Doing push ups

RaiderJ

Diamond Member
Apr 29, 2001
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Get an exercise ball to balance your feet on. Helps strengthen your core at the same time. If you can figure out a way to do it, hang some handles from the ceiling and use those. That way you have to use all your support muscles to keep form.

EDIT: Or handles like these
 

dpert1

Senior member
Apr 26, 2007
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Diamond pushups, same as a regular but your hands make a diamond between your thumbs and pointer fingers.
 

Ktulu

Diamond Member
Dec 16, 2000
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Originally posted by: dpert1
Diamond pushups, same as a regular but your hands make a diamond between your thumbs and pointer fingers.

Doesn't that work your triceps more than chest?
 

ch33zw1z

Lifer
Nov 4, 2004
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Originally posted by: Ktulu
Originally posted by: dpert1
Diamond pushups, same as a regular but your hands make a diamond between your thumbs and pointer fingers.

Doesn't that work your triceps more than chest?

triceps, shoulders, and middle chest. the farther you put your arms out the more chest is done. diamonds are great for looking big around the chest tho, gotta include them.

try "chair" pushups. set up a chair for your feet, one for each arm. let the pain begin.

edit: those pushup bars that were posted are great too
 

MustangSVT

Lifer
Oct 7, 2000
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also, do em slow, those poppers wont be as effective ;)

my judo teach likes to kill us by doing pushups that we divide in 4 parts and take 4 seconds to do one push up :p
 

Special K

Diamond Member
Jun 18, 2000
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Originally posted by: ch33zw1z
Originally posted by: Ktulu
Originally posted by: dpert1
Diamond pushups, same as a regular but your hands make a diamond between your thumbs and pointer fingers.

Doesn't that work your triceps more than chest?

triceps, shoulders, and middle chest. the farther you put your arms out the more chest is done. diamonds are great for looking big around the chest tho, gotta include them.

try "chair" pushups. set up a chair for your feet, one for each arm. let the pain begin.

edit: those pushup bars that were posted are great too

You aren't going to add much mass by doing only pushups.
 

ch33zw1z

Lifer
Nov 4, 2004
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who..said...anything about mass. I was pointing out how changing the positioning of your hands will work muscles differently. pushups are a different kind of strength than looking for mass.

edit: I'm assuming you're a body builder by your sig. You *should* know the point I was making more than anyone.
 

Luthien

Golden Member
Feb 1, 2004
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Pushup bars and elevated feet doing standard pushups. You don't need an exercise ball to elevate your feet.
 

homercles337

Diamond Member
Dec 29, 2004
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Originally posted by: mariok2006
push ups are for endurance, not for muscle building...

Either youre wrong, or maybe im just lucky with my build. I can gain quite a bit with push ups. Nothing like what i get at the gym, but i have heard the phrase "great pecs" from a woman i met a few hours prior when i was just doing push ups (my ex said the same thing and she saw all phases) . You may want to include a disclaimer about this. Also, yes i gain easily and im not fat/chunky/husky/whatever.
 

overst33r

Diamond Member
Oct 3, 2004
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Originally posted by: homercles337
Originally posted by: mariok2006
push ups are for endurance, not for muscle building...

Either youre wrong, or maybe im just lucky with my build. I can gain quite a bit with push ups. Nothing like what i get at the gym, but i have heard the phrase "great pecs" from a woman i met a few hours prior when i was just doing push ups (my ex said the same thing and she saw all phases) . You may want to include a disclaimer about this. Also, yes i gain easily and im not fat/chunky/husky/whatever.

The problem with pushups is that you cannot really increase the weight you are working with, only your reps, therefore building endurance. I am not an expert by any means, I just never had push ups do anything for me besides definition and endurance.
 

angminas

Diamond Member
Dec 17, 2006
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They don't build muscle IF you're already moderately built, but they will build muscle for beginners, perhaps such as someone who would be asking about ways to do pushups. Method and form will have make a significant difference too. Advice needs to be tailored to the person asking the question.

If you want to seriously work your chest with pushups, it'd be good to use more than one style and alternate them on a schedule, since different exercises do different things to your body. As above, get ready for some (good) pain. If you want to do fairly standard pushups, the wider you space your hands, basically the more you move work from your arms to your chest. Working on your abs and shoulders will make your chest look better too, as long as you keep things balanced.
 

Nutdotnet

Diamond Member
Dec 5, 2000
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Originally posted by: ch33zw1z
Originally posted by: Ktulu
Originally posted by: dpert1
Diamond pushups, same as a regular but your hands make a diamond between your thumbs and pointer fingers.

Doesn't that work your triceps more than chest?

triceps, shoulders, and middle chest. the farther you put your arms out the more chest is done. diamonds are great for looking big around the chest tho, gotta include them.

try "chair" pushups. set up a chair for your feet, one for each arm. let the pain begin.

edit: those pushup bars that were posted are great too

Not to be rude but...what the heck is a "middle chest"????
 

ch33zw1z

Lifer
Nov 4, 2004
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that's not a rude question. when you work your chest, you can focus on different areas. like when you do inclines it hits the upper chest/shoulders more, declines work the lower chest more. the same concept applies to the horizontal positioning of you hands relative to the center of your body. your "middle chest" is exactly what it sounds like...where your pecs meet. if you want that nice striated look in the center, you need to work that portion of your chest more. diamonds will do that, as will butterflies, using a pulley setup, dumbell presses with a squeeze at the top, and i'm guessing others i left out.
 

amicold

Platinum Member
Feb 7, 2005
2,656
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Originally posted by: dpert1
Diamond pushups, same as a regular but your hands make a diamond between your thumbs and pointer fingers.

Thats the triceps...