Is 20 pushups max potential for some guys?

[Tagged]

7 minutes ago, red roger said:

74 yrs young and 30 press ups easy.

Straight back, chest down or army push ups one fist between floor and chest? 

[Lacessit]

On 12/22/2020 at 10:35 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

Up and down, lots of times. It obviously also depends on the girl below me. ???? 

I'm a gentleman, I put them on top. 90 kg with a 40 kg GF isn't fair.

[BananaBandit]

23 hours ago, Lacessit said:

I'm a gentleman, I put them on top. 90 kg with a 40 kg GF isn't fair.

What do 40-kg people eat?  Do they eat a lot?

 

I used to know someone in the mid-40kg bracket.  She would alternate between somtam and greasy, western-style rubbish. I think the quantities were usually pretty average. I don't recall any exercise either. Kind of surprised she remained that light. She had a blood disorder. Perhaps that resulted in nutrient malabsorption?   Beats me. 

[BananaBandit]

On 12/22/2020 at 3:38 AM, Kerryd said:

A couple years ago, I was doing sit ups on my inclined bench. When I first started I was lucky to squeeze out 2 sets of 10. Eventually I worked my way up to doing 5 sets of 60 (and giving myself an abdominal separation in the process)... 

...(It's a bit unnerving though when I see the bulge caused by the abdominal separation. Seems that sh** doesn't heal itself. Ever. Going to have to wear a belt to keep my innards from becoming my "outtards" I guess.)

 

Well, that's the thing, man. It's why I don't (and won't) strain much. Especially when out here with no health insurance.    

 

I appreciate your sharing your story about the abdominal separation. I didn't even know that was possible. 

[Lacessit]

8 minutes ago, BananaBandit said:

What do 40-kg people eat?  Do they eat a lot?

 

I used to know someone in the mid-40kg bracket.  She would alternate between somtam and greasy, western-style rubbish. I think the quantities were usually pretty average. I don't recall any exercise either. Kind of surprised she remained that light. She had a blood disorder. Perhaps that resulted in nutrient malabsorption?   Beats me. 

My GF is small, she's only 140 cm tall. Many Thais are lightly built. She eats normally for her size, not large quantities.

[BananaBandit]

On 12/22/2020 at 5:57 PM, techietraveller84 said:

I'm a skinny, thin wristed man, just like you.

In light of our apparently similar physiques, I wish to ask:  Do you suffer from disappearing abs?

 

Sometimes my abs are nice & popped out, but then other times they practically vanish.  This was the case even when I was emaciated. I can't imagine I had more than 10 percent body fat at that point. 

 

I wonder if my abs are often somewhat MIA because they are tiny - just like my ankles, wrists, forearms, biceps, and p...anyway you get the point.

   

It seems like some guys with thicker frames have very visible abs even if they almost have a pot belly. You can't convince me a moose like that has anything approaching sub-10 percent body fat. 

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, BananaBandit said:

In light of our apparently similar physiques, I wish to ask:  Do you suffer from disappearing abs?

 

Sometimes my abs are nice & popped out, but then other times they practically vanish.  This was the case even when I was emaciated. I can't imagine I had more than 10 percent body fat at that point. 

 

I wonder if my abs are often somewhat MIA because they are tiny - just like my ankles, wrists, forearms, biceps, and p...anyway you get the point.

   

It seems like some guys with thicker frames have very visible abs even if they almost have a pot belly. You can't convince me a moose like that has anything approaching sub-10 percent body fat. 

Skin fold testing is the way to go if you want to measure body fat, the BMI can be misleading.

Anyway, why worry about your abs? You sound quite healthy to me.

[rumak]

I found the turning point in proving my athletic prowess was when I stopped trying to show how many push ups i could

do.................... and just turned on my back and let Nit do those squats that are prominently displayed in another post in this thread

[Lacessit]

37 minutes ago, rumak said:

I found the turning point in proving my athletic prowess was when I stopped trying to show how many push ups i could

do.................... and just turned on my back and let Nit do those squats that are prominently displayed in another post in this thread

Fess up now - on what part of your anatomy was she squatting?

[Kerryd]

49 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Skin fold testing is the way to go if you want to measure body fat, the BMI can be misleading.

Anyway, why worry about your abs? You sound quite healthy to me.

Yeah, I was posted to Germany in the mid-80s when suddenly "BMI" became the new fad. We all had to go get weighed and measured and then told that because we didn't fit into the category that had been designed by testing athletic college kids in their late teens, we had to do remedial fitness training or face being kicked out of the military !

One of the guys who "failed" his BMI was a weight lifter of near Olympic level. The doctor told him during his check up that he had to lose something like 25kgs in order to get into the upper end of the BMI scale.
He asked the doc which arm he should cut off as he had literally no fat anywhere to get rid of.
His biceps were bigger than my thighs and my thighs back then were like tree trunks. I had a lot of problems getting pants to fit because I had to get them 4 sizes too big in the waist just to be able to get my legs into them.

My buddy actually ended up having surgery to remove muscle from his calves because they were so large, when he walked up stairs or climbed anything, the skin was nearly splitting. (LoL - I got to take his slot on the French Commando Course because of that.)

We had other guys who were buying steroids in France (where they were legal) and using them in Germany. One guy I recall wasn't much bigger than me when we got to Germany but 2 years later he had to get help to get his t-shirt off because he'd bulked up so much he couldn't grab it and get it off himself.

He failed the BMI as well.

We also pointed out back then that it wasn't a great indicator of physical fitness. We had guys who could strap on a 20kg rucksack plus their weapon, webbing and helmet, go out and do a timed 10 mile forced march followed by an obstacle course, then get up the next day and do a longer march (without the rucksack) and still fail the BMI.
Meanwhile, guys on the soccer team would have "prime" BMI scores - and couldn't do 20 push ups.

(It was also noted that muscle weighs more than fat does which meant that healthy, active, muscular guys would often weigh more than less healthy, lazy, lard bags, but it was the muscular guys who were failing the BMI !)

Our unit Doctor was the saddest guy in the unit for a long time as he had orders that anyone who "failed" the BMI had to be reported and put on remedial PT. No exemptions and no excuses.  
 

[rumak]

3 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Fess up now - on what part of your anatomy was she squatting?

 

i don't kiss and tell.......   but do let them know when they are getting "off the topic"

 

 

[Kerryd]

2 hours ago, BananaBandit said:

 

Well, that's the thing, man. It's why I don't (and won't) strain much. Especially when out here with no health insurance.    

 

I appreciate your sharing your story about the abdominal separation. I didn't even know that was possible. 

Yeah - I was surprised by it. I thought I had somehow given myself a hernia that didn't hurt. Did some research and found out it's not that uncommon. It's called "Diastasis recti".
In men it can happen due to doing sit-ups improperly (not sure which way is "improper" though). It can also happen to powerlifters and "fat boys". Apparently quite common in pregnant (and therefore "fat") women as well.

There's a procedure where they can put a "web" in to reconnect the muscles. I'm guessing it's probably expensive and not covered by my health insurance though.

[VBF]

1 hour ago, Kerryd said:

Yeah, I was posted to Germany in the mid-80s when suddenly "BMI" became the new fad. We all had to go get weighed and measured and then told that because we didn't fit into the category that had been designed by testing athletic college kids in their late teens, we had to do remedial fitness training or face being kicked out of the military !

One of the guys who "failed" his BMI was a weight lifter of near Olympic level. The doctor told him during his check up that he had to lose something like 25kgs in order to get into the upper end of the BMI scale.
He asked the doc which arm he should cut off as he had literally no fat anywhere to get rid of.
His biceps were bigger than my thighs and my thighs back then were like tree trunks. I had a lot of problems getting pants to fit because I had to get them 4 sizes too big in the waist just to be able to get my legs into them.

My buddy actually ended up having surgery to remove muscle from his calves because they were so large, when he walked up stairs or climbed anything, the skin was nearly splitting. (LoL - I got to take his slot on the French Commando Course because of that.)

We had other guys who were buying steroids in France (where they were legal) and using them in Germany. One guy I recall wasn't much bigger than me when we got to Germany but 2 years later he had to get help to get his t-shirt off because he'd bulked up so much he couldn't grab it and get it off himself.

He failed the BMI as well.

We also pointed out back then that it wasn't a great indicator of physical fitness. We had guys who could strap on a 20kg rucksack plus their weapon, webbing and helmet, go out and do a timed 10 mile forced march followed by an obstacle course, then get up the next day and do a longer march (without the rucksack) and still fail the BMI.
Meanwhile, guys on the soccer team would have "prime" BMI scores - and couldn't do 20 push ups.

(It was also noted that muscle weighs more than fat does which meant that healthy, active, muscular guys would often weigh more than less healthy, lazy, lard bags, but it was the muscular guys who were failing the BMI !)

Our unit Doctor was the saddest guy in the unit for a long time as he had orders that anyone who "failed" the BMI had to be reported and put on remedial PT. No exemptions and no excuses.  
 

I have a good mate who, a while back had to have a medical for his work. This guy is shortish but stocky and very muscular, former rugby and hockey player and professional diver with hardly any fat on him.

Due to his BMI, he was pronounced clinically obese, so I don't agree with BMI as being indicative of much.

[BananaBandit]

4 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Anyway, why worry about your abs?

 

VANITY

[ADog]

Can see this post is a few years old .... however as a great push up strengthening exercise, that we used to do in boxing training.

 

Do 1 push up, rest for a  few seconds then do 2 push up, rest for a few seconds, then 3  push ups, then rest , then 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 whilst resting for several seconds in between ..... all the way up to 10 push ups.

 

Then rest for several seconds and do 9 push ups, then 8, then 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 .... all the way back down to 1 push up.

 

Sounds ever so easy, until you try it!

 

 

 

Edited January 29, 2023 by ADog

[ozzey3]

@BananaBandit To continue making progress, it's important to challenge your muscles by gradually increasing the intensity or variety of your exercises.

Additionally, your body type and genetics play a role in determining your potential for muscle growth. While you may not have the ideal foundation to turn yourself into Terrell Owens, focusing on proper form and gradually increasing the difficulty of your exercises can still lead to improvement and help you achieve your fitness goals.

You mentioned that you prefer to exercise on your own, and that's perfectly fine. You can consider incorporating other bodyweight exercises into your routine, such as pull-ups, dips, or squats, to target different muscle groups and keep your routine varied. It's also important to give your muscles time to rest and recover in between workout sessions.

[Hummin]

There is a individual limit if performed correct, and if you want to improve, you need to do other exercises as well. 

 

Check out elastic power bands on youtube, and see if it's something for you. Complete gym with 3-5 different bands of strength. 

 

Remember your armlengt, triceps, shoulders and how your pectoral is built decides how many pushups you can do. 

 

Why is the numbers important? I would focus on the whole body, instead of being fixated on pushup numbers only. 

 

Check out this guy, he got exercises for the whole body, and a number of other people if you do not like him for some reasons.

https://youtu.be/HY9i5BSC2GQ