I have just realized that I can NOT do the following activities:
1 pushup
1 situp
1 pull-up
I naively assumed that I could do any of those. I was very, very wrong. I don't know why, but all of a sudden it is priority number one that I am physically capable of doing not just one, but several in a row, of each of those activities.
Anyone have anything that they can't do? Do you desperately want to do it?
Ahhh, I see. Yes I struggle with that too. But the good news is we don't have to come all the way up to strengthen that area. I don't think I've ever done a proper crunch until I started doing Jillian Michaels Body Revolution. I had the breathing wrong, and was trying to lift too high with my elbows pointing upwards
I'd say start with improving your stomach crunches, and maybe look into some back strengthening exercises too, (JM does one called the 'superman') once you strengthen your core, you'll be able to come all the way up easier.
I can't do any proper pushups, I was so good at them long ago. He he my high school coach signed my year book, "to the only girl I know that can do pushups"
Sit ups I don't do, just crunches and I have never in my life been able to do a pull up. I won strongest girl in my high school but will just hang like a monkey from a bar.
Don't fret! I can't do 2 out of the 3 things either. The only justification that I have is that since those exercises are body weight exercises, the less a person weighs, the easier it would get. Like the other day, I was telling my skinny boyfriend how I can't do a proper push-up and he asked why. Apparently a push-up constitutes around 80% of your body weight (you can test this with a scale, putting your hands on the scale in the push-up position). So for a thin 5' 9" 145 lb bf, he would only be pushing around 115-120 lbs. I challenged him to put an additional 20 lbs to his push-up to see if he could do it, and alas, he couldn't. That being said...for me, 80% of my body weight would be 120 lbs. But at my goal weight, I would only need to push 90 lbs. SO. Being able to do a "cheater" push-up on your knees, you are pushing around 60% of your body weight, so for me it would be around 75 lbs, so not too far from the goal weight push-up.
This theory is the same for any other body weight dealio. For pull-ups, I don't remember EVER being able to do one, even when I was an underweight elementary school student. And pull-ups are 100% of your body weight!
To be able to train for pull-ups and push-ups, strength exercises are in order. Pull-ups uses back muscles and biceps, and push-ups uses chest and triceps. Hit the gym and do those kinds of weight exercises either using machines or weights or use easier body weight exercises like inclined push-ups, tricep dips, etc. Don't feel bad, especially for not being at your goal weight.
For sit-ups, you can do alternative ab exercises such as twists and planks. I have always had a relatively strong core. I used to do like 200 sit ups a night to relieve stress in high school. Again, sit-ups are also body weight dependent, so the less you weigh, the less effort it is to perform one.
I'm not sure if I can post the link here or not, but Google "Tony Horton Pull Up Modification" and check out the You Tube video titled "Pullup Modification Tips." It shows how to start as a beginner using a chair and work up to the real deal. This is how I got myself up to doing them!
I cannot do push-ups, but I work on doing wall push-aways. It's definitely a start. And as someone up-thread said, when you're over 250, you're trying to lift over 200 pounds with each push-up! When I'm comfortable with wall push-aways, I move to leaning over the edge of my bureau. Then I'll move to leaning over the stairs. then to the floor... but I've never gotten past the bureau.
Sit ups I can do, because I do leg lifts for my knee arthritis. It works many of the same stomach muscles (but leg lifts also strengthen the leg muscles) so when I switch to sit ups it's much easier than it used to be.
Pull ups? In my dreams. Maybe after I'm in Onederland. I can't imagine pulling up this bulk.
I have been right where you are. I remember I was trying to do leg lifts one time and just couldn't. It was shocking. Absolutely shocking.
But the great news is if you work at it you can improve fitness and in no time you'll be able to do a lot more than you think.
Except maybe the pull-ups. Even really, really fit thin girls on my rugby team - very few of them can do pullups.
Pull-ups?? Never have, probably never will. But I've started doing assisted pull-ups in the gym. There's a counterweight which means you're not pulling your full body weight.
But everything else I can do...I don't do many regular pushups, but I can do girly ones - not sure how many. A lot.
Situps? They are not good for you, and I don't feel they're something to necessarily aspire to. But I can do quite a few when required. But they hurt, bad. There are about 15 situps that you have to do in Bikram yoga, but they are between poses.
I can do pull-ups! ... of the assisted-variety. My gym has a machine that lets you use counterweights so that you're only lifting part of your weight. Luckily it goes pretty high (up to 200 lbs counterweight), so even I can use it to at least practice the motion of body weight exercises I'd like to be able to do, eventually.
Y'all I'm bit ashamed...
