Resting between push-ups and pull-ups

[donferdinand]

Hey all

Comments

[jay_20]

I know this probably sounds like terrible advice but you should do whatever works best for you. Listen to what your body is telling you. If your body needs ample rest days between pullups then take a couple extra days off. It's during the days off that you actually build muscle anyway. For me, I usually start with back one day and then chest in the next day or so. Because if I start with chest it tends to gets sore, then I can't do pullups with a sore chest. I think not resting is counterproductive.

[mutated_queer]

For me I'd go same day. You need at least one in day in between though personally I'd say you'd be best going for something like
Monday pushups/pull ups
Wednesday: legs
Friday: pushups/pull ups
part because while upper body may well be your focus totally ignoring your legs is never a great idea but also to give more recovery time since you say you feel you need 2 days+. The recovery is more important than the work out because it's when the muscle grows

[randompariah]

Many people feel that body weight only exercises can be done every day with no ill effects. YMMV

[mutated_queer]

I think that's true for people who have trained enough that body weight exercises aren't that tough. I can do 200 pushups (not in one set) everyday and not feel it. 2 years ago I couldn't do 10 pushups in one set so couldn't do every day because I'd feel weaker and weaker from lack of recovery

I think that sort of thing is the distinction in it and since the OP says he takes a few days to regain strength he's obviously not someone who can do it every day (yet)

[donferdinand]

Yes, that is my exact situation. I can do 20 pushups in one set and like 3-4 real pull-ups :(, and after I do it I feel weak for days and can't do the same amount anymore. What did you do when you were in this situation 2 years ago? Did you wait until you felt fully recovered before doing more, and then the recovery time gradually decreased? Did you make an effort to eat more protein, etc, to recover faster? (it seems like I'm not really exercising enough to require eating more).

It is very discouraging since these slow recovery times are making it seem like there is no progress!

[mutated_queer]

Doesn't matter how much you exercise- your muscles still need protein to maximise growth. The question is more calories. Don't go eating shitloads with that amount of exercise since you aren't going enough to justify it, you'd just get fat. If you are gaining weight it should be very slow but mostly what you'll be achieving is strength from pull ups and endurance from push ups (if you want it to be about strength you'll need to start adding weight)

By the time I could do 20 pushups I had started working at at the gym so I don't have directly comparable exercise but I posted what I'd advise about. Diet and sleeping well are major factors in recovering well. I'd look at them if you wanted it quicker. The only way recovery will get much easier on it's own is if the challenge gets lesser which you don't want- you want to keep pushing yourself to keep gaining

Pull ups are really really hard, 3-4 is good going

[jacobreid]

As one commenter suggested, body weight exercises are said to be something you can do everyday without over-training. My last boss was a sports/conditioning coach who confirmed this for me. Attempting to do these every day will make you bloody sore. But another thing my boss told me was that I was getting that sore because I wasn't doing them every day. And that made a weird kind of sense. And for a while before my chest surgery I was doing body weight circuits every day that would incorporate exercises from the day before. So I would be sore in my chest/tris/shoulders from push ups the day before but I would still end up doing push ups the next day. I would just mentally feel disgusted at the thought of having to do them again. Its really intense but it is possible. If you give it a try just be careful and listen to what your body is saying. If you're just tired, you can kind of push past that. If you're getting shooting pains or any discomfort like that, just stop and rest for sure

[donferdinand]

I don't have a problem pushing past tiredness and soreness, I just have found myself doing worse (fewer reps) when I don't wait like 2+ days to recover. I was wondering if that means I am actually hindering my own progress unless I wait that long. Or if, on the other hand, I should keep doing it at least every other day and eating more protein. I will see how it goes...

[jacobreid]

Fewer reps per set then you normally do isn't entirely an indication that you're doing something wrong. It could just mean you're having a bad lift day. Like, some days I can do 5 or 6 pull ups, other days I can do 2. That often has a lot to do with how I slept or what I ate prior to that (if I ate at all). Could be that I didn't drink enough water or decided it was a good day to have 4 coffees before a workout (and that really bogs me down).

If I were in your situation and trying to go to failure doing push ups, I would do as many regular reps as I could and then begin doing kneeling push ups to complete the set or until I fail. This way, even though I'm tired, I'm still pushing. I often ended up doing that when I was doing pyramid push ups and trying to get used to them.

pyriamid push ups:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N40RLkDnG0o

Scott Herman actually has a lot of great at-home work out videos and is fairly encouraging.

[nems_log]

totally coming to this late (hiatus from lj for while