One Hundred Pushups!

action dan

Has anyone undertaken the "one hundred pushups" 6 week programme? If so what did you continue to do once you had completed it?

A) Carry on doing the week 6/Day 3 sets
1 x 100 pushups every other day
C) Work towards sets of 100
D) Just pack in, too much like hard work!

Pokerface

SIlly question - but why would you want to do 100 pushups in the first place?

manxshred

I've looked at it, did the initial test and haven't really carried on. Just didn't find time between training.

Plus I found riding a SS mtb really works your upper body.

I have started up again a bit. For me the reason is that for mtb you do need additional strength. And since I am planning on doing long endurance rides on both road and mtb, the extra strength will help my body cope.

Adamski91

Pokerface wrote:

SIlly question - but why would you want to do 100 pushups in the first place?

Why would you want to do [insert any activity here] in the first place?
Mr George Mallory springs to mind.
Same can be said for cycling 100 miles. Why? Because you can, and at least in the case of 100 pushups, maybe not cycling, not many people can.

itchieritchie

It's not silly at all.

Guy I used to work with at the Beeb could do 100. He was in amazing shape. Not overly muscular, just really strong, lean muscle mass. Very toned. His power to weight ration must've been amazing. He worked up to 100 and just kept it there. Maybe he did the programme you're talking about. Also, he didn't really go in for weights that much. So much safer to press your own body than shift a stack of metal above your head...!!

I can knock out 50, and I do this every day as a first set. Then 30. Then 20. My best ever in one go was 60 once I was psyched up to do it. If I could do 100 in one sitting I'd be well chuffed.

I find that it's a really good measure of your upper body fitness. If you are up to, say 50 one week, go away on holiday and do nothing, then return home and can only manage 40, it gives you extra motivation not to let your fitness slip.

Plus I like the fact that you can do it anywhere, anytime. And let's not forget that done correctly, pushups REALLY work your core. As all genuine cyclists will tell you, this generates greater leverage against your thighs, creating additional power.

Lastly, cyclists pretty much leave their upper bodies to their own devices, roadies especially are guilty of this. I'm not a fan of the over-developed bottom half look, with spindly arms and chests. At 5'9" and 63 kgs I'm no Manx Missile, but I don't have to look like Schleck or Contador either. Proportions are quite important to me.

So why do it? Lots of reasons.

seanoconn

100 press ups isn't too hard really, just build up to it. I'm not particularly strong or fit but I started doing press ups as a teenager. Sometimes i'd be mad on it for a month or 2 and sometimes hardly any for a year. After long lazy periods, I found you could get it back to 100+ nose nearly to floor then arms locked out, within a couple of weeks.

I think the muscle gained from press ups is better quality than say body building, in that is doesn't turn to flat as quickly.

SBezza

seanoconn wrote:

I think the muscle gained from press ups is better quality than say body building, in that is doesn't turn to flat as quickly.

No muscles turn to fat

I probably can't even do 10 push up's, not that I try, as they are not needed for cycling. It is your legs that turn the pedals, not your arms a chest.

action dan

I was just hoping to have some upper body strength for my everyday life without getting huge/lifting weights etc, being able to do diy around the house, not look like a weed around all the feral hoodies in my area and get my bike taken off me! Each to there own

But as to my original question which is best for gaining strength, lean muscle;
274 pushups / into 9 sets or 100 pushups in 1 set?

Pokerface

Adamski91 wrote:

Pokerface wrote:

SIlly question - but why would you want to do 100 pushups in the first place?

Why would you want to do [insert any activity here] in the first place?
Mr George Mallory springs to mind.
Same can be said for cycling 100 miles. Why? Because you can, and at least in the case of 100 pushups, maybe not cycling, not many people can.

Sorry - maybe I should clarify.


As a cyclist, why would you want to do 100 push-ups? While (some) upper body strength is important - that level of strength isn't.


I can understand wanting to do it for the sake of doing it.

kieranb

I started to do it, not for any benefit to my cycling though, got up to 65 in one go and used to to approx 120 (broken down into sets) every second day. I stopped as coming to Christmas (rest season) and haven't continued as not sure what the point was, my job/life doesn't require it and I get my cardio work out on the bike which directly translates to faster commutes etc so is useful.

Kaise

i was going to start this but i have been given some training plans by a strength and conditioning coach.

but there must be something to it as she has proscribed 20 push ups between wsquats and lunge sets during my strength session, and also plank and side plank as well. She seems to be of the opinion that core and upper body strength is very important, even to cyclists.

I do the work and it is helping improve my cycling so i am sticking with it.

Mr Dog

Hmmm... lets just say those pecs won't help you climb that hill. They may look good framed by your bib shorts, but its extra weight. Functional power is the key. Does your coach have any experience in cycling? :shock:

nwmlarge

action dan wrote:

I was just hoping to have some upper body strength for my everyday life without getting huge/lifting weights etc, being able to do diy around the house, not look like a weed around all the feral hoodies in my area and get my bike taken off me! Each to there own

But as to my original question which is best for gaining strength, lean muscle;
274 pushups / into 9 sets or 100 pushups in 1 set?

anything over ten push ups is cardio and will do nothing for strength gaining.

if you want to build strength and lean muscle try doing ten push ups but a ten count from top to bottom and back up.

explosive power will be better with multiple reps but strength will be gained from the additional strain of the slower rep.

langster

It's not the number of press-ups you can do, it's how you do them, slow steady and maintain the correct form, it should take you 3 seconds to do 1 proper press-up and you should not stop moving, or lock out your arms. This keeps the muscle constantly tensed.

freehub

They're useful for people who use their arms to pedal or use special bikes that are adapted for pedaling with the arms.

Omar Little

Pokerface wrote:

As a cyclist, why would you want to do 100 push-ups? While (some) upper body strength is important - that level of strength isn't.

It really helps out when mountain biking - if i let my core strength slip then i end up feeling beat up at the end of a hard ride often with arms and upper body sore but legs feeling fine. Push ups ( and planks) really help out with this - doing 100 pushups isn't particularly extreme it isn't building up alot of extra mass / bodybuilder style muscles.

It might not have much benefit for climbing but for sprinting and time trialing then most of the top riders will be putting in alot of work to improve their core strength. Look at Cancellara in these pictures http://www.bikeradar.com/gallery/articl ... %2Farticle That is a guy who has been doing more than 100 pushups to improve his upper body strength.

Murr X

Omar Little wrote:

It really helps out when mountain biking - if i let my core strength slip then i end up feeling beat up at the end of a hard ride often with arms and upper body sore but legs feeling fine. Push ups ( and planks) really help out with this - doing 100 pushups isn't particularly extreme it isn't building up alot of extra mass / bodybuilder style muscles.

It might not have much benefit for climbing but for sprinting and time trialing then most of the top riders will be putting in alot of work to improve their core strength. Look at Cancellara in these pictures http://www.bikeradar.com/gallery/articl ... %2Farticle That is a guy who has been doing more than 100 pushups to improve his upper body strength.

Cancellara isn't doing any push ups as he is too concerned with cycling performance to be doing silly things like adding muscle to his (intentionally) rather emaciated upper body.

To those thinking that they will not add bulk you may be surprised as if you have the genetics to put on muscle on the chest area easily then the pecs will grow quite rapidly even with low body weight.


Murr X

Pokerface

I do lot of core work and could be mistaken on this - but my pecs are not part of my core.

mattshrops

1- if you are competing professionally or nationally etc then i can see why only what is necessary to cycling would be what you do. But for most of us who take our training fairly seriously but still might want to have a physique that looks half decent(vanity eh) then why not. even those of us that are fairly slim are probably carrying more timber than chest muscle anyway.

2 - ive found that since my time on bike has gone up to and above 3hrs my triceps are dropping off by the end , so im introducing close hand (to target triceps more) press ups to try to help that.

dabber

When I was kayak racing, as part of our training we used to run hills in Richmond Park.
Run hill, 25 pressups at the top, run down X 8 (being sick afterwards was optional but often necessary).
After a regime like that we could do continous pressups way beyond 100 if asked.

But that was for a sport needing a lot of upper body strength.. I'm no expert on cycle training requirements but it it doesn't appear to me to be so necessary.

The-beast

nwmlarge wrote:

action dan wrote:

I was just hoping to have some upper body strength for my everyday life without getting huge/lifting weights etc, being able to do diy around the house, not look like a weed around all the feral hoodies in my area and get my bike taken off me! Each to there own

But as to my original question which is best for gaining strength, lean muscle;
274 pushups / into 9 sets or 100 pushups in 1 set?

anything over ten push ups is cardio and will do nothing for strength gaining.

if you want to build strength and lean muscle try doing ten push ups but a ten count from top to bottom and back up.

explosive power will be better with multiple reps but strength will be gained from the additional strain of the slower rep.

+1

The-beast

Pokerface wrote:

I do lot of core work and could be mistaken on this - but my pecs are not part of my core.

correct - your core consists of your abs obliques and lower back

irezumi

action dan wrote:

Has anyone undertaken the "one hundred pushups" 6 week programme? If so what did you continue to do once you had completed it?

A) Carry on doing the week 6/Day 3 sets
1 x 100 pushups every other day
C) Work towards sets of 100
D) Just pack in, too much like hard work!

Knocking out 100 pushups is fairly easy but I come from a boxing background so am probably used to it. As to how to achieve it, find your max push ups whilst maintaining form. Twice a day do your max press ups (morning and night, also do lunchtime if you want) and add a few press ups each day (1-5). You'll be doing 100 within 2-3 weeks.

Once completing the 100 push ups move on to harder push ups.

- On knuckles
- With feet raised
- With feet and arms raised to go really deep
- Close arm push ups
- Diamond push ups
- One-arm push ups
- Clap push ups
- Scorpion push ups
- Spiderman push ups (works arms and "core" at same time)
- Planche (push up supporting whole bodyweight on arms

None of these are very relevant to being a good cyclist imho though.

Murr X wrote:

To those thinking that they will not add bulk you may be surprised as if you have the genetics to put on muscle on the chest area easily then the pecs will grow quite rapidly even with low body weight.

Been some tests on this, gaining up to 20lbs lean mass is possible with just bodyweight exercises, but with much lower sets than 100, and generally using more advanced/difficult push-ups.