Are push ups are more effective than all round weight training?!
Question:
Are push ups are more effective than all round weight training?
ive recently been going to the gym quite alot in the last few months. the results are their too be seen. but i feel their are weakness in my training which hinder my performance at the gym. ive decided that the easiest way to eradicate these weakness is by doing 500 push ups a day for a month. i do push ups, but almost a 1000 per week, never daily, but however ive managed to pull of 500 for the last three days so im pretty sure i can go the distance. and im starting to think that maybe if i stick to the push ups for a month, and then go back to the gym, it will improve my performances and certainly make me stronger. do you guys think it would work if i try that out? and another thing is that i have heard from alot of people at the gym that push ups are just as effective in building muscle as weight training, is it really necessary therefore that i go to the gym when i can just do push ups at home?
Answers:
Muscles are not built when you work them....they're being built when they're being rested.
Building muscle can be quite a complex thing & although fairly easy to do, can be hampered by the things we maybe don't do.
Along with going to the gym, what we eat & the amount of rest we get are all important - not forgetting of course water, you need plenty of water to build that muscle too.
Push-ups are a great way of gaining strength & building muscle....if that was the only way you had of building muscle & strength then they'd be perfect as is any exercise that uses our body as weight resistance.....but doing push-ups alone will miss other muscles out that lifting weights won't....
Machines designed for weight lifting are fine if someones a beginner to weight training & needs to practice good form or wants to just target certain muscles, but the best thing to use for building optimum muscle is to use free weights as they use many other muscles at the same time as working the one you're aiming at.....If you can't afford to go to the gym or would rather work out at home & have the self disipline to do that, then buy yourself a barbell with weights - some dumb bells & workout bench/ball (they don't need to cost the earth) do some research on the internet about certain exercises, how to know what weight you should be lifting & how many reps to do - keep them to no more than 4 times a week, preferably 3 with at least 24-48 hours rest in between.