Guys do press ups make much difference to the chest?
- Thread starter Red Rose
- Start date
fast times
Member
- Reaction score
- 0
I can help , I've been working out for 20 years, but I'm not sure what exercise your describing. If you mean push ups from the floor , they are a good way to firm up the pec's ,front delts and triceps. I've got my Dad doing them now and he does 100 during the course of the day , he looks firm and hes 65.
googler
Established Member
- Reaction score
- 0
four months ago i couldn't do one push up. i decided to give it another try after reading this thread and i managed to do fourty in 3 minutes.
fast times, how many should i do a day to tighten up my chest? my chest and stomach being the only two aspects of my body which haven't shown any sign of improvement since i started training over four months ago.
fast times, how many should i do a day to tighten up my chest? my chest and stomach being the only two aspects of my body which haven't shown any sign of improvement since i started training over four months ago.
made_guy82
Established Member
- Reaction score
- 0
Hey googler, if you're not using weighted exercises, try 3 sets of 20 pushups every 3 days. Try placing your hands at different widths, and also high up near your shoulders and lower on the peck line and see which feels best.
For your abs, try doing knee ups on the edge of your bed or some sort of bench (where you have your lower body hanging off whatever your on and bring your knees up towards your chest) followed straight after by some regular crunches. Just do as many as you can of each and repeat two times for a total of 3 'super sets'.
For your abs, try doing knee ups on the edge of your bed or some sort of bench (where you have your lower body hanging off whatever your on and bring your knees up towards your chest) followed straight after by some regular crunches. Just do as many as you can of each and repeat two times for a total of 3 'super sets'.
yes
I had a crap flat chest
did push ups for about 2 weeks, and grew a chest
lines in the middle are apparent, and mass is growing, they work, i'm no fitness guru, but:
do them slowly. the more you do, the body just, well lets say you won't benefit, apart from in strength
secret of building mass is to do low repitions, and do them slowly. I do just three sets of ten push ups, very slowly, every day. although really you should do this every other day, fast is just for stamina, same goes with weights. heavy weights, low reps = mass, lighter weights, fast reps = stamina and possibly more weight loss
drink the 8 glasses of water a day too (recomended) as this will help you out a bit
if you raise your legs up so say, do the push ups with your feet perched up on a sofa, this'll put more strain on your push ups and make them harder, and give you more mass from doing a more strenuous exercise, it's not much harder really, unless you're a big guy. this will speed things up a lot. have your arms set shoulder width apart, and try doing them with your arms closer, and further apart to work other areas of your chest, worry about that after a few months or so, after you've seen some changes
take a look at your chest, do them for a couple of weeks and see
bet you'll see some improvements. ladies who used to know me and my flat chest have noticed a difference. cheesey but sh*t, i'm a cheesey man
also, change your posture, stick your chest out just a bit for a while (just a little) that'll help firm up your chest, make you feel better, and improve your posture. doing this while you're doing your work outs feels good, as silly as this sounds. well with me anyway. you'll feel more athletic like you're on a good path. oh and stick them out a bit during exercise and generally, don't slouch. sticking them out while doing your push ups, if you can manage it puts focus on your chest when you're working out, has more impact on your chest
again i'm not a fitness instructor so hope nobody slates me, but from a bit of research i'm quite sure all the above is true, interested to see what the pros think of this
good luck !
I had a crap flat chest
did push ups for about 2 weeks, and grew a chest
lines in the middle are apparent, and mass is growing, they work, i'm no fitness guru, but:
do them slowly. the more you do, the body just, well lets say you won't benefit, apart from in strength
secret of building mass is to do low repitions, and do them slowly. I do just three sets of ten push ups, very slowly, every day. although really you should do this every other day, fast is just for stamina, same goes with weights. heavy weights, low reps = mass, lighter weights, fast reps = stamina and possibly more weight loss
drink the 8 glasses of water a day too (recomended) as this will help you out a bit
if you raise your legs up so say, do the push ups with your feet perched up on a sofa, this'll put more strain on your push ups and make them harder, and give you more mass from doing a more strenuous exercise, it's not much harder really, unless you're a big guy. this will speed things up a lot. have your arms set shoulder width apart, and try doing them with your arms closer, and further apart to work other areas of your chest, worry about that after a few months or so, after you've seen some changes
take a look at your chest, do them for a couple of weeks and see
bet you'll see some improvements. ladies who used to know me and my flat chest have noticed a difference. cheesey but sh*t, i'm a cheesey manalso, change your posture, stick your chest out just a bit for a while (just a little) that'll help firm up your chest, make you feel better, and improve your posture. doing this while you're doing your work outs feels good, as silly as this sounds. well with me anyway. you'll feel more athletic like you're on a good path. oh and stick them out a bit during exercise and generally, don't slouch. sticking them out while doing your push ups, if you can manage it puts focus on your chest when you're working out, has more impact on your chest
again i'm not a fitness instructor so hope nobody slates me, but from a bit of research i'm quite sure all the above is true, interested to see what the pros think of this
good luck !
Slartibartfast
Senior Member
- Reaction score
- 2
No, but I do now chuck in some lighter, and therefore higher repetition, bench presses which I feel complement the heavier lifts.Red Rose said:
At a slight tangent to your question but did you ever get those free-weights and exercise bench about which you asked some time back? Actually that's quite pertinent to the press ups issue, what other chest exercises (if any) are you doing? Oh, and what sort of results are you after, i.e. general toning, addition of bulk, etc.Red Rose said:
Slarti
Slarti,
Funny you should mention that. I have been putting off doing it for so long because I am a wee bit concerned that when I move (going to move into either a small rented one bedroom apartment or shared accommodation in the next 6 months or so) there will be not enough room for 180kg of weights and weight bench and moreover, not solid enough flooring to carry all that weight.
I am in the invidious position of not being able to join a gym at the moment, due to the distance of the gym from work primarily and work commitments...and a deep rooted hatred of queuing for the benches/weights. So, I have been stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place.
But having said that, I bit the bullet, took the risk and ordered some stuff last night. Set me back £440.00. This is what I got:-
Marcy Safety Catchers @ £55.00:-
Bodycraft F320 Flat Incline Decline Bench @ £149.00:-
Powerhouse 185Kg Olympic Cast Barbell Set @ £169.00;
2 Powerhouse Chrome Olympic Dumbbell bars @ £56.00 for the pair.
Oh and am looking to bulk up BTW. I am 6.1 maybe 6.2 and only weigh 12 stone. Tis not too impressive!!
Funny you should mention that. I have been putting off doing it for so long because I am a wee bit concerned that when I move (going to move into either a small rented one bedroom apartment or shared accommodation in the next 6 months or so) there will be not enough room for 180kg of weights and weight bench and moreover, not solid enough flooring to carry all that weight.
I am in the invidious position of not being able to join a gym at the moment, due to the distance of the gym from work primarily and work commitments...and a deep rooted hatred of queuing for the benches/weights. So, I have been stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place.
But having said that, I bit the bullet, took the risk and ordered some stuff last night. Set me back £440.00. This is what I got:-
Marcy Safety Catchers @ £55.00:-
Bodycraft F320 Flat Incline Decline Bench @ £149.00:-
Powerhouse 185Kg Olympic Cast Barbell Set @ £169.00;
2 Powerhouse Chrome Olympic Dumbbell bars @ £56.00 for the pair.
Oh and am looking to bulk up BTW. I am 6.1 maybe 6.2 and only weigh 12 stone. Tis not too impressive!!
Slartibartfast
Senior Member
- Reaction score
- 2
Hey Red Rose,
I've managed to get myself up from 11 stone to slightly over 13 in the last 3, 3.5 years with a fairly relaxed regime - and yes it is muscle, give or take a pound or two of Christmas/New Year excess.
I reckon you should have enough room even in a one bed apartment; that bench looks really nice and compact and a barbell set doesn't intrude overmuch when rolled next to a wall, though I suppose freeing up space to use it may be tougher. As far as the weight goes; I don't imagine you will have any problem initially, unless you're planning on using the full 185 kilos straight off. I mean, you plus weights is actually lighter than some individuals alone, and I'm not aware of any health & safety legislation covering where the obese can reside in order to prevent floor cave-ins - considering this Govt.'s love of regulating anything that moves that's actually something of a surprise.
Any chance of getting a ground floor abode to remove all concerns over weak flooring?
Slarti
I've managed to get myself up from 11 stone to slightly over 13 in the last 3, 3.5 years with a fairly relaxed regime - and yes it is muscle, give or take a pound or two of Christmas/New Year excess.
I reckon you should have enough room even in a one bed apartment; that bench looks really nice and compact and a barbell set doesn't intrude overmuch when rolled next to a wall, though I suppose freeing up space to use it may be tougher. As far as the weight goes; I don't imagine you will have any problem initially, unless you're planning on using the full 185 kilos straight off. I mean, you plus weights is actually lighter than some individuals alone, and I'm not aware of any health & safety legislation covering where the obese can reside in order to prevent floor cave-ins - considering this Govt.'s love of regulating anything that moves that's actually something of a surprise.
Any chance of getting a ground floor abode to remove all concerns over weak flooring?
Slarti
Slarti,
That is bloody impressive from a "relaxed regimen". If I could just put on 0.5 stone this year then I will be chuffed. Even half a stone would make a a lot of difference to how I would look, IMO. Is there a particular regimen you follow - do you subscribe to any Mens Health guide or anything like that?
I want to put on weight but I tell you the one thing that I shall not be concerning myself too much with is counting calories and/or making sure that I divide my diet with the precision of a spectrometer to a ratio of 69.1425668% protein and the rest carbs...!
Thanks for your other advice. Ground floor flat is the way to go.
That is bloody impressive from a "relaxed regimen". If I could just put on 0.5 stone this year then I will be chuffed. Even half a stone would make a a lot of difference to how I would look, IMO. Is there a particular regimen you follow - do you subscribe to any Mens Health guide or anything like that?
I want to put on weight but I tell you the one thing that I shall not be concerning myself too much with is counting calories and/or making sure that I divide my diet with the precision of a spectrometer to a ratio of 69.1425668% protein and the rest carbs...!
Thanks for your other advice. Ground floor flat is the way to go.
Slartibartfast
Senior Member
- Reaction score
- 2
Red,
Thanks! If I'd taken it really seriously I could've been built like a tank by now - as I'm 5'10", being 13 and-a-bit stone makes me look quite solid already.
I have the same attitude to my diet, the only concession I make is to ensure I eat enough protein - I've read a few times that 1 gram per pound of lean bodyweight is a good, rough guide. That's not much of a concession in truth, if anything I probably need to be careful not to over-do it with the protein.
No magazine subscriptions, but there are plenty of websites detailing which muscle groups different exercises work and the posture you should maintain whilst lifting to avoid injury - something like: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm
Now you might not consider this relaxed but I usually exercise 5 times a week (quite a lot, admittedly) but only ever for a short(ish) time, in the region of 40 minutes to an hour, and not even to a high intensity during that period. Typically I do two sets (sometimes 3) of 7-8 repetitions (I have my weights set so that that is at the limit of what I can do without over-exerting myself), and take care not to exercise the same muscle group on consecutive days. Don't forget to exercise your legs, given your set-up may I suggest deadlifts.
Slarti
Thanks! If I'd taken it really seriously I could've been built like a tank by now - as I'm 5'10", being 13 and-a-bit stone makes me look quite solid already.
I have the same attitude to my diet, the only concession I make is to ensure I eat enough protein - I've read a few times that 1 gram per pound of lean bodyweight is a good, rough guide. That's not much of a concession in truth, if anything I probably need to be careful not to over-do it with the protein.
No magazine subscriptions, but there are plenty of websites detailing which muscle groups different exercises work and the posture you should maintain whilst lifting to avoid injury - something like: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm
Now you might not consider this relaxed but I usually exercise 5 times a week (quite a lot, admittedly) but only ever for a short(ish) time, in the region of 40 minutes to an hour, and not even to a high intensity during that period. Typically I do two sets (sometimes 3) of 7-8 repetitions (I have my weights set so that that is at the limit of what I can do without over-exerting myself), and take care not to exercise the same muscle group on consecutive days. Don't forget to exercise your legs, given your set-up may I suggest deadlifts.
Slarti
Slarti,
Ta for the advice mate.
I can not wait to start training from home to the sound of Rage Against The Machine or Rocky in the background! Exciting times ahead...
I hope to bump this thread up in 6 months with hopefully a report of some nice gains.
Will be nice for the first time in years to be able to go down to Brighton beach (how glamorous!) and not be worried about looking like a a piece of string.
Ta for the advice mate.
I can not wait to start training from home to the sound of Rage Against The Machine or Rocky in the background! Exciting times ahead...
I hope to bump this thread up in 6 months with hopefully a report of some nice gains.
Will be nice for the first time in years to be able to go down to Brighton beach (how glamorous!) and not be worried about looking like a a piece of string.