Push-ups (Arguement On Other Forum)

[Legion Kreinak2]

Okay, there's a dispute on another forum which I go to, as to wether or not push-ups are an adequate exercise for simply developing a "toned" chest. I'm having trouble with explaining it to them - or maybe I'm wrong about this.

Once you exceed, say, 20+ push-ups are ANY gains in strength or size being made? Apparently, the thought there is that adding sets, reps, or weight, whatever it may be, will allow gains in strength, size, and endurance. So, they say that simply adding reps progressively will increase strength.

For a little while I was leaning for that. I'm pretty sure it's strength that helps endurance, but I don't know if it works the other way around. Example... you can bench 300 lbs. 1 time, so you could bench 100 lbs. more times than someone who can bench a 1RM of only 250. Not sure, but I believe that would be true.

Anyways - can simply adding sets and reps add growth in strength and size, rather than just endurance? I don't think they believe it will get you a massive bodybuilder-like chest, but rather if it will at least give people something to look at. And, I'm assuming if you can do more reps, the muscles must be getting somewhat stronger (though I'm guessing not by much).

Could someone give me intricate details on this so I can actually explain it better? After having them instill my mind with this now, I can't help but be curious myself.

 

[tsarleon]

depends on how you define strength. for the most part i think pushups and weight lifting can be compared to a marathon runner and a sprinter. strength has tons of meaning. Toned look as to do with diet. I know a guy who can do 85 pushups, but he is flabby, wouldnt be able to tell, he eats like shit etc, whatever. progress can be realted to becoming "stronger"

 

[Legion Kreinak2]

Well, I believe they mean that if you eventually add another 10 push-ups on top of the 70 you may already be doing, then you may also be able to bench more than you previously could.

 

[Legion Kreinak2]

Bump

 

[rjl296]

not sure if this answers the quest, but if you are doing 70 puchups, then you bump it to eighty, their will be negligable increase in bemh press max

you won't gain much strength unless say you start out only being able to do 3 or 4 pushups, then increase that. or you could add weight to your back and stay in the low rep range

if you increase you max strength , there is a carryover to endurance, but a negligable carryover the other way around

 

[Legion Kreinak2]

Beautiful, that's exactly what I had thought. Stupid instilling of doubt in my mind.