Pushups- Try Reading Here First- Merged Thread

[atticus]

uhg, I feel for you, I usto get that but after I trained more it went away. I always wondered what the heck that was too. Now I just get a pop in my elbows when I'm lifting weights which no longer hurts, its just annoying and feels funny. When I had the problem I'd do my pushups in sets. I could go to about 10-15 pushups before my elbows would bug me too much and I'd stop doing pushups for a minute or two and then do another set and so on. For me it eventually stopped hurting when they popped and I was able to do more and more pushups without the popping as time went on.

 

[SeanPaul_031]

Theres 2 guys, they both have the same % body fat but one is alot taller and weighs 240 lbs and the other is shorter and weighs 170 lbs. Are push-ups going to be harder for the taller guy because he has more weight to push??

 

[chriscalow]

Do they both practice push ups?  If a guy is 240 pounds, I would think that his muscles would be used to playing with that kind of weight (mine are).  That's what I would think anyway, not a professional opinion, but I know I've been able to keep up with some of the lightweights in my time.  But on the other hand, I've seen 120 pound kids pop off easily 75-100 pushups.  Everybody is different.  It seems to mostly matter how prepared you are for it.  Hope this helps.

 

[Infanteer101]

You realize that push-ups and other related forms of physical exercises are almost always bettered with practice and with practice I mean A LOT OF PRACTICE! As for the different weight question, if both pers are used to some form of upper body exercises or work, they can achieve the same standard most likely within the same time frame. I will say here though that a person of 240 lbs will have a little more difficulty than the one who is 170 lbs, but to achieve a set standard is undoubtably a possibility given a strict and progressive upper body exercise regimen. A fitness instructor or PSP staff will be more helpful in this regard. As a rule, different body types have a variant level of adaptation to taking upper body stress and the more strength you have in your triceps and under shoulder-muscles, the easier doing chin-ups and push-ups will be. Furthermore, being taller or shorter in regards to building upper body strength is usually irrelevant however "weight" in the "wrong" places and lacking strength in the "right" areas (arms and core body strength in the abdomen area) can quantify the problem if you know what I mean.

As one of my Basic Recce Instructors once said..."If you can't even touch the ground for 2 minutes and get back up, how do you expect to crawl 500m down range and destroy the enemy?"

 

[NavComm]

Well I just got recoursed because I failed the pushups at Borden. I agree it takes a lot of practice. I saw some people with their butts stuck up in the air pass and some people's hips touching the ground pass. It's all about the 90 degree angle so make sure when you do a push up, your arms are 90 degrees, parallel to the ground. Size and weight has nothing to do with it, it's technique, technique, technique.

 

[SeanPaul_031]

To rephrase the question, what Im saying is, Lets say the 240lb and 170 lb guys can both do max 50 pushups. Now would the guy who is 240 lbs be stronger than the 170 lb guy since he is pushing more weight, even though they both are doing 50 pushups...

I think he would be. To test it, lets say you put them both on the bench press, an exercise where your body wieght has no bearing on the actual press, I think the 240 lb guy would be able to bench more than the other guy.

 

[9nr Domestic]

To rephrase the question, what Im saying is, Lets say the 240lb and 170 lb guys can both do max 50 pushups. Now would the guy who is 240 lbs be stronger than the 170 lb guy since he is pushing more weight, even though they both are doing 50 pushups...

I think he would be. To test it, lets say you put them both on the bench press, an exercise where your body wieght has no bearing on the actual press, I think the 240 lb guy would be able to bench more than the other guy.

I am not an expert, but I am 99% sure that you are correct in saying that a person that is 240lbs has to work harder, therefore must be stronger to do 50 push ups than a person that is 170lbs. To make sure that I am correct I will confirm with one of the PSP fitness staff on Monday.

 

[Montsion]

SeanPaul,

you're exactly right about assuming that someone who weighs 240 being stronger than the person weighing 170.  Their ability to do the same amount of pushups means that they have similar muscular endurance when it comes to doing this exercise, and they would be equally strong on a pound for pound basis.

Using your example of transferring the same two people to the bench press would definitely show that the bigger person would be 99% more likely to be able to bench a considerably larger amount of weight. 

 

[tikiguy]

Theres 2 guys, they both have the same % body fat but one is alot taller and weighs 240 lbs and the other is shorter and weighs 170 lbs. Are push-ups going to be harder for the taller guy because he has more weight to push??

We could get really technical on this. The taller man has a longer lever and therefore the overall work completed could possibly be equal to or less that the shorter fellow. But without knowing the exact heights, who knows?

The 240 pound man may have far more practice doing pushups, so it might be easier for him, or vice-versa.

The 240 pound man will consume much more energy and oxygen doing the same amount of work as the 170 pound man - the analogy being a muscle car and a compact car driving the same speed over the same distance. Larger engine, larger body, more fuel.

That being said,  I am NOT in the best shape of my life and I am 245 pounds, 5'9" tall and have done as many as 60 pushups in a minute - properly and judged. More than some, less than others, enough to pass. However, IF I have to do pushups on a 'one-second-up, one-second-down' cadence I'm a little less than par with most people, because my endurance is not as good as it could be.

Does that shed light or confuse the issue?

In either event, if you are concerned about your ability to do pushups, start doing them. A favorite plan of mine is the one Bo Jackson touted - an older football great passed this on to him when he was a kid. If you are watching TV, every time a commercial comes on, do pushups. Next commercial set, do sit-ups. In an hour of Simpson's you can rack up a lot of sets and reps and not even realize it. Maybe that's what Groundskeeper Willy does. 

 

[SeanPaul_031]

That being said,   I am NOT in the best shape of my life and I am 245 pounds, 5'9" tall and have done as many as 60 pushups in a minute - properly and judged. More than some, less than others, enough to pass.

Was this for the coopers test that you did 60 in a min?

Anyways I have no problems myself for doing pushups, it wasnt why I asked the question. Im 6'6 and 210 lbs, and I am leaving for my BMQ aug 27. I can do 50 perfect pushups straight, over 100 if I am doing sets. I just wanted to know if pushups where harder for a much bigger guy like myself than for smaller guys who I will be with on my BMQ...

tikiguy you present a good argument about factors such as lung capacity and arm length, however if they both are able to do only 50 max, then wouldnt their lung capactiy, muscle endurance....be the same, ratio wise?

And yes my arms are much longer, but so are my legs, so I think it is all proportioned and it doesnt work *quite* the way a lever would work. Yes a longer lever does mean it is easier to lift a load, but then my extra weight accounts for the longer arms. Thoughts?

 

[tikiguy]

Was this for the coopers test that you did 60 in a min?

Anyways I have no problems myself for doing pushups, it wasnt why I asked the question. Im 6'6 and 210 lbs, and I am leaving for my BMQ aug 27. I can do 50 perfect pushups straight, over 100 if I am doing sets. I just wanted to know if pushups where harder for a much bigger guy like myself than for smaller guys who I will be with on my BMQ...

tikiguy you present a good argument about factors such as lung capacity and arm length, however if they both are able to do only 50 max, then wouldnt their lung capactiy, muscle endurance....be the same, ratio wise?

And yes my arms are much longer, but so are my legs, so I think it is all proportioned and it doesnt work *quite* the way a lever would work. Yes a longer lever does mean it is easier to lift a load, but then my extra weight accounts for the longer arms. Thoughts?

If two different sized people are able to do only 50 reps each, their lung capacity is not necessarily the same, but their muscle endurance would be judged by most to be the same. It all depends on the definition of endurance applied. Personally, I think the larger man has greater endurance by being able to move a greater load over a greater distance than the smaller man, the same number of times. However, the CF FT doesn't take into account body morphology, so by their definition, both men have the same endurance level.

As for proportions in a lever system, not all people's proportions are the same. I have a friend who is virtually the same size as me but his arms are a full inch longer. That would require some amount of extra work in him doing pushups as he has to move the weight a greater distance with his body being the same length lever as mine. Gosh, it's been years since I've done any sort of mechanical analysis of levers, or kinesiology work so I couldn't put the exact numbers into place to quantify my statement. Hey, great questions! Really worked out my brain muscle for a bit! Now, does a man with a larger brain than another man do better on IQ tests or does he just have the capacity to do better? ;D

And for what its worth, my opinion is that smaller guys generally have an easier time doing push-ups (or most things for that matter), all other things being equal. Look at the cross section of the muscle and you will see that a smaller muscle will be back to its max in glycogen and oxygen much quicker than trying to refuel the 26" pythons. (Well, mine aren't 26", that was just for emphasis.)

 

[alexpb]

Ok, i tried looking for a thread that could give me the answer to this, but maybe i didnt look hard enough.
I apologise if that is the case.

I was wondering...

When you are doing the test to do 19 push ups in 60 seconds, what if i can do 19 push ups in 25 seconds but but 4 or so didnt count, and i still had 35 seconds left? Can i rest for a couple of seconds within that 60 second time limit and finish the last 4 pushups or do they have to be one after another after another non stop?

Thanks

 

[-rb]

Alex, it seems from this post as well as a few others that you indeed are not looking hard enough. Dig through the recruiting site, dig through this site, *thoroughly* and then any questions that you may have feel free to ask. I'm sure there are many who are more than willing to help out and offer their personal experiences as a tool to help you on your way, as long as the due diligence has been put forth by yourself and you are not bringing up subjects which have been covered in great detail before.

In this case I will refer you to the "Physical Fitness Guide for Applicants to the Canadian Forces" a detailed pdf which can be found *directly off of the recruiting website.

http://www.recruiting.forces.ca/media/pdf/physical_fitness_en.pdf

Read through it as it answers your question.

cheers.

 

[Bradboy]

When you are doing the test to do 19 push ups in 60 seconds...

  For my pushup test I had to do as many push ups as I possibly could. The only test I had a 60 second timelimit for was the sit up test. Are you absolutely sure they give you 60 seconds only for your push up test? I would call your CFRC and find out for sure. I've noticed from this site that different CFRCs have different ways of doing their tests. For example, for my push up test, the instructor put a pencil in front of my face and I had to come down and touch it with my nose. I talked to another person on this site and they were to come down and touch the floor with their chest. So to be absolutely sure I would recommend calling your CFRC and asking them. Cheers and good luck with your test.  

 

[DrSize]

If you can't do 20 straight pushups you have no business applying to the CF

 

[Bradboy]

If you can't do 20 straight pushups you have no business applying to the CF

  Yes, I must agree with Dr. Size. Push ups are a measure of your upper body strength which I'm sure is a prerequisite for joining the CF. If you can't do 19 pushups, how do you expect you're going to get yourself over an 8 foot wall or climb a rope? If you're stopping after only 19 push ups for a breather, than I'd suggest you keep working on them until you can do at least 25 easily. A good way to improve the number of push ups you can do is to work your triceps, shoulder, and chest muscles. Military push ups require mostly triceps and shoulder strength so hit the gym. If you are unsure of what exercises work these areas than check out this website:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm

 

[TheMachine]

the push ups are consecutive. In the application form it sates that you have completed x CONSECUTIVE push ups.

 

[NavComm]

If you can't do 20 straight pushups you have no business applying to the CF

Not everyone is required to do 20 straight pushups. Women over the age of 35 are only required to do 7. I agree the standard has to be met for every recruit, but honestly, not every member of the CF who is on active duty right now can perform 7 to 19 pushups in the 'proper form'.

I spoke to many infantrymen who tell me that they have guys who are 6'2 and 240 lbs who still have trouble with doing 'proper' pushups but are a great asset to their unit. They have plenty of upper body strength, they just don't perform well on the push ups.

Pushups, it seems to me, are relied upon as some sort of yard stick to a person's fitness. But when you think about the subjective manner in which the testers apply the standard, it really comes down to who they like and not how well the person performed the pushup.

Admittedly, some people suck at pushups. They need more practice. But if you pass the express test prior to basic and the requirement is that you have to pass it annually, then why are you required to pass it again at basic, possibly only 3-4 months later?  It's the only thing you are re-tested on at basic training. It's the only thing you are tested by civilians on. Coincidence? I'm skeptical about that.

Also, why is there no remedial push up training at bmq and yet there is remedial drill, weapons training, etc.? If a good percentage of recruits fail the pushup portion of the express test in week two, then why do the PT staff never teach a class on pushups following that or offer remedial classes on pushups for those who failed? It's just run, run, and run somemore?

I think the yard stick needs to be re-evaluated or the civvies doing the measuring need to be less subjective. As I said before I saw people with their arses up in the air pass. People who had their hips on the ground pass. And some kid who got 17 good pushups suddenly couldn't get another out of the 20 or so more he did before the staff told him to just give it up. How does one suddenly stop being able to do good pushups after doing 17 well? He wasn't one of the two staff told before the test: "you'll do ok, don't worry". The others should have read the writing on the wall and not bothered with the test at all.

/end rant

 

[cgyflames01]

Make sure you know the correct push up form, nothing is more dissapointing then when 8 push ups don't count. (personal story)

 

[alexpb]

Thanks for the replies.

Here is something i wanted to add...

When i first began to work out and exercising, my push ups were not that great, and neither were my sit ups.

I just have to say, WORKING ON THEM EVERYDAY HELPS BIG TIME.

I went from being able to do like 15 sit ups (until it began to hurt) now i can do 30 sit ups before i feel any pain in my abdomen(sp?) area.
I went from being able to do about 10, yes i could only do about ten push ups before it started to hurt.
For a couple weeks, for about 1-2 hours a day, i worked on them, and learnt how to do them correctly. I will continue to work on them ofcourse, but i just wanted to mention that i can now do 25 EASY, and properly.

A problem i had that i did not realize was that i WASNT inhaling and exhaling. When i would do push ups, i wouldnt even notice it, but i would hold my breath while i was doing them, i learnt to exhale and inhale on every push up. It makes it A LOT easier.

Thanks,

Alex