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Old 09-27-2003, 07:09 AM   #8 (permalink)
cakegirl
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You want to do 200 pushups? They're not that useful in a self-defence situation, but if that's what you want to do, then OK...

Start at 100. Test yourself to begin with. Do as many as you can until you need a break. Keep the break as short as possible, and start up again. Repeat until you have reached 100. You might find that you do 25-25-20-15-10-5 or something like that. So now you know it takes you 6 sets to get to 100. Now begin to work on that.

Three times a week, do weights. Pushups require strong biceps, triceps, pecs, and upper and lower back. They also require a good core (abs). So to get to your goal, go to the gym (or improvise at home) 3 times a week. Do bench press, tricep bench press, latt pull-down, etc. And whatever you can find for abs - situp machine, weighted situps, pilates-style hovering, etc. Your aim should be to do about 5 sets of 15 reps, as heavy as you can handle.

While you're doing that, 3 days a week (not the days when you're at the gym), keep doing your 100 pushup test, aiming to reduce the number of sets. So when you can do a few more pushups, you might get to 35-30-25-10 - now you're down to 4 sets. Then you might get to 40-35-25.

Once you're down to 3 sets to reach 100 pushups, you need to work on your endurance. Decrease the weights at the gym, decrease the sets, but increase the reps. Do 3 or 4 sets, but from 20-30 reps. Increase the pushups at home to 150, keeping the "go till you can't do any more/rest/go again" method. Once you've reduced the sets needed to reach 150, increase to 200.

Cakegirl
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