Embarrassing Push-Ups Issue

Hi, I'm 5'9, currently at a whopping 236 pounds. I've been doing 30 to 45 minutes of crunches/sit-ups every other day or two depending on the circumstances, and on those off days I'm walking around 'for pleasure' for about 60 minutes, though I sometimes (often) also go for a walk after (or prior to) doing my crunches/sit-ups. I've been wanting to fit in a 'push-ups/pull-ups' day to have a little variation throughout the week. However, this is where the problem comes in, and as a guy it is very embarrassing:

I can't do one push-up (or pull-up for that matter) without wanting to just collapse.

It takes a whole lot out of me.

What should I do: try to work myself up to around ten by trying to do some every day for a week or two,try to do some actual strength training first (say at a gym) so that I have more upper body strength before I try to incorporate push-ups into my weekly routine or simply wait until I'm at a lower weight and try again, while compensating by adding another hour to my walking period on off-days until then?

I apologize if this question seems dumb but, as a fatty I'm new to this whole 'exercise' thing. And to clarify, I am not aiming to gain muscle, though it would be a nice side-effect, rather to simply burn calories and be active.

Edit: Thanks in advance for the replies, I'm off.  I'll check back on this tomorrow. Sorry.

Id start at the gym and when you are there ask one of the trainers about that.  I mean cuz if you can't do one then like 10 you might hurt yourself, or try some ones with your knees on the ground.  

Start by doing wall push ups and or doing them on a high bench. As you get stronger work your way down to the floor. As for the pull-up most gyms have an assisted pull up machine or you can put a platform under the bar and hang but allow your feet to touch the platform to act as an assist. You will get better at the push ups before the pull ups. It is really difficult to do unassisted pull ups unless your at a fairly low body weight.

 30-45 minutes of crunches and situps?

Whoo.

While that's impressive strength endurance, it won't do jack for your goal of losing body fat, unfortunately. 5 hours of crunches burns roughly the same amount of calories as 30 minutes of jogging, so for your goals you'd be better off walking for 2 hours instead.

  Fetch yourself something heavy to lift and do a basic strength training workout 3-5 times a week instead of endless sets of crunches, keep walking, and control calorie intake, and you should see the weight shifting.

 Incline pushups or wall pushups is where it's at if you can only do one or two regular ones before collapsing - if you can do a few more you can try using the 'grease the groove' technique where you do about half your max 3-4 times through the day. That doesn't work if your actual max is 1-2 though!

 For chinups - negative chinups where you jump up to the top position of the bar and try resisting gravity on the way down works wonders. It's how I started out at a bodyweight of 250lbs, and by the time I was down to 230 I could do 5 dead hang chinups a set.

 Joining a gym has the advantage of a wider selection of equipment - though machines aren't terribly useful for anything but hanging your clothes on - and a supportive social environment. You don't appear to be in the class of people who have trouble working out at home on a consistent basis, but most people who aren't me tend to not want to have a squat rack in the living room ;)

Thank you all for the replies, they are greatly appreciated.

I think I'll go with Melkor's suggestions of doing some basic strength training and upping my walking times. I really should also purchase a pedometer or something of that sort to monitor how many kilometers (or fractions thereof lol) I am walking and try upping that as well. I should try jogging at some point too but, only after I get over the small bout of shame I feel whenever I encounter other people out on my walks.

Anyhow and again, thank you for the feedback!

I can't do push ups or pull ups due to a bad elbow.  I have no problem doing bench press, tricep dips kickbacks and so many other upper bod workouts that I don't miss the push up thing at all.  Also the only time I ever did crunches is during the cool down for cardio class - its usually no more than 7 minutes. 

There are so many other better options to build muscles than these boring things.

Hey there!

Around February, I decided that I needed to learn how to do push-ups.  At that time, I could do ZERO.  So, I started by working on weight training for my biceps and triceps (curls and rows/extensions).  Sometimes I would get down and try a regular push-up and not be able to push back up; so, I'd just hold as best as I could in that lowered [static] position.

I also started doing modified push-ups by leaning against my bathroom sink or kitchen counter.  If you are especially heavy, do be sure that the thing you're leaning on can support your weight.  I would do maybe 10 modified push-ups a night before brushing my teeth.  I also did push-ups against the stairs of my home. Doing this for a few weeks, I made it to one.  Count 'em, one, full, straight-leg push-up. 

Then, I decided to follow a plan meant for people in the military, except I heavily modified it to suit my lack of ability.  I did 10 modified push-ups every hour against my desk at work or the counter at home (I made a spreadsheet so I could keep track!). As I got a little better at it, I tried leaning against things with a lower angle, such as the footboard of my bed and the edge of the bathtub, which is much harder! 

I would do this 10x a day to complete 100 push-ups per day total. On alternate days, I would do 20 modified push-ups 5x per day (still 100). I did this for three days, rested one day, four more days of push-ups, day of rest, and then the last three days of push-ups (1,000 modified push-ups!).  Finally, I rested my arms and did no upper-body work-outs at all for 3-4 days.

After all of that, I tested myself again and was able to complete FIVE regular push-ups. Now that I've got the ability to do five under my belt, I feel that I can start doing proper reps of regular push-ups!

(...and I just hit the deck and did SIX!   )

......Kelly :)

I'm not sure about pull-ups, but there are a ton of variations on push-ups. I had shoulder surgery a few years back and the therapist taught me a few variations (including the wall push). Try going to a physical therapy place or even your doctor and asking for a hand-out.

Also, sometimes we have our quirks. My husband is a "recovering" Marine (no longer active) and I acquired the Marine fitness guides. They test on three areas and you have to pass all three, plus earn enough "points" overall. So you can afford to hit minimum on one, but you had better be above that on the others. For men, they do timed sit-ups, pull-ups (I don't think those are timed), and running. For women, it's timed sit-ups, bent arm hang, and running. When I tried it (years ago) I did really well on sit-ups, I actually topped out the arm hang, and failed the run so miserably that I double checked the requirements!

As for being embarrassed, malarky! Instead of being ashamed of what you can't do, be proud of yourself for trying.

my gym actually has a pull-up machine that helps by taking weight off. you kneel on it and then set the weight you want to be 'assisted' with and then do your normal pull ups. its nice! and this coming from someone who has also been big all her life and could never do the pullups in gym class in front of the whole class. :( but thankfully i rocked at all the other tasks so no one remembered i didn't do them. good luck!

I think they've said it all.

I just want to say how jealous I am that you're heading to UT.  I'd love to be 18 again and at UT.  Sadly I graduated in '98 and have had to move on like a normal adult, but I have awesome memories of places around campus, bars and clubs in Austin, and even the UT gyms.

Good luck with your push/pull ups.

I would start with light weights to get your triceps going.....maybe lay down on a bench and get some light dumbells and lift them up (chest presses with light weight).......eventually you should build enough muscle to be able to do some pushups and handle your weight....

As far as not trying to gain muscle, muscle will help you burn calories, I think it should be a goal everyone trying to lose weight should incorporate. I started off this year trying to lose weight and i've recently just changed my focus to trying to lose BF. I have stayed the same weight in the last 6 months, but have dropped 4 pant sizes and look a lot stronger/built.....not to mention my BF has dropped 10%.

You do have muscle. You couldn't carry yourself around without it.

 

Don't short change yourself by waiting until you lost more weight to work out. You want to keep all the muscle you've got now. You also want to lose mostly fat. To do that you need to work out. Not just walking but basic weight lifting.

 

Push ups are nice but in the long run they won't get you far. So don't worry about them.

 

Get a barbell or find a gym with a some basics. A squat rack,benches,barbells and dumbbells.

 

Don't ignore your lower body and back. Big important muscles.  Walking isn't challenging enough for your legs. They've carried you your whole life what's 60 minutes?

Any Staircase will do.

Begin by doing your pushups on the 3rd or 4th step (the one that you can do the 10 reps on) and continually move down until you are on the floor.

If you feel frisky after that, turn around and put your feet up on the 1st step and work your way "UP" for further improvement.