weight training vs push ups

Mr Blobby, read my above post. If you add weight via a weighted vest, or do one handed pushups (adding weight as you improve), your body will not get used to the weight as you are constantly increasing it just as you would when lifting weights.

Bodyweight exercise shoulnd't be taken literally, it doesn't mean that you can't add resistance. You can do pushups with a weighted vest, a heavy backpack, or one of my favorites is to hook an iron woody band over your back and loop each end through your hands, by doing this you are adding progressive resistance in the same manner as a powerlifter does by adding chains to the bar whilst bench pressing.

When performing bodyweight exercise, think outside the box, don't limit yourself to your own bodyweight.

 

Wouldn't bench pressing be a much simpler and faster alternative to all this stuff? :think

 

The bench supports the body so that only the chest and shoulders are in action, that's not the same for pushups where much more muscles have a stabilizing function. Just an observation.

 

Incorrect

 

I know, there's probably more involved, the core gets some as well and obviously I forgot the triceps and such. The point I was trying to make is that there's a difference between lying on a bench and balancing on your hands and toes.

 

Whats faster than geting down on all fours and banging out a set of pushups? Bench press isn't, thats for sure! And anyway, when you are training you shouldn't be looking for the easiest or fastest way. You should focus your pool of exercises for maximizing benefits that carry over into your given endeavor.

Also, think of it as associated benefits. As a fighter, or athlete of any kind for that matter, intermuscular co-ordination is one of the key areas that you need to work. By isolating muscles on the bench press, you may well get strong on the bench press, but when you try to apply that strength in and athletic endeavor, you simply won't be able to maximize it because your muscles aren't used to working in harmony.

RDJ's points are correct, he is thinking along the lines of what is best for a fighter.

 

This is why I think climbing and jumping beats pushups and squats. I know they serve different purposes in a training routine, and I know their injury risk that's why it may not appeal to everyone. But I think the best functional strength routine (non sports specific) would be something like Parkour.

 

ha ha ha ha ha at this topic.

 

RDJ, you and I think alike!

Parkour is fantastic. As an athlete, you should be prepared for every posible eventuality, you need to be fast, strong, agile and well balanced, Parkour fits that bill perfectly. I don't know if you are aware of Crossfit? If not, you might like to check it out.

 

Parkour, swimming and demanding manual labour. I think that would be close to perfect for me when it comes to conditioning, besides the sports specific stuff of course.

Side note. It's funny, some of the exercises like putting chains on a bar and such (increased resistance) are things I once did for work. Chains are used to hang things on, and you usually attach them to a ceiling, this means climbing up machinery with a chain around your neck that gets heavier as you get higher, stuff like that. Manual labour is very dynamic. Carrying heavy equipment up stairs, machines that are heavy to operate, etc. I always regarded it paid workouts, just take a backpack full of food every day and see your functional strength increase.

I know about crossfit and like the idea a lot. I think their implementation is too much geared towards strength though.

 

It's a fact that while both are horizontal push movements, the pushup engages more muscles; even if they only act as stabilizers/dynamic stabilizers. They can both have their place in a workout plan though.

 

RDJ, I too am a manual labourer, and you are correct about the carrying heavy loads up stairs and such like. A personal favorite of mine is the wheelbarrow, for a full body workout and building mental fortitude, not many things beat shoving a wheelbarrow up and down hills all day!

 

Stay away from the weights....unless you want to be a body builder. Especially the bench pressing, remember as a fighter you do not punch with your chest muscles......do the push ups and work the heavy bag.......:good

 

Have you considered doing dips at all? Personally, I think you get more out f of them than pushups and it's considerably easier to add resistance if you want to- just put on the weight belt with the chain and loop it through whatever weight you want. Rotate between that, bench, or pushups, along with some Olympic lifts like Power Clean and Jerk or Hang clean, and squats is a pretty quick and dynamic way to get the whole body portion of your workout done. The Olympic lifts are key because they tie together the rest of your workout by making your whole body work together.

Also, don't worry about going to failure- just work off of sets of either 5, 8, or 12 reps at a weight you can handle for 3 sets until your body has a baseline conditioning level that's good enough to handle doing fewer of the Olympic lifts- like 3 sets of 3 on heavier weight with one light warmup set.

 

Since your only goal is to get a better chest, this simple routine will work for you:

Day 1: (beginning of week)
8X3 @ 80% 1RM dumbbell/barbell bench press
8X3 @ 80% 1RM dumbbell/barbell bent-over-rows

Day 2: (towards end of week)
8X3 @ 80% 1RM weighted dips
8X3 @ 80% 1RM weighted chinups (palms facing you)