I know that if you lift weights you should take a day off from working with that muscle again so that it can grow, but does that count for pushups too? I would appreciate it if only an expert would answer I dont want people who are just taking a guess to reply. Thanks

This has been beaten to death already. If you're talking about normal push-ups, then it's fine, as long as you don't push yourself to extremes everyday, and assuming you're in decent shape already.

This has been beaten to death already. If you're talking about normal push-ups, then it's fine, as long as you don't push yourself to extremes everyday, and assuming you're in decent shape already.

What's the point in doing an exercise if you aren't pushing yourself to the extremes? If anything, isn't that going to be counter-productive?

no, pushing yourself to failure everyday is counter-productive. It doesn't matter just because they're push-ups. Resistance is resistance. Tear the muscles too much, and they need rest. Personally, I go hard enough, but don't kill myself on them, and just go up by one every day.

What I meant was that shouldn't you always go as hard as you can, and therefore NOT train everyday (as you should treat it like any other exercise). I don't see how not pushing your body past it's threshold can have any positive effects on your body.

Surely, if you're increasing your push-ups by 1 a day, you ARE pushing yourself? As, being as someones body can't possibly gain enough strength in a day to do an extra rep, at some point you are going to reach your max...say, for arguments sake, 100. Then the next day, you do 101...thats past your bodies threshold. Then the next day, 102...again, you're passing your limits. Is this not training to the extreme everyday? Something you just advised against? Or are you trying to say that you're body can gain the strength each day to maybe do 2 extra push-ups, and you don't take it to that? If so, crack on fella, in a few years you'll maybe break some world records :notworthy

Body weight exercises done intelligently CAN be done every day, however at least one day off in between is best. Giving your body that rest is a smart principle for any routine. You maximize your return when resting and you help prevent a plateau for your muscles.

So yes, rest in between.

What I meant was that shouldn't you always go as hard as you can, and therefore NOT train everyday (as you should treat it like any other exercise). I don't see how not pushing your body past it's threshold can have any positive effects on your body.

Surely, if you're increasing your push-ups by 1 a day, you ARE pushing yourself? As, being as someones body can't possibly gain enough strength in a day to do an extra rep, at some point you are going to reach your max...say, for arguments sake, 100. Then the next day, you do 101...thats past your bodies threshold. Then the next day, 102...again, you're passing your limits. Is this not training to the extreme everyday? Something you just advised against? Or are you trying to say that you're body can gain the strength each day to maybe do 2 extra push-ups, and you don't take it to that? If so, crack on fella, in a few years you'll maybe break some world records :notworthy


I see what you mean. I do kinda push myself, but I also go in cycles kinda, I do go up, but then for say a month I stop doin' pushups. I've never gone over 75. And no, you don't need to push yourself to failure to acheive results. Any boxer who pushes until fail in pushups is wasting his time and energy. I treat my push ups and situps like my cardio, every day, for conditioning sake, but they're not the core of my workout... that would be boxing.

Right, but doing those 75 puts a stress on your arms. This means that say you do this, for the next 3-4 days your not going to be training your arms at their peak condition, so whatever arm work you do in your boxing training isn't going to be as good as it could be.

CV and weights (which push-ups and situps essentially are) are completely different. The heart is the only organ in the body which gets it's energy from fat, which is why CV is so effective for conditioning. The same DOESN'T apply for pushups. Sure, you're heartrate may rise while doing them, but not enough to prompt any conditioning as such. Instead what you're doing is constantly leaving your arms in need of repair, utilizing some of you're bodies energy resources which could be used for much greater effect elsewhere.

Personally I'd say this push-up routine is a bad idea, and you'd probably benefit more doing them with say a 3 day break, and using a weight jacket to add more resistance.

Oh, and sorry if these posts seem like they are intended to be a dig at you, they're truely not, just stating my opinion though I guess I could have done so in a better way :)

You should give yourself a break, but its always better to push yourself to the limits and you wont regreat it later :)

i kill my chest and shoulders on monday

take tuesday off

come back on wednesday and do my legs...

when i do my biceps triceps on thursday they have been rested for 2 days completely

i take friday off

saturday i do my back and abs

Depending on what type of training you are talking about here, determines the quality of the workout. What you've got to remember is that all you're muscles are essentially digging at the same reserves, your carb and protein intake. The only problem I can see with that workout is that you train consecutively on wednesday and thursday, and although you are hitting different muscle groups, you're body is still recovering from the leg workout when you start working your arms. This will obviously not halt your progress, but especially with the legs being a big muscle group and one that is requires more work to take to muscular failure, will hinder it slightly.

Also, think about the way your workouts are split up:
"One of the most important reasons why a chest-back superset program works so well is the fact that most chest exercises are pushing movements, while all back exercises are pulling exercises. Thc chest muscles are resting during the last exercise and the lats are resting during the chest movement. While each muscle is alternately resting and working, it stay's fully flushed and pumped up.... When the chest and upper back are pumped simultaneously, there is an indescribable feeling of growth stimulation and massiveness."
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0KFY/is_12_20/ai_98488428/pg_2

Right, but doing those 75 puts a stress on your arms. This means that say you do this, for the next 3-4 days your not going to be training your arms at their peak condition, so whatever arm work you do in your boxing training isn't going to be as good as it could be.

CV and weights (which push-ups and situps essentially are) are completely different. The heart is the only organ in the body which gets it's energy from fat, which is why CV is so effective for conditioning. The same DOESN'T apply for pushups. Sure, you're heartrate may rise while doing them, but not enough to prompt any conditioning as such. Instead what you're doing is constantly leaving your arms in need of repair, utilizing some of you're bodies energy resources which could be used for much greater effect elsewhere.

Personally I'd say this push-up routine is a bad idea, and you'd probably benefit more doing them with say a 3 day break, and using a weight jacket to add more resistance.

Oh, and sorry if these posts seem like they are intended to be a dig at you, they're truely not, just stating my opinion though I guess I could have done so in a better way :)


It isn't a good routine, you're right. I'm still trying to get a good schedule goin' between uni and boxing, which isn't easy. I'm started to incorporate different kinds of pushups now though. Something a little more steady. I don't really have the money for a weighted vest, but they seem awsome.

Depending on what type of training you are talking about here, determines the quality of the workout. What you've got to remember is that all you're muscles are essentially digging at the same reserves, your carb and protein intake. The only problem I can see with that workout is that you train consecutively on wednesday and thursday, and although you are hitting different muscle groups, you're body is still recovering from the leg workout when you start working your arms. This will obviously not halt your progress, but especially with the legs being a big muscle group and one that is requires more work to take to muscular failure, will hinder it slightly.

Also, think about the way your workouts are split up:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0KFY/is_12_20/ai_98488428/pg_2

ive played sports year around my whole life along with doing necessary workouts.. in HS i went from football to basketball to track without breaks, practicing everyday.. my body is used to this kind of thing... when i give myself even 24 hours off it feels like a lifetime..

i have to think that two hours of basketball eats up my reserves more than the leg workouts i do.... so i dont sweat it, i eat a lot of healthy carbs and have a high protein diet... i shouldnt say that i "kill" myself either

im training to become a boxer... 4 months ago i was 233 pounds (6'4) in pretty good shape, i played WR in college football and was a sprinter on the track team..... now im at 191, in great shape, stronger than i was at 233.. following the schedule i stated above....

but obviously im not trying for massive muscular gains im trying to build muscle stamina and core strength.. i want to fight as a cruiser and i figure i can now add the 10 pounds back on slowly with good strong muscle..

i will try the back/chest superset this week and see how i feel, thanks for that tip

also, does anyone know what positive/negative effects sitting in the sauna immediately after your workout will have?

Weighted vests are a god-send. I do athletics, 400m, and the difference they can make in a training session is phenominal. If you can do anywhere over 50 push-ups, then trying hand-stand push-ups might be worth a try. They are very similar for the shoulders and triceps, the only real difference being that they work the chest at a different angle.

Another alternative would be to do push-ups where you have your arms at just over shoulder-width apart, and each time you go down make you're nose touch 1 of your hands, then alternate on the next rep. This works the arms in a more unilateral sense, and should reduce the ammount of reps you can achieve.

I have the same problem balancing my fitness with work. I'm in the forces, and we have 1 structured PT session a week, which is generally a full body circuit...****s up my whole schedule. And the accomodation I live in only has a toaster and a microwave (which has probably been shat in at some point), not the best equipment for a decent diet!

Hitman932:
As does happen with time, your body may feel that it's getting used to long periods of exercise, especially in comparison to those first few training sessions where walking like a cowboy was generally accepted and expected. However, remember that although you have grown, if you are training right, the load on your body has also increased. I think that if World class bodybuilders need 3-4 days to recover after a workout, we all do as well :)

Pros of sauna = It helps to rid lactic acid, increases the mobilisation of the muscles and works like a warm-down, decreasing the liklehood of injuries from the workout

Cons = Dehydration. Cure? Fluids. Sorted.

look... unlike most of you guys, i am actually a boxer. All i wanted to know was if doing pushups tears the muscles, thus requiring a day of rest? I know when you work with weights, you are supposed to alternate with different muscle groups, but seeing as boxers arent really supposed to lift weights, that doesnt apply to me. My question really required a yes or no answer, not a ****ing essay.

look... unlike most of you guys, i am actually a boxer. All i wanted to know was if doing pushups tears the muscles, thus requiring a day of rest? I know when you work with weights, you are supposed to alternate with different muscle groups, but seeing as boxers arent really supposed to lift weights, that doesnt apply to me. My question really required a yes or no answer, not a ****ing essay.

There is no yes or no. Do they tear fibers? Yes, there, there's your answer. And I am a boxer, I spend at least 4 hours a day training, I think that makes me one. Unless you're implying you are a pro, in which case, it's pretty pathetic that you don't know these things. Also, where's your trainer? It's pretty pathetic that he doesn't know these things either.

If you have 42" arms and a 10" chest, and you're doing 5 press-ups...I think you can give the day of rest a miss.
If you have "10 arms and a 42" chest, and you're doing 500 press-ups...a day of rest might be a good idea.

Are you going to max? doing 10 and then stopping?...Any exercise you do like this will tear the muscle to a certain extent, but it's the intensity of the exercise that determines the percentage of fibers that are torn and therefore the amount of rest needed.

Try doing max at the same time each day for a week. If your ammount of reps doesnt decrease, then it's probably safe to say that you don't need a day of rest. If on some of the days your total goes down, then it looks like you need a day off between them.

Im guessing its not neccasary to take a day off of push-ups.