push-ups vs weight training.

[skeeloo]

how effective are push-ups compared to weight lifting, which do you find more helpfull, to gain muscle mass. can you really get cut without- ever working out?.

 

[THE_ADDMAN]

Getting stronger (and by definition, adding muscle mass) relies on steadily increasing the resistance that you give your muscles.

Push-ups are good for conditioning, but since it is just your body weight, and you will probably never add really noticable weight on your body while doing them, you wont be giving your muscles the resistance they need to continue growing.

 

[Throttle]

"getting cut" involves (for most of us) adding a significant amount of lean muscle mass, while either subtracting significant bodyfat or maintaining low bodyfat. pushups can only be a small piece of that puzzle, particularly over the short to medium term.

another sort of "getting cut" focuses on subtracting signficant bodyfat without adding signficant muscle mass. pushups might help you maintain a bit of muscle mass in this situation, but they're not going to help you subtract signficant bodyfat.

either way, there's really no comparison.

 

[Victory Unlimited]

I've found that pushups are a more full, upper body workout than machine weights. BUT...the free weights tend to be more exacting when I'm trying to target specific chest and arm muscles though.



Never give up. NEVER SURRENDER!

 

[Skilla_Staz]

Pushups can only get you so far. In order to increase the weight on a pushup, you need to gain weight.


Which is where weightlifting is far superior. To add weight, you just add weight.

And yes you can get cut without working out. Genetics and great diet. However, don't expect to get there. It's pretty rare to see somebody whos able to do that.

 

[blinkwatt]

Push-ups are definitely great when you are trying to get conditioned(football,rugby & other sports). You can gain some strength and muscle but nowhere near as fast as you could with weights on dumbbells/cables/barbells but not machines(stay away from machines). Good Luck!

 

[mrRuckus]

You can gain some strength and muscle but nowhere near as fast as you could with weights on dumbbells/cables/barbells but not machines(stay away from machines). Good Luck!

There's nothing wrong with machines.

Increase reps/weights on anything and you will get stronger/grow.

 

[blinkwatt]

There's nothing wrong with machines.

Increase reps/weights on anything and you will get stronger/grow.

Yes you are correct. I noticed that I gained minimal size and strength when I used machines for 1/2 of my workouts. Ask anyone who is "big" they will let you know that free weights are much better in the long run once you get comfortable with lifting. Machines are good for burnouts though.

 

[howardalex]

you'll only gain if you look tiny atm

IMO keep doing them for power, esp. hindu press ups...also work on some chin ups (wide and close grip), dips, squats, sit ups and sexy time

 

[Slevin]

Pushups can only get you so far. In order to increase the weight on a pushup, you need to gain weight.

You could just add weight by wearing a backpack filled with bags of sand. It's actually cheaper then a set of free weights or a gym pass.

 

[Suave]

Pushups or Weight Training?

Well it depends what you want to look like and how your body responds to each.

I've done both weight training and Navy Seal body weight training and both are tough in their own right if you know what to do.

I would say weight training is a good way to increase bulk and look bigger. While a good military body weight resistance program is a good way to lose weight and tone up.

 

[Kev07]

push ups can only get you so far. then you will need to hit the weights

 

[Skilla_Staz]

You could just add weight by wearing a backpack filled with bags of sand. It's actually cheaper then a set of free weights or a gym pass.

That is now weight training. Adding any foreign weight, is (at least in my book) considered weight training, no matter how minimal.

Also, if you do that, make sure its tight, having it slip around would be a pain in the back.

 

[blinkwatt]

Just go out and drop $100-150 and get an entry level adjustable gym bench,you can do a lot with just that;flat bench press,incline bench press,close grip bench press,inclined close grip bench press. That with up to 150lbs in weights including the bar should last you for your first 6 months or so of lifting and could be your bread and butter to starting off.

 

[danno1]

push ups AND every bodyweight exercise can only help so much

they are for the beginners only and anyone strong wouldn't benefit much from them

Technically, the greatest made machine could be better then a free weight exercise. However it would probably have to be made by a person by person basis since everyone has different sized bodies and such. The problem is that most machines really suck and barely do s*** in comparison.

 

[skeeloo]

seems like push-ups aint much use to and muscle mass-, havnt been to the gym for ages. and push-ups are the only things i do as a workout. some gym instructor told me push-ups are better cuss they work your entire body, but im not so sure about that

 

[SnakeCharmer]

Pushups are awesome in their own right, but the statement that they can only do so much alone is so true!!! I weigh 165 pounds, however, I can do hundreds of one handed pushups. This is because I've literally done well over a hundred thousand pushups (both one handed and two handed) over the past four and a half years.

The only way I can maintain my mass is to add a backpack weighing at minimum 75 pounds, which during pushups will be pressing on my back on pressure points. BAD.

Free Weight training however can push you to your limits physically, while not doing anything to your body that you will feel un-naturally sore over tomorrow. I bench anywhere from 245 to 375 depending on the day, yet to bring my total "pushup weight" to anywhere close to 375, I'm going to be seriously messing up my back.

I am not a fan of the gym, instead, just take whatever gym membership fees you'd normally pay, and bow a bowflex!!! I've had mine for quite a while, and it has paid for itself, I still have the body, and I don't have to compete for the barbells for the smelly guy who thought he was something special pressing 150lbs...

Instead of trying to keep physically cut, all I really try to do is keep my chest arms and abs in fair shape. Not even a 6 pack abs, just flat. Then all I have to do is maintain. If you spend a ton of time in the gym, you are going to end up losing a lot of definition if you have to stop (injury or otherwise). With me, I can be dormant for a week, and I still look good.

To maintain, I spend 20 minutes twice a week on the bowflex, and do some hiking on my off days. If I have a hunt planned lets say on thursday, I do no hiking wednesday, and then hit the bowflex for forty minutes on thursday about three hours before I leave. It gives the muscles I have a little bit of short toning, and it also boosts the "I don't look good, I look damn good" mindset.