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As little as a one ~maxreps set of pushups every day before showering will have you looking like a soldier after a couple years, assuming you're not starting ou

As little as a one ~maxreps set of pushups every day before showering will have you looking like a soldier after a couple years, assuming you're not starting out obese and are eating reasonably.

unclebucknasty 8y ago
>one ~maxreps set of pushups every day before showering will have you looking like a soldier... This statement definitely needs to be qualified with "depends on genetics".
- newnewpdro 8y ago
  Only insofar as some actual soldiers never attain some kind of soldier-like physique. Generally speaking, a consistent daily, and increasing pushup regime gets you most of the way towards the most visible differentiating feature of a soldier vs. random person. There are exceptions, it's not really worth fixating on. You, the reader, are by definition probably not an exception.
  - smt88 8y ago
    > Only insofar as some actual soldiers never attain some kind of soldier-like physique. Doesn’t this qualification end up nullifying your original comment?
    - newen 8y ago
      He means that there are exceptions but that that comment is true in general.
  - everdev 8y ago
    Keep in mind that only doing pushing exercises can lead to muscular imbalances. You can create a more balanced body by doing pulling exercises like pullups or body rows in the same quantity as your pushups.
    - azhenley 8y ago
      Too many people overlook this! I suggest alternating between push and pull days. And don’t forget the cardio.
      - newnewpdro 8y ago
        After a couple years of daily pushups, the maxreps should be over 100 and it much more closely resembles a quick cardio burst than anything resembling strength-training. I do > 160 in a regular set after over a decade of daily pushups, it's not really an issue. Eventually I ended up adding handstand pushups to my daily routine to bring back something strenuous. Edit: Both of my wrists have been broken in the past. When I started this regimen it wasn't even possible to do 20 pushups without agonizing wrist pain. Those pains are a distant memory, they vanished completely around the one year mark. Thank you daily pushups.
  - unclebucknasty 8y ago
    When you say "soldier-like physique" it evokes a level of fitness that is a good bit more than "above-average"; converging on elite. And, a single exercise is not likely to produce that outcome in the average person. Genetic factors greatly influence specifics like fat-distribution and leg musculature (or lack thereof), hormone levels, etc. So, the effects of one-set-to-failure will vary wildly among people, even when considering solely the targeted muscles. But, if you're lucky enough to benefit from it, it's still reasonably likely that you'll wind up looking decidedly unsoldier-like from the nipples down.
    - newnewpdro 8y ago
      I didn't say Rambo. All soldiers go through basic training. Basic training achieves pretty much just "above-average" fitness. Sure, the military has PT studs, but so does your local gym. Those aren't really representative of the average soldier. The point is you can make your general appearance comparable to the average soldier's with a very minimal investment of time and effort, and zero additional equipment. A developed upper body and solid core does wonders for a man's posture and overall appearance. I'm confident that prospect appeals to a significant portion of the male keyboard jockey population. I live in a military town, most soldiers just look like guys forced to do pushups every day wearing well-fitting clothes. And I'm regularly mistaken for one, even though I spend all my time at a computer.
      - unclebucknasty 8y ago
        >most soldiers just look like guys forced to do pushups every day wearing well-fitting clothes. So, your statement was actually "most soldiers look like guys who do a bunch of push-ups, so do a bunch of push-ups and you'll look like a soldier"? Hmm. Sure, I get that most soldiers don't technically look like Rambo, but if you weren't using that phrase as a figure of speech to convey "extremely fit", then it's kind of meaningless right? Like saying a "professional boxer's physique", then saying you were thinking of Butterbean. So, yes, if we lower the bar to say "slightly above average", then your point is "more valid" though a good bit less revelatory. You're essentially saying "exercise will help you", which I think we can all agree on. But, the broader point you're now making that doing anything is much better than doing nothing is certainly valid and worth emphasizing--especially for us in the HN crowd.
- nradov 8y ago
  Which specific genotype is a factor? The reality for most people is that genetics have only a tiny impact on fitness and body composition. Unless you're trying to compete at an elite level it just doesn't matter.
  - ubercow13 8y ago
    If you have very narrow shoulders you're probably not going to look like action man any time soon.
- rorykoehler 8y ago
  I'd argue depends on diet is more applicable.
  - unclebucknasty 8y ago
    Possibly. But, I was replying to the OP's comment which held that constant. Obviously though, the body's response to diet is in no small measure a function of genetic factors as well.
    - rorykoehler 8y ago
      >the body's response to diet is in no small measure a function of genetic factors as well. Honestly I think this is way over stated in relation to weight loss. It applies more accurately to what variation of macro and micro nutrients constitute a healthy diet for a given individual.
ubercow13 8y ago
This seems like a bad idea. Building muscles using one exercise like that without developing the opposite muscle groups will lead to imbalance that could cause pain or bad posture. Also I expect doing as many pushups as possible every day could cause wrist or shoulder problems. You are likely to cause tendon injuries if you start trying to reach your max reps every day without building up much more gradually.
- seizethecheese 8y ago
  So, what's a quick way to develop the opposite muscle group from push-ups?
  - ubercow13 8y ago
    You'd want to do a rowing movement, which is maybe a bit harder to do without equipment but you could do it with a rubber resistance band.
    - joshschreuder 8y ago
      If you have a sturdy table or similar you can do inverted pull ups from underneath the table
- inspector-g 8y ago
  > will lead to imbalance that could cause pain or bad posture Citation needed.
  - ubercow13 8y ago
    It is a controversial suggestion that doing only one exercise as much as possible is not a good idea? Maybe these are relevant: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/muscle-imbalances-can-wreck-your-workout/2013/11/12/165d2730-466e-11e3-b6f8-3782ff6cb769_story.html?utm_term=.c9aa0a11f40f https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/muscle-imb... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_imbalance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_imbalance
rambojazz 8y ago
What does "one ~maxreps" mean?
- NegativeK 8y ago
  One means one set of pushups, no rests. Maxreps means do pushups until you can't do another, despite digging really deep.
- lcpriest 8y ago
  In this context, maxreps means to do as many push-ups as you can in a single set (until your arms give out).
- goldenchrome 8y ago
  The other commenters haven't said this yet: it's short for "maximum repetitions".
- newnewpdro 8y ago
  It was just shorthand to say "in the ballpark of what the maximum you can do in one set is" (note the tilde). I'm not suggesting you destroy yourself every day. Just that you continuously increase the number as your endurance improves over time. It levels off at some point, in my experience this never becomes a session taking more than three minutes. You can add more sets if you feel like it, or you can add other exercises, this doesn't exclude any other activities you wish to add. It's just an excellent minimum hygiene-level of physical activity to maintain every day. The more burdensome you make your routine, the more likely you are to say fuck it.
askafriend 8y ago
This is really poor advice that will lead to all kinds of imbalances and issues. Bodyweight training on the other hand, is a great option for people who want to train at home with little-to-no equipment. Bodyweight training includes but is not limited to push-ups, pull-ups, and other similar movements that rely mostly on your own bodyweight (as the name implies). Doing only pushups is a pretty bad idea if you care about your overall fitness.

As little as a one ~maxreps set of pushups every day before showering will have you looking like a soldier after a couple years, assuming you're not starting out obese and are eating reasonably.

unclebucknasty 8y ago

>one ~maxreps set of pushups every day before showering will have you looking like a soldier... This statement definitely needs to be qualified with "depends on genetics".

newnewpdro 8y ago
Only insofar as some actual soldiers never attain some kind of soldier-like physique. Generally speaking, a consistent daily, and increasing pushup regime gets you most of the way towards the most visible differentiating feature of a soldier vs. random person. There are exceptions, it's not really worth fixating on. You, the reader, are by definition probably not an exception.
- smt88 8y ago
  > Only insofar as some actual soldiers never attain some kind of soldier-like physique. Doesn’t this qualification end up nullifying your original comment?
  - newen 8y ago
    He means that there are exceptions but that that comment is true in general.
- everdev 8y ago
  Keep in mind that only doing pushing exercises can lead to muscular imbalances. You can create a more balanced body by doing pulling exercises like pullups or body rows in the same quantity as your pushups.
  - azhenley 8y ago
    Too many people overlook this! I suggest alternating between push and pull days. And don’t forget the cardio.
    - newnewpdro 8y ago
      After a couple years of daily pushups, the maxreps should be over 100 and it much more closely resembles a quick cardio burst than anything resembling strength-training. I do > 160 in a regular set after over a decade of daily pushups, it's not really an issue. Eventually I ended up adding handstand pushups to my daily routine to bring back something strenuous. Edit: Both of my wrists have been broken in the past. When I started this regimen it wasn't even possible to do 20 pushups without agonizing wrist pain. Those pains are a distant memory, they vanished completely around the one year mark. Thank you daily pushups.
- unclebucknasty 8y ago
  When you say "soldier-like physique" it evokes a level of fitness that is a good bit more than "above-average"; converging on elite. And, a single exercise is not likely to produce that outcome in the average person. Genetic factors greatly influence specifics like fat-distribution and leg musculature (or lack thereof), hormone levels, etc. So, the effects of one-set-to-failure will vary wildly among people, even when considering solely the targeted muscles. But, if you're lucky enough to benefit from it, it's still reasonably likely that you'll wind up looking decidedly unsoldier-like from the nipples down.
  - newnewpdro 8y ago
    I didn't say Rambo. All soldiers go through basic training. Basic training achieves pretty much just "above-average" fitness. Sure, the military has PT studs, but so does your local gym. Those aren't really representative of the average soldier. The point is you can make your general appearance comparable to the average soldier's with a very minimal investment of time and effort, and zero additional equipment. A developed upper body and solid core does wonders for a man's posture and overall appearance. I'm confident that prospect appeals to a significant portion of the male keyboard jockey population. I live in a military town, most soldiers just look like guys forced to do pushups every day wearing well-fitting clothes. And I'm regularly mistaken for one, even though I spend all my time at a computer.
    - unclebucknasty 8y ago
      >most soldiers just look like guys forced to do pushups every day wearing well-fitting clothes. So, your statement was actually "most soldiers look like guys who do a bunch of push-ups, so do a bunch of push-ups and you'll look like a soldier"? Hmm. Sure, I get that most soldiers don't technically look like Rambo, but if you weren't using that phrase as a figure of speech to convey "extremely fit", then it's kind of meaningless right? Like saying a "professional boxer's physique", then saying you were thinking of Butterbean. So, yes, if we lower the bar to say "slightly above average", then your point is "more valid" though a good bit less revelatory. You're essentially saying "exercise will help you", which I think we can all agree on. But, the broader point you're now making that doing anything is much better than doing nothing is certainly valid and worth emphasizing--especially for us in the HN crowd.
nradov 8y ago
Which specific genotype is a factor? The reality for most people is that genetics have only a tiny impact on fitness and body composition. Unless you're trying to compete at an elite level it just doesn't matter.
- ubercow13 8y ago
  If you have very narrow shoulders you're probably not going to look like action man any time soon.
rorykoehler 8y ago
I'd argue depends on diet is more applicable.
- unclebucknasty 8y ago
  Possibly. But, I was replying to the OP's comment which held that constant. Obviously though, the body's response to diet is in no small measure a function of genetic factors as well.
  - rorykoehler 8y ago
    >the body's response to diet is in no small measure a function of genetic factors as well. Honestly I think this is way over stated in relation to weight loss. It applies more accurately to what variation of macro and micro nutrients constitute a healthy diet for a given individual.

ubercow13 8y ago

This seems like a bad idea. Building muscles using one exercise like that without developing the opposite muscle groups will lead to imbalance that could cause pain or bad posture. Also I expect doing as many pushups as possible every day could cause wrist or shoulder problems. You are likely to cause tendon injuries if you start trying to reach your max reps every day without building up much more gradually.

seizethecheese 8y ago
So, what's a quick way to develop the opposite muscle group from push-ups?
- ubercow13 8y ago
  You'd want to do a rowing movement, which is maybe a bit harder to do without equipment but you could do it with a rubber resistance band.
  - joshschreuder 8y ago
    If you have a sturdy table or similar you can do inverted pull ups from underneath the table
inspector-g 8y ago
> will lead to imbalance that could cause pain or bad posture Citation needed.
- ubercow13 8y ago
  It is a controversial suggestion that doing only one exercise as much as possible is not a good idea? Maybe these are relevant: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/muscle-imbalances-can-wreck-your-workout/2013/11/12/165d2730-466e-11e3-b6f8-3782ff6cb769_story.html?utm_term=.c9aa0a11f40f https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/muscle-imb... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_imbalance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_imbalance

rambojazz 8y ago

What does "one ~maxreps" mean?

NegativeK 8y ago
One means one set of pushups, no rests. Maxreps means do pushups until you can't do another, despite digging really deep.
lcpriest 8y ago
In this context, maxreps means to do as many push-ups as you can in a single set (until your arms give out).
goldenchrome 8y ago
The other commenters haven't said this yet: it's short for "maximum repetitions".
newnewpdro 8y ago
It was just shorthand to say "in the ballpark of what the maximum you can do in one set is" (note the tilde). I'm not suggesting you destroy yourself every day. Just that you continuously increase the number as your endurance improves over time. It levels off at some point, in my experience this never becomes a session taking more than three minutes. You can add more sets if you feel like it, or you can add other exercises, this doesn't exclude any other activities you wish to add. It's just an excellent minimum hygiene-level of physical activity to maintain every day. The more burdensome you make your routine, the more likely you are to say fuck it.

askafriend 8y ago

This is really poor advice that will lead to all kinds of imbalances and issues. Bodyweight training on the other hand, is a great option for people who want to train at home with little-to-no equipment. Bodyweight training includes but is not limited to push-ups, pull-ups, and other similar movements that rely mostly on your own bodyweight (as the name implies). Doing only pushups is a pretty bad idea if you care about your overall fitness.