pushups

[Taishar]

Hey everybody! I have a question about pushups. For working out pecs and getting results, is there any approximate amount of pushups in a specific amount of time? If it helps, I'm fifteen and weigh in at 110 lbs. Would it be more beneficial to do more pushups over a long amount of time like a few hours or do as manny as possible in short amount of time. Whats the difference? Any advice for this? Thanks you guys.

[abrannan]

Wow, pushups, that's actually a really broad category. There are hundreds of variations on the pushup you can do for different effects. For pecs, I'd do a "wide-arm" pushup, set your arms about six inches further out from where you'd normally do them. You'll feel it in your pecs and Lats. You might also try the "hindu pushup" ( www.frixo.com/sites/fitness/exercises/Hindupress.html ) that should give you pecs a good beating, too.

Form should be your first focus, over speed, or reps. Make sure you're doing the exercise in a controlled manner to avoid injury. If you're looking to build strength, slowing your motion down will help strain the slow-twitch fibers more. Holds are also good for this (hold your motion for a slow 5 count at the bottom of the motion). If you're looking for speed and power, then doing the exercises quickly and explosively will work the fast-twitch fibers more.