Press Ups

[stephanie dee]

Ha! I am celebrating! I have just done, for the first time since I was about 8, a press up!!

I have never been able to do them, ever since I stopped Karate. I have always had very poor upper body strength (i've got very strong legs though!) so for me to do one now is amazing! I blame it all on Kendo/Iaido too! Then i decided to do as many as possible, and guess what? I did 7!!

I was just wondering, how many of you ladies can actually do a proper, full press up? Men always laugh at me when I used to try, then put me to shame by pumping them out! Most men can do them fairly well, even if they are over weight or out of shape, but as far as I know not as many women can...

So how many can you do?

[euclid]

Pardon my ignorance, but is a press up the same as a pull up or a push up?

[lucy]

I just tried, 10 is the utmost, afterwards I collapse... I regularly have an attack, deciding to do some press-ups and sit-ups, not at the moment, though, so I'm out of practice, so to speak.

My record lies somewhere around twenty, at the best of times...

But I know what you are talking about, when we do them in P.E. lessons, all the guys can do them pretty well, no matter how unfit they might be, but most of the girls struggle to manage only 3...

[Neil Gendzwill]

A pressup is the same as a pushup.

[euclid]

Ah...thank you Neil.


I was concerned that maybe they were talking pull ups and could do more than me.


My sad little macho side coming out.

[lucy]

Uh, sorry euclid and thanks Neil, I somehow overlooked the question.

[Neil Gendzwill]

Lots of girls can do pushups, but not very many can do even one pullup.

There's a girl here in town who can do one-armed pullups in sets of 3. But she placed 5th in her weight class in wrestling last Olympics.

[lucy]

Lots of girls can do pushups, but not very many can do even one pullup.

So very true... But pushups are hard as well.

[euclid]

Indeed, pullups are damned difficult. I know lots of GUYS that can MAYBE do one.

[Neil Gendzwill]

So very true... But pushups are hard as well.

Sorry, didn't mean to dismiss your accomplishment - proper pushups (straight back, on the toes, nose to the floor) are indeed tough for most women, who have limited upper body strength.

[runsyi]

I can do around 29. Twenty less than I used to in high school. Right now I'm working on plyometric push-ups.

At my strongest, I could do three or four pull-ups but now I can't. That's why the assisted pull-up machine is your friend.

[euclid]

I can do around 29. Twenty less than I used to in high school. Right now I'm working on plyometric push-ups.

At my strongest, I could do three or four pull-ups but now I can't. That's why the assisted pull-up machine is your friend.

You animal you.

[Neil Gendzwill]

That's why the assisted pull-up machine is your friend.

Negatives are also helpful for developing pullups.

[stephanie dee]

I was feeling proper good about myself. Then I read the replies on this thread, and took my my cocky and confident self out to the scaffolding to do a pull up...

Lets just say that I am no longer cocky or confident, and I am hanging my head in shame for thinking that I was strong.

[Genya]

Push ups are easy but when it comes to pull ups... It´s just impossible.