Advice of doing push-ups

[ENwifeArmyMom]

Our dau is going to study nursing, is a 4 yr AROTC scholarship and an Army brat. She has completed her DODMERB package and is just waiting for her doctor's appointments. My husband advised her to lockdown her PT training. She runs all year for school so the run and sit ups are easier for her. She is going to the gym a few days a week to lift weights in the hope of building more upper body strength to assist with the push-ups bc the push ups have proved to be more challenging. Any advise? Something online that might help?

 

[MABlue]

I suggest your daughter try Pavel Tsatsouline's Greasing the Groove technique. I have included a link here. It is very low impact, so it wont affect her current workout schedule. I used it, and nearly doubled my max push ups in just 3 months. http://www.leanandmuscular.org/greasing-the-groove.php

 

[zachcleigh]

Best way to get better at push ups is do push ups.
Every day.

 

[MABlue]

That's exactly what the plan I linked above says to do. Actually pretty much in your exact terms: To get better at doing push ups, you simply have to do a lot of push-ups.

 

[Capt MJ]

And if no place handy to get down on floor and not dressed for PT, do press-ups at a 45 degree angle, at the kitchen counter or a set of stairs. Focus on keeping back straight, going down to flexed 90 degree angle with arms. Do them to exhaustion. You're focusing on form, breathing, endurance, the muscle memory.

For women, build strength by having knees on ground and focusing on form if you are struggling with regular push-ups. Lots of workouts online to build up strength through reps and variations.

One to build strength: start in regular up position, back straight, legs straight, arms straight. Lower a few inches by bending elbows, hold for 30 seconds, drop another few inches, hold for 30, do one more drop, to final push-up position, hold for 30. Push up. Do these in sets of 5, then 10. Worked for me in my 20's, built a baseline that allowed me to do the max to this day. Not revealing how long I have been doing them. But daily! If I have slacked off, I do the drop and hold to ramp me back up.

Find what works for you, gain and maintain the skill.

 

[frenzymando]

Breathe in on the way down and breathe out on the way up.