[rrsteer]

Hi guys, while the topic is on bodyweight exercises, I wanted to ask what is a good number for push ups & pull ups, that a 31 year old person (84 kilos) should be able to do?

Specifically, if 'x' is the number of pushups/pull ups that I need to do, what is the best method to do them, i.e. in how many sets?

At present I do/ can do 3 sets of push ups in the following manner: 1set : 16-18 reps (max); 2nd set: 12-14 (max); 3rd set : 8-10(max). After that my upper body feels so tight that I loose the will to support myself on my arms.

Pull ups are my Mt. Everest. At present I can do at max 2 pull ups and then my body goes flat.

[mallumowgli]

rrsteer : How long have you been doing these exercises? And what's your objective?

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by rrsteer

Specifically, if 'x' is the number of pushups/pull ups that I need to do, what is the best method to do them, i.e. in how many sets?

Just follow this for now: http://www.hundredpushups.com/

[rrsteer]

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

rrsteer : How long have you been doing these exercises? And what's your objective?

My objective is to be healthy and increase my strength.

So I have been going to gym regularly for last 6 months. But I am dissatisfied with having a good looking body which is not good enough to pull its own weight - like the many I see in the gym. I don't one to become one of those. It is ironic how many people I see in the gym who do a workout and then slack and have huge muscles but no comparable stamina.

Originally Posted by Samurai

Just follow this for now: http://www.hundredpushups.com/

Thanks for the link Samurai. Please allow me to ask a question in detail. Like today morning I did a total of 40 push ups with decreasing repetitions in sets of three. As a left brain person I can't help but ask for a number to help quantify the target for - what is the number of push ups that should be done which would reflect a health body?
Keeping in mind the link shared, is consecutive 100 push ups - that number?

[mallumowgli]

rrsteer : In my opinion, if you are able to do 18-20 reps per set, and 3 or 4 sets, then there is no point in trying to increase the numbers. Beyond that you should look at increasing the difficulty - search for push-up progression, rather.

16-18 reps per set of push-up/pull-up/squats should be ok for a fit person - am far away from such a number Pull-up is the most difficult. I started with zero three months back. Now I can do 4+3+3

I've heard that going for long walks/treks can increase stamina. Am yet to enter this area - in spite of having lots of 'trekable' area around here!!

A friend of mine has this formula - he should be able to lift up his wife in the event of any emergency and that is his ideal strength!!!

[Samurai]

Well, 100 consecutive pushups is a good number. Twenty years back I could do 120 pushups anytime, with no warmup. Then I got distracted by other type of workouts. Lack of confidence/energy never happens when you can do 100 pushups. But don't ignore the cardio.

Now I am trying to get back there, although I am 20kgs heavier. The routine mentioned in 100 pushups is pretty good. But their ramping is too fast, slow it down as it suits you. Right now I am doing 45+55+45+45+60 in 5 sets, interleaved with inverted rows 15+20+15+15+25.

[rrsteer]

Thanks mallumowgli & Samurai. I will be around this thread and look forward to more interaction.

[Samurai]

Discovered a new feature of my pullup station. I can place it in a corner to save space, it can be used in this position.

[fine69]

I workout during the night and take one scoop of Whey Protein (Dymatize Elite) post workout.

Is consuming just one scoop of Whey Protein (I've got Dymatize Elite) a waste and should I consume another scoop in the morning after waking up also?

The guy at Neulife store said that one scoop wouldn't be enough because the body needs another scoop when one wakes up as its in some high anabolic/catabolic state and would break my muscles down.

Reason for not taking another scoop in the morning is because I don't want to spend 6k every month (with 2 scoops a day) if I can get away with 1 scoop a day.

I'm taking enough protein for the day and my objective of buying Whey Protein was to help me recover post workout (I do HIIT) and not injure myself. Of course, adding lean mass is what I'd want further but as per the sales guy (aka nutritionist) one scoop wouldn't get me anywhere at all.

My objective is to recover post workout, avoid muscle breakdown, gain strength through my HIIT program and add muscle mass over time, don't want to be bulky though.

PS: The scoop that I got was 60 ml and the Whey dabba says that one serving is of 30 gms. Does 60 ml scoop carry 30 gms of Whey because its density isn't too much?

[AbhishekB86]

Originally Posted by fine69

I workout during the night and take one scoop of Whey Protein (Dymatize Elite) post workout.

Is consuming just one scoop of Whey Protein (I've got Dymatize Elite) a waste and should I consume another scoop in the morning after waking up also?

The guy at Neulife store said that one scoop wouldn't be enough because the body needs another scoop when one wakes up as its in some high anabolic/catabolic state and would break my muscles down.

Reason for not taking another scoop in the morning is because I don't want to spend 6k every month (with 2 scoops a day) if I can get away with 1 scoop a day.

I'm taking enough protein for the day and my objective of buying Whey Protein was to help me recover post workout (I do HIIT) and not injure myself. Of course, adding lean mass is what I'd want further but as per the sales guy (aka nutritionist) one scoop wouldn't get me anywhere at all.

My objective is to recover post workout, avoid muscle breakdown, gain strength through my HIIT program and add muscle mass over time, don't want to be bulky though.

PS: The scoop that I got was 60 ml and the Whey dabba says that one serving is of 30 gms. Does 60 ml scoop carry 30 gms of Whey because its density isn't too much?

Being a new life member myself please do not consider them as 'nutritionist' they know what anyone going to a gym would know.

First step would be to see according to your body weight the amount of protein your body requires a day. You can easily google this if you do not know.

Second ensure you that you take natural proteins as much as possible. In my case out of the required 170 gms, chicken, paneer and eggs bring me close to the that number and whey does what it is supposed to do i.e. 'supplement'.

However I do have the shake after workout followed by 3 boiled eggs. Recovery also depends on your lifestyle. Get the right amount of sleep, eat well and that's majorly it (maybe you know that already)

Do not listen to NeuLife. There are people who take 4 scoops a day but if you can achieve the same amount of proteins from a chicken breast why bother about scoops?

I buy chicken breasts in bulk, wrap them in foil, and keep in the freezer. I consume a lot of eggs too (without the yolk) and if there's still a deficit of my daily intake, its only then that I turn to my shake besides the one that I have post workout.

One good thing would be to google the amount of protein in eggs, milk, chicken, fish and other sources. You can then keep a tab on your consumption.

Whey alone will not yield results. It anyway says on the container that it should not be your only source of protein intake.


As as per Dynatize I wouldn't know specifically but find out how much a serving is and more importantly how many grams of protein that serving yields. So for eg O.N gives me 24 grams of protein per serving.

Best of luck.

[fine69]

Thanks Abhishek!

By the way, is Mother Dairy's regular cheese good for people working out? I mean the fat content is equal to or more than the protein content per serving and even with cottage cheese (Milkana brand) the difference isn't significant (only 30% less). This is one reason I don't consume paneer at all. What are your thoughts?

I'm sticking to Chicken breasts, eggs, chickpea, kidney beans, lentils (all sorts) and one Whey scoop for the 130 gms of protein that I need during the day.

For carbs I consume Sweet Potato, banana, wheat roti and veggies including potato, carrot, green pea, cauliflower etc.

[voyageur]

Originally Posted by AbhishekB86

Being a new life member myself please do not consider them as 'nutritionist' they know what anyone going to a gym would know.

First step would be to see according to your body weight the amount of protein your body requires a day. You can easily google this if you do not know.

Second ensure you that you take natural proteins as much as possible. In my case out of the required 170 gms, chicken, paneer and eggs bring me close to the that number and whey does what it is supposed to do i.e. 'supplement'.

However I do have the shake after workout followed by 3 boiled eggs. Recovery also depends on your lifestyle. Get the right amount of sleep, eat well and that's majorly it (maybe you know that already)

Do not listen to NeuLife. There are people who take 4 scoops a day but if you can achieve the same amount of proteins from a chicken breast why bother about scoops?

I buy chicken breasts in bulk, wrap them in foil, and keep in the freezer. I consume a lot of eggs too (without the yolk) and if there's still a deficit of my daily intake, its only then that I turn to my shake besides the one that I have post workout.

One good thing would be to google the amount of protein in eggs, milk, chicken, fish and other sources. You can then keep a tab on your consumption.

Whey alone will not yield results. It anyway says on the container that it should not be your only source of protein intake.


As as per Dynatize I wouldn't know specifically but find out how much a serving is and more importantly how many grams of protein that serving yields. So for eg O.N gives me 24 grams of protein per serving.

Best of luck.

Originally Posted by fine69

Thanks Abhishek!

By the way, is Mother Dairy's regular cheese good for people working out? I mean the fat content is equal to or more than the protein content per serving and even with cottage cheese (Milkana brand) the difference isn't significant (only 30% less). This is one reason I don't consume paneer at all. What are your thoughts?

I'm sticking to Chicken breasts, eggs, chickpea, kidney beans, lentils (all sorts) and one Whey scoop for the 130 gms of protein that I need during the day.

For carbs I consume Sweet Potato, banana, wheat roti and veggies including potato, carrot, green pea, cauliflower etc.

The best thing always is to stay away from Supplements. Get as much as proteins as you can. But all said, Not all the proteins mentioned in food get converted into useful proteins. Hence professional bodybuilders use direct supply of proteins via protein shakes. It all depends on your goal. If you want to gain weight, you might need to take in protein shakes and other supplements. Normally, trainers recommend 3 servings of protein shakes (1 serving is 1.5 - 2 scoops).

Oatmeal is also a good source of carbs I believe.

Cheers.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by rrsteer

Hi guys, while the topic is on bodyweight exercises, I wanted to ask what is a good number for push ups & pull ups, that a 31 year old person (84 kilos) should be able to do?

There is no good number as such in absolute terms.

15-20 reps of pullups per set is a good number
Similarly anything above 50-60 reps of pushups per set is a good number

*Good number = a normal looking person (not excessively thin - these guys have enormous advantage) would be unable to achieve these unless he is genetically gifted athlete or he has been training for at least 6-12 months.

Originally Posted by rrsteer

My objective is to be healthy and increase my strength.

So I have been going to gym regularly for last 6 months. But I am dissatisfied with having a good looking body which is not good enough to pull its own weight - like the many I see in the gym. I don't one to become one of those. It is ironic how many people I see in the gym who do a workout and then slack and have huge muscles but no comparable stamina.

To be honest, you cannot be aesthetically pleasing (as in greek god physique) if you don't have capability of doing a significant number of pullups and pushup. (like the numbers I have written above).
Our bodies / muscles have been designed this way.
As an example:
V taper is aesthetically pleasing - what causes V taper? (muscles wise, I am not talking about body structure due to bones)

Large shoulders = indicates that the person has good capacity to lift heavy rocks overhead (herculean strength)
Wide back = indicates the ability to pull your body up trees and walls and drag the wild bison that you killed on the rough floor (good strength + stamina)
Narrow waist = indicates the fact that you have low body fat and are thus fitter than most. (you do running, walking etc - good stamina)


So frankly I am at loss to understand who all you have seen at gym who have good looking body, but cannot do body weight exercises!

Also people who have huge muscles but no stamina are usually the "loaded ones" or genetically predisposed to being stocky/blocky strongman/powerlifter looking. Their muscle's genetic ability is more towards generating massive force (= huge strength), but falling short of an average man's ability to sustain the effort (= low stamina).

Most people if they train seriously at gym with weights (instead of socializing and training for entertainment) will only improve their stamina, or at worst stay the same as they were and that is because you ain't really training FOR stamina. If that is a concern, then you can always add extended brisk walk, running etc - which would increase the stamina as well as help you stay lean.

[fine69]

Would Dabur's Glucose-D be considered a good source of dextrose that can be taken to get an insulin spike post workout?

I used to have sweet potatoes (~100-150 gm) along with Whey protein shake however recently learned that sweet potatoes don't have a very high GI so was thinking of replacing it with Gatorade or Glucose-D. Glucose of course would be cheaper and an advantage would be that I can mix the flavour-less powder in the protein shake itself.

What do you guys think?

[1-Testosterone]

Sweet Potatoes - Ultimate Pre-Workout Fuel
Dextrose - Ultimate Post-Workout Fuel (Add some Creatine and ALA into it to get the best out of it)