT breaks it down really well). Even if you don’t own a kettlebell/dumbbell you can learn the movement and practice with a water bottle. This exercise will help you to move better, activate your core but most importantly work your shoulder in all angles. With the push ups you are only working in a so called “sagittal plane”. If that’s the only “angle” you are working the shoulder joint it won’t develop well and you are going to be weaker in other directions and more prone to injuries. Also as you are holding a weight overhead with locked elbows you are working on isometric contractions of the triceps so now you have all 3 muscle contractions covered for this muscle. Added bonus it that you can use the TGU for a warm up for all your training sessions.

Notice that you never go to failure. Some will jump on it and say: that won’t train you mentally and won’t fatigue you enough. Bullsh1t. Your goal right now is to get quality training sessions in to increase your max reps and train for longevity. There will be a place and time for doing 3 sets to failure but this is not it.

 

[Rob20]

I just posted this for somebody. It might be applicable for you as well:


On the push up front let me chip in as well what I would do:
3 separate workouts. Depending on your recovery either 1 or 2 days between the push up session.

Workout 1: gainers to the beep (see above, 3 sets, every session you add 1 rep): this one takes care of specificity and a tried and proven way to improve your reps.

Workout 2: eccentric push ups (you need to have someone to help you): place something heavy 5-10kg to begin with on your back, go down as slow as possible -eccentric phase, triceps lengthens under load and is capable of handling more load-, at the bottom position have someone to remove the weight off your back so you can press yourself up -concentric phase, triceps shorten, you can’t handle more weight in a concentric phase than in eccentric- quickly, place the weight back -in the front support position make sure you are holding a “hollow position” and throughout the whole reps- and next rep. Eccentric training is a fantastic way of building strength and strengthening the connective tissue. Try 3-4 sets of 4-6 reps with at least 4 seconds of lowering, ideally 6 seconds. It’s strength training, low reps, low sets. Don’t go to failure with this one. Clean reps, good form.


Workout 3: greasing the groove. This one will take care of building up overall volume without overworking. Start by figuring out your max reps (let’s say 20). Now take 50% of that (10). Start with 10 sets (you can add an extra set per workout if you can do them all nice and clean). You do a set of 10 push ups (or whatever your 50% is). Then you are going to have a minimum of 15 minutes of rest. 20 minutes is even better. After the rest you do your next set of 10 push ups. And again 15-20 minutes of rest and repeat. You continue with this until you feel fresh. You don’t go nowhere near to failure. This one takes a big ego check to control ourselves and a lot of free time. As you progress you can easily do 600-700 push ups in a day without feeling tired.

+1 tip: learn the “Turkish get up (TGU)” (Mark Wildman on YT breaks it down really well). Even if you don’t own a kettlebell/dumbbell you can learn the movement and practice with a water bottle. This exercise will help you to move better, activate your core but most importantly work your shoulder in all angles. With the push ups you are only working in a so called “sagittal plane”. If that’s the only “angle” you are working the shoulder joint it won’t develop well and you are going to be weaker in other directions and more prone to injuries. Also as you are holding a weight overhead with locked elbows you are working on isometric contractions of the triceps so now you have all 3 muscle contractions covered for this muscle. Added bonus it that you can use the TGU for a warm up for all your training sessions.

Notice that you never go to failure. Some will jump on it and say: that won’t train you mentally and won’t fatigue you enough. Bullsh1t. Your goal right now is to get quality training sessions in to increase your max reps and train for longevity. There will be a place and time for doing 3 sets to failure but this is not it.

Really good info there mate. Agree with not every session needs to go to failure. When joining, I used to do all the tests either every fortnight or every month to track progress.

But probably most of my sessions were not going to failure. Same kind of thought process behind running. Yes your 3 miler and hill sprints should be done max effort but a nice steady 6-8 miler is there to get miles in, keep the heart rate steady throughout and build that endurance.

Really good post. The TGU info was really interesting

 

[mace]

Really good post. The TGU info was really interesting

Well if you never done them, it’s time it can translate well to a “tactical get up” where you need to get up from your back pointing your rifle down range and standing up without using your hands.

 

[Rob20]

Well if you never done them, it’s time it can translate well to a “tactical get up” where you need to get up from your back pointing your rifle down range and standing up without using your hands.

Yer I've dabbled with them. Stinking movement. But very functional

 

[Biggles]

For chr1sts sake get @mace through recruit training and into a PTI role somebody

 

[mace]

For chr1sts sake get @mace through recruit training and into a PTI role somebody

Hahaha I am just passionate and remember none of this is new information / mine.

 

[KatnissEverdeen]

Cheers for the advice. I have added more push up variations and have implemented grease the grove in which I will do a couple times a week. Ive also made a separate workout that I’ll do on the days I am not doing any push ups

 

[AsdaOwn]

Hahaha I am just passionate and remember none of this is new information / mine.

You should look at being a PTI once you get to a unit mate.

 

[KatnissEverdeen]

To be honest mate I think you could drop the curls and just do all the variations of push ups, as push ups are more chest and triceps. Maybe reduce the volume depending on how your muscles react to high volume but other than that it looks good.

Just doing the bicep curls for the gains ready for summer ha ha!

 

[mace]

Just doing the bicep curls for the gains ready for summer ha ha!

They can be quite useful for the elbow’s health. Especially if you are doing eccentric reverse curls. Should help with the pull ups and rope climbs (I know, I know you are using your legs to take weight off and all but when you are descending slowly there is still a lot of eccentric force going through your elbow flexors).

 

[Rob20]

You should look at being a PTI once you get to a unit mate.

All depends on many factors.

For example, does @mace like wearing tight clothes and vests?
Does he have an obsession with his own hair?
Will he organise a mud run for his troop purely for the benefits of his own skincare?

There's more to being a PTI than just phys