push-ups!

Why can't I do them?! I would describe myself as moderately fit, however like many women (I suspect), I lack upper body strength, especially in relation to my lower body strength. I'm incorporating some weights into my fitness regime, and thought I'd try a few push-ups, just to see how I got on. Well, I didn't - get on, that is. Actually, that's not entirely true. I managed 1. So I put my knees down, and managed 5 before collapsing in an agonizing heap on the floor.

Enlighten me folks - why can't I do them?! More importantly, what can I do to change this? Modifications perhaps, to build up to a full push-up?

I shure do feel like a big wuss right now! 

What I did - I started doing pushups on the fourth stair up. Once I could do 3 sets of 10, I moved down to the third stair, and onward, til I reached the floor. If the 4th stair isn't high enough to start, you can even use a kitchen cabinet.

I don't like "girl pushups" (on your knees) because I don't think they teach you to keep good form - body completely in line. Pushups, even if they are done at an incline, work more than just your arms, and I think some of that is lost when you do them from your knees.

I've also seen it suggested that you do negatives - that is, only focus on the lowering portion, and not worry about getting back up while good form (or vice versa - only worry about getting up, not getting down).

I know what you mean. I'm a woman, too, and my arms are so much weaker than my legs.

Keep at 'em, and they should get easier with time. Once doing them with your knees down gets too easy, give extending your legs a shot.

I do them with my legs extended, but I still can't get down more than a few inches when I lower myself down. Otherwise, I can't get myself back up again. :P I started off doing 5, and now I do 15-20 at a time.

On the other hand, I'm not really lifting weights. If you're looking to build your arm strength, that should certainly help.

[Also...I like your profile picture. Shinnnyyyy. :D]

How far apart are your arms? I find push ups easier to do when my arms are further apart vs. close together.

amethystgirl: great suggestion re: the stairs - I just tried on the fourth stair up, and managed to complete 3 sets of 10 without too much trouble. Third stair here I come!

xue_mei: yeah, like everything, practice makes perfect - or at least, acceptable . I do want to build a little arm strength, primarily for toning purposes, but also because I want to be strong, RAWR!! (re: pic: thanks! it's a fiber optic countertop at a bar in Dubai... they change colour, too!)

icedeyez45: my arms are shoulder-width. I assumed this would be correct form?

As far as I know, shoulder width is the goal, although you can change the angle your elbows point out - but I'm not sure what the optimal angle is.

Yay, third stair!  When you make it to the floor, make it harder by putting your feet up on a stair :)

Oh, other benefit of pushups (besides being a great horizontal push - better than bench press!) - NO EQUIPMENT!

Feet on the STAIR?! That's weeks away - years, even . Re: no equipment - yeah, that's part of the appeal actually. I do all my weight training at home with a few free weights, as well as utilizing various pieces of furniture. All my cardio is done outside (biking, running etc.) and my yoga practice at a yoga studio - so I'd rather avoid the expense of joining a gym just for x3 days per week of weight training.

I work for a MMA gym. When i started i couldn't do a pushup only "girl" ones. Now i can do 3 minute rounds non-stop. What i did was as many as i could do and the went to girl pushups. Only if i could only do one reggae pushup that's what i did. To learn proper form (and to build my core muscles which surprisingly have a lot to do with everything) i did planks. (you are in pushup form with your elbows on the ground and hold that position for 30 seconds at a time for three full minutes, maybe a 5-10 second rest in between.)

Plank I AM familiar with. It's part of a series of poses that I practice every week during my yoga class: the 'sun salutation':

http://yoga.about.com/od/yogasequences/a/suns alutations.htm

Plank comes just before chaturanga...

http://yoga.about.com/od/yogaposes/a/chaturan ga.htm

...which flows into upward facing dog:

http://yoga.about.com/od/yogaposes/a/upwarddo g.htm

This series can be pretty challenging when done repeatedly at a rapid pace (as my yoga instructor seems intent on making us do!). Also, we are often instructed to 'hold' some of these individual poses for longer periods of time, for strength-building and correction of form. Some advanced yogis will hold these poses literally for 10, 15, 20 minutes. Insane! You're right, though - surprisingly, utilizing and building upon core strength is essential in this kind of pose - push up included. 

Original Post by amethystgirl:

As far as I know, shoulder width is the goal, although you can change the angle your elbows point out - but I'm not sure what the optimal angle is.

 This is true for the most part.  And also not right for some people. In Yoga we do 100's of caturanga dandasana where you are required to go down like a traditional pushup but keep the elbows very close to the body.  I have found this has much better success building my upper body rather  than a traditional pushup (along wiith weight work of course)  But I did have a prior rotator cuff injury which might be why the closer hand  position works better for me.