Does pushups make you stronger?!
Question: Does pushups make you stronger.?
I've been doing pushups lately and I noticed the arm muscle (forgot what it as call) is bigger. But it doesn't feel like I'm getting stronger. Anyone know the answer.? BTW does doing pushups and situps/crunches have the same result as those machines and weights.?Health Question & Answer
Answers:
The answer is yes, they do make you stronger, but you need variation. Strength, or maximum 1 repetition effort, is achieved through the 3-5 reps per set weight. In other words, if you define strength as your maximum weight you can lift then you need to be lifting heavier weight then the weight on your torso during a pushup. A good rule of thumb is about 2/3 of your weight is the amount of weight that a pushup does. So if you weigh 150, it would be similar to benchpressing 100 pounds.
If you can do more than 15 pushups at one time without rest then you need to challenge yourself to achieve greater strength. Without that, you will still get more toned and slightly larger muscles, but you will not get "stronger" as most people define it. Here are some ways to challenge your body-
Wear a backpack during your pushups.
Vary how you do your pushup ( move your hands in close until they touch, spread them wide, keep your elbows in as much as possible, etc use your imagination)
Put your feet on a bed or a couch or a chair and do incline pushups.
Your second question is loaded. Simple answer, yes. Doing a pushup will have a similar result as doing a machine press, benchpress, dumbell press, etc. The benefits of pushup is that you ahve to use your stomach and back muscles to stabilize yourself as you do the pushup. The drawbacks of pushup is that your hands are stabilized, so many of the muscles of the upper body are not as activated as they would be should you do a dumbell press. Your shoulder muscles are more challenge to stabilize with weights than with pushups. So as far as muscle size increase goes, it strictly depends on the weight you are lifting. Using a backpack will help get you the biggest gains. Health Question & Answer
If you can do more than 15 pushups at one time without rest then you need to challenge yourself to achieve greater strength. Without that, you will still get more toned and slightly larger muscles, but you will not get "stronger" as most people define it. Here are some ways to challenge your body-
Wear a backpack during your pushups.
Vary how you do your pushup ( move your hands in close until they touch, spread them wide, keep your elbows in as much as possible, etc use your imagination)
Put your feet on a bed or a couch or a chair and do incline pushups.
Your second question is loaded. Simple answer, yes. Doing a pushup will have a similar result as doing a machine press, benchpress, dumbell press, etc. The benefits of pushup is that you ahve to use your stomach and back muscles to stabilize yourself as you do the pushup. The drawbacks of pushup is that your hands are stabilized, so many of the muscles of the upper body are not as activated as they would be should you do a dumbell press. Your shoulder muscles are more challenge to stabilize with weights than with pushups. So as far as muscle size increase goes, it strictly depends on the weight you are lifting. Using a backpack will help get you the biggest gains. Health Question & Answer