Are pushups enough to build arm strength?

[alisoncooks]

Originally Posted by ~^~RedFlame~^~

I gave up the 'dread factor' in pushups when I started doing that REAL modified version that rips my arms and chest better anyway! By doing that (on knees with hands elevated on my bench) I can do a lot of them, and really pay attention to my flat back and slow movement to really get in the muscles. But I DO long for the day when I can at least do 20 big boy pushups. I do think it is important to have certain kinds of body strength. It's probably weird, but I think of movies like Poseidon Advanture and other "save your life" types of flicks, and they show people having to hang by their arms and get across open spaces using hand over hand, or running for a long time to escape an attacker or something, and these scenes really make me think about SURVIVAL. To heck with physique, but if I had to get myself out of a jam, I want the right kind of body strength to perhaps save my life! If I had to do pullups to hoist my body weight up into a trap door exit for example, could I?

I have thoughts like this too!

[Joni O]

Hmmmm....I'm having those thoughts now, too

[SharonNYC]

Originally Posted by lfcjasp

Red, I'm with you...hate, hate, HATE push-ups...and I've read that that means I really need to be doing them more Push-ups were the main upper body exercise Kelly does in Body Training...not really too much else UB, but man did I feel them the following day!!!

I think I must be weird -- I like push-ups. They seem so comparatively easy after working with the yoga variety: chaturanga. I don't do 100, but then I haven't tried. I like to do 3 sets of twelve.

[~^~RedFlame~^~]

Originally Posted by SharonNYC

I think I must be weird -- I like push-ups. They seem so comparatively easy after working with the yoga variety: chaturanga. I don't do 100, but then I haven't tried. I like to do 3 sets of twelve.

I believe that I would actually like them too, if I felt masterful over them, LOL! I would LOVE the feeling of being able to "drop and do 20" REAL pushups. I am not sure if my right shoulder will EVER allow this, but I figure if I go slow, I'll find out! I just feel that one REALLY should be able to push and pull their body weight and that is much more important than doing x number of reps of anything. For reasons mentioned above. I feel pretty good with chaturangas, as they don't tweak my shoulder the way wider arms does. Even after doing P90X twice, no set of REAL pushups from this girl.

[Ctfitnut]

I am with SharonNYC on pushups - chaturungas helped me get there. Now I can do many different varieties of pushups including superman, high fives, explosives. I don't really count them and will need to do about 50 in my black belt test (probably on both days) but I can do one minute of them during a fitness class I take and 2 sets of 10 in karate. I found the Insanity's version of pushups with jacks interesting to do and managed to do 35 in a minute but that was intense!

Sheila

[~^~RedFlame~^~]

Originally Posted by Ctfitnut

I am with SharonNYC on pushups - chaturungas helped me get there. Now I can do many different varieties of pushups including superman, high fives, explosives. I don't really count them and will need to do about 50 in my black belt test (probably on both days) but I can do one minute of them during a fitness class I take and 2 sets of 10 in karate. I found the Insanity's version of pushups with jacks interesting to do and managed to do 35 in a minute but that was intense!

Sheila

U R A Rock Star!!

[SharonNYC]

Originally Posted by ~^~RedFlame~^~

I believe that I would actually like them too, if I felt masterful over them, LOL! I would LOVE the feeling of being able to "drop and do 20" REAL pushups. I am not sure if my right shoulder will EVER allow this, but I figure if I go slow, I'll find out! I just feel that one REALLY should be able to push and pull their body weight and that is much more important than doing x number of reps of anything. For reasons mentioned above. I feel pretty good with chaturangas, as they don't tweak my shoulder the way wider arms does. Even after doing P90X twice, no set of REAL pushups from this girl.

My right shoulder is very bad -- partial dislocation some years ago but I've worked really hard to rehab it. Push-ups (along with loooong downward dogs ) seem to help me develop strength there. It took me a while to work back up to wheel and side plank after the injury, but even those are pretty much good to go these days.

[~^~RedFlame~^~]

Originally Posted by SharonNYC

My right shoulder is very bad -- partial dislocation some years ago but I've worked really hard to rehab it. Push-ups (along with loooong downward dogs ) seem to help me develop strength there. It took me a while to work back up to wheel and side plank after the injury, but even those are pretty much good to go these days.

Nice to have hope! I have no idea what I did to mine, but it has been chronic for a long time now. The area around my collarbone and into my anterior delt just SCREAMS at me during some work, and AFTER a lot of my chest work.

Wow, if you can do side plank without issues, you did a hell of a good job rehabbing that thing! I stay at elbow height for those.

[Kathryn]

Originally Posted by hch

http://www.twohundredsitups.com/

http://www.twohundredsquats.com/

What, no "1000 push-ups"?
I think I'll start a 1 billion (don't remember how many 0's are in that!) push-up challenge!

[Kathryn]

Originally Posted by donnadc

Oh look, http://www.1000pushups.com/2008/05/b...h-pushups.html

LOL!
I should have continued reading before posting!