[Goldmund]

So as part of my prep routine each night, I do about a 100 pushups in sets of 30-35.

I'm traveling now and don't have access to a gym and have noticed that my chest is significantly smaller after not hitting the bench for a few weeks.

Right now I'm doing the 'diamond' push-ups, where you put both of your hands in the shape of a diamond and go down.

What is the best technique for the chest pop? I want to get it swollen before going out to seduce the ladies...

[monster]

prop youre feet up 12-18 inches so you're angled down

[Basil Ransom]

Try dive bomber pushups. These will hit your shoulders and arms more intensely than conventional pushups.

[Rutting Elephant]

If I'm understanding your description of diamond pushups, those are putting most of the stress on your triceps, not your chest.

[Goldmund]

Whoo...just did a set of each...propped feet up on the bed and bombers.

Wow. Way more intense than regular ones. Blood is pumping.

Push-ups are a godsend when there is no weights around!

[samsamsam]

(08-04-2014 10:11 PM)Basil Ransom Wrote:  

Try dive bomber pushups. These will hit your shoulders and arms more intensely than conventional pushups.

I've seen them but never knew the name, just googled it. In case anyone was curious.

[scorpion]

Do some high intensity style pushups with your feet elevated, five seconds up, five seconds down for each rep with no pause at the bottom or the top.

[Renberg]

Have any of you guys noticed a short and long term benefit of relying on push-ups as your most intense strength training (if you're traveling, low on cash to join a gym, etc.)?

[Pantheon Dweller]

There is no best technique. To get swole the best is to keep reps between 6 and 14, so pick the most difficult variation you can do while doing at least 6 reps and change when you can do 14 of it.

What I did : pushups -> diamond pushups -> pushup with one hand on basketball -> same as previous but with the basketball further -> one hand pushup

Then I took a membership to keep progressing.

But you shouldn't do only pushups, you will get a bigger chest and triceps but your other muscles won't grow which will look weird. You can add handstand pushups for your shoulders and traps, pullups for your back and biceps, squats variations for your legs, etc.

[Albertron]

Personally, I do push-ups and pull-ups.

I see a lot of dudes out there with that ugly-ass forward shoulder roll, causing unnecessary shoulder joint stress and terrible posture. Excessive work on your chest and anterior deltoids while neglecting your posterior deltoids will cause this. Pull-ups help prevent this. Pumped lats also help make your shoulders more broad too.

I'll do 3 sets of failure sets for both push-ups and pull-ups. Does the trick for me.

[Mage]

For me dips work the best to get my pecs bigger, swollen and pumped. Better them pushups and even better then bench pressing. If you are not going to gym and have no dip bars in park, you can easily improvise a dipping contraption from various furniture. Wear a heavy backpack or attach a dumbbell to your belt if you can do too many reps, so that it doesn't turn from a strength exercise to endurance exercise.

Also I agree to what Albertron said that you must work the counterbalancing muscles too. For pecs, these would be lats.

[Bill]

I am doing one hand push ups (20) with my 25-30kg backpack. Works quite good though at traveling finding 25kg weight might be little difficult. I think it´s like about 110kg at the benchpress

[jamaicabound]

My favorite pushup workout is doing a deck of cards. Been meaning to get back into this. Many of you have probably done these or know about them. Basically every card in the deck you do as many pushups as the cards say. Draw through the whole deck of cards. If you get a 9 you do 9 pushups. Face cards are 10 and aces are 11. The other twist to this you can do once you get used to it and can make it through a deck easy is then diamonds are pushups with your hands in a diamond shape like the jay z thing. Clubs are fist pushups, spades regular pushups and hearts wide armed pusups. Its nice because you dont know what your going to draw next. It sucks when you get a facecard, when your really tired its nice to draw a 2. It's a bit less boring than just doing sets of 10 or 20 pushups til your tired and I notice I push myself alot more doing it this way as I have a goal to make it through the deck.

[Giovonny]

I love push ups! I just figured out how to better use my chest when "pushing". In the past, I was using too much of my arms and shoulders to 'push". Now, I've learned to "squeeze" my pecs and "squeeze up" using my chest versus "push up" using my shoulders/arms.

That is one of the most important things in bodybuilding, isolating the muscle. Putting the stress on the muscle that we want to grow.Too often in my chest workouts, I was using the wrong muscle.

Also, I think genetics play a big role. Some muscles grow easily and other muscles struggle to grow. We really need to attack our weak areas. Hit them with intensity and accountability.

The past few days, I have been traveling, I haven't had a chance to get to a gym.

I knew push ups would be a big part of my workouts this week..

I warm up by walking, skipping, prancing, jogging, dancing, etc. 5-10 minutes.

Then, I usually go into:

Downward Dog Series/Power Yoga Series--10 minutes

Pull Ups -- 10 sets to failure

Elevated Push Ups -- 10 sets to failure

Then, I play around with some of this crazy shit -- 5 sets to failure

*****

Its hard for me to work my biceps.

I put on muscle mass faster with weights.

But, I still love push ups!

Variety and intensity are key!

[ddjembe mutombo]

(08-04-2014 10:09 PM)monster Wrote:  

prop youre feet up 12-18 inches so you're angled down

This. Also, holding an elastic band (usually used for stretching purposes) with the ends in your hands and the rest going around your back will help increase difficulty. It definitely feels weird at first, but you will find a good placement in time and get used to it.

[MrPositive]

I know this sounds crazy, but I really believe that when I do my pushup/ab workout before I went out in the US, I increased my chances of getting laid by two times (though outside of America, my looks mean far less and personality reigns supreme for better or worse). It really makes you look swollen and ripped: a good combo. But I warn you, this is no regular easy does it pushup workout. However, it isn't complicated:
5 different types of pushups at 30 reps: you read that right 5 different types. Mine currently are: regular on fists, diamond, wide, spiderman, clap
5 different types of abs: regular plank for 1 minute, right side plank for 1 minutes, left side plank for 1 minute, decline plank, 20 situps
So it goes: push up/ab-minute break for 1 set, continue until all 5 sets are done.
You may be thinking this would take forever. If i'm focused I'm done in 30 minutes. I've never found anything exercise wise that's given me more success the last decade.

[Sonsowey]

Ever do girl pushups?

[heavy]

^^^^ Dying laughing. And it seriously would be a good substitute for bench.

[Sonsowey]

"Bro what do you max?"
"I did one rep of Lindy West"