Push-ups and Sit-ups everyday? Good or bad?

[Arkitech]

I'm trying to get back on the path of exercising daily. So far I've been doing fairly well over the last week and starting this week I plan on getting back into pushups and situps. What I'm wondering is doing pushups everyday to much or will help me build up my strength. My goal is to get stronger and eventually get back into the gym to starting lifting weights. Any opinions on this?

 

[gigapet]

After extended periods away from the gym I have used this method of regaining some strength before returning to the gym for weight training. It worked well for me but as for it being a good or bad practice....I'm not qualified to answer that with any factual response.

 

[yobarman]

Sit ups are useless, do boxer crunches instead. This is where you lie completely flat on the ground, arounds and legs completely strecthed out paralel to your torso, then crunch at your mid section, bend you knees and bring your upper torso up and bascially have your elbows hit your knees around the point where you stomach is. return to the original position, but DO NOT touch the ground. repeat. kinda hard to explain but a great exercise once you get the hang of it.

push ups are ok, but they dont really do much, get a pull up bar for like 15 bucks and use that. it's a great way to build upper body strength

 

[Analog]

Pushups are a great form of exercise for your tris and your chest. DO some variations, a wide stance concentrates on the chest. A narrow stance, with your hands under your chest and your elbows in (rubbing the side of your body) is a great tricep workout. Try 'em with your feet elevated on a coffee table and it will hit your upper chest more.

The old fashioned situp is probably not that great, it puts a lot of stress on your lower back. Crunches are better. Elevate your legs on a couch, back on the floor. Don't arch your back and crunch up. Many variation on this as well.

 

[Arkitech]

Originally posted by: gigapet
After extended periods away from the gym I have used this method of regaining some strength before returning to the gym for weight training. It worked well for me but as for it being a good or bad practice....I'm not qualified to answer that with any factual response.

Did you do pushups every night or was it more of an every other day type of thing?

 

[gigapet]

daily unless i was unusually sore from the previous day in which case i'd take a break and let my muscles repair themselves

 

[Riprorin]

Ever see Hershel Walker? I read that the guy never lifted weights; just did push-ups and situps.

Of course, he did thousands a day.

 

[Angrymarshmello]

Originally posted by: Riprorin
Ever see Hershel Walker? I read that the guy never lifted weights; just did push-ups and situps.

Of course, he did thousands a day.

"How many of you know who Hershel Walker is? Hershel Walker was a great running back in professional football. He won the Heisman trophy as a junior playing for the University of Georgia and played professionally for the Dallas Cowboys, the Minnesota Vikings, The Philadelphia Eagles and later back to Dallas. Walker was just a tremendous athlete and football player. If you saw him, you would say, ?Well of course he is a good football player. Look at him; he is built like a tank. His neck is bigger than my thighs and his thighs are bigger then my entire body.? However, in an interview, Hershel revealed that he does something like 1,500 push-ups, 2,500 sit-ups and 500 dips every night. The man had the body to be a good football player but it was his work ethic that made him a great running back. He is a donut maker. The people I know that are successful exemplify the characteristics of the donut maker: they show up everyday, they go in early, they stay late and they are productive while they are there. "

Course, he probably had MONSTER genetics though

 

[Riprorin]

True.

By the way, what's the best way to do dips?

 

[Arkitech]

Originally posted by: gigapet
daily unless i was unusually sore from the previous day in which case i'd take a break and let my muscles repair themselves

Sounds like a plan, I'm going to give that a try starting tonite. Since I have'nt worked out in a couple of months, I think I'll try to start with about 200 situps and pushups per night.

 

[Arkitech]

Originally posted by: Angrymarshmello

Originally posted by: Riprorin
Ever see Hershel Walker? I read that the guy never lifted weights; just did push-ups and situps.

Of course, he did thousands a day.

"How many of you know who Hershel Walker is? Hershel Walker was a great running back in professional football. He won the Heisman trophy as a junior playing for the University of Georgia and played professionally for the Dallas Cowboys, the Minnesota Vikings, The Philadelphia Eagles and later back to Dallas. Walker was just a tremendous athlete and football player. If you saw him, you would say, ?Well of course he is a good football player. Look at him; he is built like a tank. His neck is bigger than my thighs and his thighs are bigger then my entire body.? However, in an interview, Hershel revealed that he does something like 1,500 push-ups, 2,500 sit-ups and 500 dips every night. The man had the body to be a good football player but it was his work ethic that made him a great running back. He is a donut maker. The people I know that are successful exemplify the characteristics of the donut maker: they show up everyday, they go in early, they stay late and they are productive while they are there. "

Course, he probably had MONSTER genetics though

any pics?

 

[Koing]

Daily is fine.

But at any level if you continue to do things over and over again for long periods (40-50yrs +) something is going to give.

So if you intend to do push ups daily its fine now, unless you have a n elbow problem or shoulder problem. But as far as I can see its not that hard to do and you should be okay to do a few hundred daily for 40yrs. If you start to add weights and such when doing push ups on your back then its going to knacker your joints out.

BUT

Any sort of increasing stress on your joints for 40-50yrs is going to do that ANYWAY.

 

[Hammer]

i do them 6 days a week. works out good.

 

[Zombie]

I feel like situps put way too much pressure on my neck, may be I am not doing them right but I would rather do crunches. Any visual illustrations on different types of crunches out there ??


thanks.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: Zombie
I feel like situps put way too much pressure on my neck, may be I am not doing them right but I would rather do crunches. Any visual illustrations on different types of crunches out there ??


thanks.

You're not putting your hands behind your neck are you?