Press up - Variations

[RossRobObey]

Hey all,

Just out of interest, how many 'normal' press ups can you guys do, in 2 mins?

I'm asking this because I can do about 60, but that is with my elbows coming out.

I know, on PRMC and POC, you have to do the 'Marine' still push up, which is with the elbows tight into my sides, correct?

Well I have just tried to do a set of these, first time trying, and knocking out 20 is hard work - I haven't tried them timed, but I KNOW it's going to be lower than normal press ups.

So basically, how many normal press ups can you do and how many 'Marine' style ones.

Thanks,
Ross.

 

[MTW]

i feel your pain mate, i could do them normaly all day long, but then started the marine ones and it cut my best to 25ish, but im now doing all of them close hand, marine, and normal seems to be improving as i couldnt even do 1 close hand push up about 2 months ago

 

[MasoN]

I can crack out about 18 Marine style and 20ish Wide arm. I have been progressing with the marine pushups since i could manage 3 of them!

 

[RossRobObey]

Ahh, sweet - At least I'm not doing too badly.

Thanks.

 

[edd91]

I think its easier to do wider arm because your using more muscles where as marine style is mainly triceps. I could do about 50 wide arm but haven't done them for ages cause i really don't need to and can do about 35 marine need a little work, but getting there.

 

[Brucey1]

Definitely practise all variations, but on the PRMC we never done one other type of press up than the "marine style" elbows in. Its definitely in your interests to practice these till your blue in your face, any other type in gym test 1 will lose you points. However, they do suck!

I dare say in training you will be made to do all sorts of other delightful types of the bastard things

 

[Joe]

last time i timed it, i did 69 in 2minutes (marine style). i dont do normal press ups anymore, maybe the ocasional wide arm.

 

[TJ08]

Keep going with the marine ones,
i found i could bang out wide arm ones ok then struggled with marine style but they soon caught up. But wide arm ones exercise different muscle groups in the arms, chest and back. I have been advised to vary them to build more muscles. Also varying grips on pull ups (wide arm, short arm, reversed grip etc.) and sit ups crunches, leg raises etc.
It cant be a bad thing exercising different muscles as im sure you'll need them at some stage!!

 

[Dodger]

I would say do as many marine style as you can, whenever you can ( obviously not over training) My upper body is getting loads of training due to lower limb injury at the moment and I have noticed i do as many marine style as i can then if i am going to fail, put my arms out wider and bang another 10 out, okay they aint the marine style but still targetting my triceps, even if it is not in isolation.

 

[brownie123]

Im not to good at pressups:-

Normal pressups - 45
Marine Pressups - 45
Close Hand Pressups - Havn't done em yet, will edit once done
Wide Arm Pressups - 31
1 Handed Pressups - 1 <-- :doh:

Anyone find that when they do there max situps & max pressups in 2mins. 2 hours later your stomachs ripped and it feels like someones tearing your muscles apart? or is it just me ?

 

[Roy Brown]

I'm a bit silly i can do 20 marine style in about 30 seconds but then collapse in a heap. If i try and do them slowly i don't have the arm strength to stay in the position for 2 minutes.

 

[brownie123]

Practice makes perfect roy; do them every night before bed. Just 20 or something and theyll get easier for you

 

[Globe-Trotter]

I can do 70 of these now in 2 mins

The only way you can improve is actually doing them-just practice

At the minute I do 5 sets of 35 then 5 sets of 20 of 'diamond' press ups straight after

 

[Commando Kennedy]

Increase *text deleted* press ups!!

I understand that marine press ups are hard and its hard to keep *text deleted* elbows in..but since ive been doing them i can now bang out about 20 close arm press us..and bout 60 marine press ups!!..so i was thinkin that marine press ups use tricep n not really bicep or chest!! So ive been doin sets of close arm and marine press ups..i try to do 200 a day 100 close arm n 100 marine over the whole day its not to bad!

 

[FletchPRMC]

Military style pressups use tricep and the anterior deltoid. I think its anterior, may be posterior, but basically the shoulder muslce in the front.

 

[Bish]

wen i first started doin marine press ups i cud onli do about 25 an i jus started doin 4 sets every day of 15 den progressed to 20 now im managin 4 sets of 30 an my pb used 2 be 51 about 2 months havnt tried since then but im thinkin i will of improved haha. i found usin sumthin in da gym helps lyk puttin *text deleted* feat on a ball or a step up box. then alternate an use a bench bar wiv sum weight on an lower my chest to the bar evey tym thats wats worked 4 me neways u can giv it a try butll take 2-3 weeks of doin that 5 tyms a week b4 ull see an improvement.

Ant Bish

 

[Waggz]

i have been taught a exercise by my personal trainer which help with marine style press ups ill do a step by step explanation of how to do it.

all you need is 1 dumbell about 3kg more if u want.

place the dumbell below your chest

1. wide arm press up position
2.bend down untill the dumbell is touching on the chest (wait 10 sec on this position)
3.extend the arms back up
4.grab the dumbell and pull into chest (wait 5 sec)
5.turn your body so you are leaning on your arm and you are facing left or right (wait 5 sec)
6.extend the dumbell above you straight (wait 10 sec)
7.Pull into chest (wait 5 sec)
8.turn facing the ground again (wait 5 sec)
9.Place dumbell on floor then back to start position.

Alternate the arms also never do less than 15 of these.

 

[MTW]

Im not to good at pressups:-

Normal pressups - 45
Marine Pressups - 45
Close Hand Pressups - Havn't done em yet, will edit once done
Wide Arm Pressups - 31
1 Handed Pressups - 1 <-- :doh:

Anyone find that when they do there max situps & max pressups in 2mins. 2 hours later your stomachs ripped and it feels like someones tearing your muscles apart? or is it just me ?

yea it weird when i first started i literaly couldnt train for the next 3 days because it felt like i was *text deleted* stabbed! also when i first started the workout in the green bible for the next 3 days i couldnt walk *text deleted*, but now i hav e trippled the stuff i do, and feel fresh as a *text deleted**text deleted*in daisy the next day *text deleted*! but id say make surte if u get that feeling then dont work through it just rest, and your bod will get used to it in no time, ive started getting it in my tricepts recently from pressups.

 

[Ashley]

Military style pressups use tricep and the anterior deltoid.

That must be why I find them easy. My deltoids are probably my strongest feature, 7 years of kayaking gives you a solid neck hehe.

Marine style 2 Mins = 60
'Normal' style 2 mins = 63
Close Arm style 2 mins = 52

I had a 5 minute rest inbetween each style.

Where do you put your hands on the close arm push ups? I was doing them so I nearly touched my hand with my pecs but not sure if my hands were supposed to be lower.

 

[SamForrest]

Ive always been good enough at pressups,luckily i can get some ok scores and i dont train them that much.

When i do though i try to vary it,marine style,close,wide,power overs on a medicine ball,clap pressups etc.


I train pressups mainly in my circuit i perform. It has pressups (or a 'form' of) as every other excercise. Theres 10 excercises each circuit,so 5 lots of pressups each time. Repeat the circuit 3 times. It works out 400+ pressups,but because they all use slightly differnt muscles (wide,close etc) its quite a nice little workout.

My current PB for pressups in 2 mins (Marine style,touching fist) is 85. Normally after a good hard run i can get 70+.

Ash,i put my hands so that they touch my chest, the same level as when i do marine pressups i would imagen,just closer in.


One thing i think can be bad for pressup progression is always going to fail. Its ok doing some everyday,like a quick couple of sets AM and PM (Outside of an actual workout). But if i do this its only at like 60/70% of my max. If you were to constantly go to failure all the time your not going to recover as much. Its much better to do a couple of easy 20 reps with prefect form at random times in the day.