Push Up Advice

Am I doing something wrong or what.  I can do 3 reps of 15-20 push ups with my feet on a flexability ball- but I can NOT do more than 2 regular push ups (men) and I can only go half way down.  This is actually an improvement from before.  I can do a bunch of girley push ups but not the real ones.  What is wrong with me?  What do I need to do?

Thanks for any advice

Your strength specificity is pretty high - your muscles are strong in just one direction.

 That's cool - you can work up to be just as strong in all directions, it just takes time. If you're having trouble doing the full normal pushups, try starting out with incline pushups on a chair or bench and then gradually lower the incline so you get closer to the ground.

I have a question ... (sorry for the attempt thread jacking) in general what are harder to preform incline (feet on a chair) or regular push ups? (feet on floor)

  Incline right?

Feet on chair are called decline - your body is pointed down. But yep, harder to perform decline pushups, you're lifting more of your bodyweight.

 The closer you are to a full handstand pushup, the harder it is :)

Thanks-

I just need to continue w/ reg pushups and I will at some point be able to do more than 2 good ones.  It just seems so lame that I can do one kind but not the other.

Yea it is lame but a fact of physiology. I have worked my way out of what you have now to three sets of 8 regular textbook pushups. Very handy right now when time bites off my ability to hit the weight room.

I could barely do one at first. Last night I did about 200 (20 sets of 10reps)

At least I know that it is not just me.  I will keep working on them.

Thanks

A bunch of us are doing the 100 pushups challenge. You may want to join. Look it up in the Games and Challenges forum.

I read the challange and printed out the 100 pushup program.  I am seriously going to try this.

Thanks for the info.

I don't understand... you can do 3 sets of 15-20 of the more difficult, decline pushups with your feet on the ball, but can't do them with your feet on the floor?  Those should be easier, right?

I know it is crazy.  I can go all the way down on the ball and repeat about 10-15 times (the last ones I am shaking)  but I can only do a regular push up with good form 2 times anything past that I can only go about 1/2 way down.  Thats why I was wondering if there was something wrong with me!!!  My husband thinks it is funny.