Are pushups enough to build arm strength?

[lfcjasp]

For me, it's my right elbow that gives me the willies when trying to do full-body push-ups. It's a very old issue from a broken arm that was never properly set (broke just above the elbow). But this evening, I kept up okay with Margaret doing push-ups from my knees and THAT was good

Push-ups are good...I can feel them all over in my upper body...maybe that's why they're so hard and dreadful But now I feel inspired to see them in a different light and maybe try doing them more.

Sharon, you have done a great job rehabbing that shoulder!!! Gives me hope for this poor elbow!

[SharonNYC]

Originally Posted by ~^~RedFlame~^~

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.

I had a bunch of helpl -- went to a great osteo rehab doc who referred me to a fantastic sports med PT facility. I was among the most enthusiastic clients.

[hch]

Originally Posted by ~^~RedFlame~^~

I don't know about exact #'s and what that relates to strength-wise, but I can tell you without fear of contradiction that doing pushups a lot will give you better functional strength than standing in front of a mirror repping out your biceps.

I've heard the same philosophy about choosing an exercise, and I tend to follow it.

My question was based on thinking about what doing 100 of something would do for strength per se. I had in mind a number of things, like a fairly recent VF thread--I can't find it, but maybe someone remembers it--where people were skeptical about the functional utility of doing 100-rep workouts. (I tend to agree with them about, say, doing 100 bicep curls; I can see 100 pushups as potentially more useful in their place.)

If you can do 100 normal pushups and you wanted to work on strength, what about switching to more challenging variants like decline or weighted pushups? Does anyone have thoughts on the values of these for building strength, endurance, or whatnot safely?

[hch]

Originally Posted by naturallove

Henry-I don't know about 100 pushups being the be all to end all for strength (LOL)

Oh, I don't consider anything that, heh. And if one single thing were uniquely helpful for strength (or some other component), we'd probably know by now.

but my ex-boyfriend was in the military for quite a few years. I always kind of thought that the constant pushups they had to do (e.g. punishment for someone in the group messing up, etc.) was just hazing. As it turns out, the reason they did so many pushups (according to my ex) was to be able to get down and get back up at anytime and in any circumstance. For example, you might imagine how that would apply in a combat situation! Maybe the endurance that you get from having to do so many pushups helps so that you don't even have to think about it when the situation calls for it! Just a thought.

Right--I've had similar thoughts, and of course getting the movement ingrained, even if it just trained the nervous system, is itself a sort of preparation. It's one of those basic things to master.

(I'm also reminded now of seeing something, a bit dated but showing some continuity in military training, that mentioned a number of movements like the pushup and the pullup or chinup.)

[hch]

What I last wrote is in line with this:

Originally Posted by ~^~RedFlame~^~

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?

"Live unfit, die young, and leave a beautiful corpse," I take it, isn't your philosophy.

If what you're thinking is weird, then what I'm thinking is weird. Life stuff is my main reason to work on my running speed (I can jog for a long time, but I can work on my speed) and swimming. And it's why I'm glad to be able to do unassisted pullups.

Now, I've never been in this kind of danger myself, but I don't want to be unprepared when it comes. And even though it hasn't come like that, I've been able to help other people and do things for myself, like walk myself across a dark forest valley back to safety after having walked miles and miles already. None of my saying so is to brag; it's just to point out that being able to do things comes in handy during extraordinary occasions, whether it's safely moving an injured person off a hillside or knowing what to do when your vehicle skids.

Being able to do stuff really makes ordinary life easier, too. Maybe two hundred squats isn't your cup of tea, but leg strength is good. I appreciate the ability to get on and off the toilet by myself. Not needing help there is a real relief.

[hch]

Originally Posted by Kathryn

What, no "1000 push-ups"?

Well, you found the link, heh, but I'm waiting for "1000 pullups" myself.

OK, if you search for that, "1000 chinups," and their spelling variations, you'll find a number of hits already for these terms, although none of the top hits appears to be what I'd call a challenge page per se.

I think I'll start a 1 billion (don't remember how many 0's are in that!) push-up challenge!

I wouldn't be terribly surprised to see a "1 million pushups" challenge after realizing that it would be a thousand pushups on a thousand days (or, of course, fewer on more days). In fact, I just searched, and the top hit is someone's own quest to do so. If his counter is accurate (though I don't know if he's done any updates since 2007), he's at 423,750 as of now.

[Lucky Star]

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.

Ooh excellent modification, Red. Thanks for giving me the idea!

But I DO long for the day when I can at least do 20 big boy pushups.

Me too!

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?

Yes, Scott Sonnon teaches a graceful and functional total body unweighted training - I have his "Flowfit" and should really begin incorporating it - and there was some 'survival/escape' type training discussed here a few weeks ago but I can't recall the name... someone posted videos that were fascinating. Does anyone remember it (or even better, DO it)?

[alisoncooks]

I'm beginning to wonder (nevermind my lack of core and upper body strength) if wrist weakness is partially hindering my pushup progress.

Anyone consistently place their hands on weights to do PUs?

[Lucky Star]

Lauren Brooks does pushups on her fists with thumbs extended forwards.

[~^~RedFlame~^~]

Originally Posted by alisoncooks

I'm beginning to wonder (nevermind my lack of core and upper body strength) if wrist weakness is partially hindering my pushup progress.

Anyone consistently place their hands on weights to do PUs?

I am still struggling with this. My wrists are definitely hindering me, in all of that kind of work, including planks, which I love for core. I have purchased the pushup bars, and my first set was built wrong, narrow base and very high bar so it would fall over very easily, was a shoulder accident waiting to happen. So I gave those to DH to use for 'whatever' (the man is a genius at turning junk into 'something', LOL) and I purchased some that were nice and low to the groundm, and they are on a round base and swivel! So they really increase the difficulty level of the pushup, something that I DONT need. Dumbbells hurt the palms of my hands! I guess I am a major wus re: the hands/wrists. I need a padded dumbbell handle maybe?