Yeah and almost taller with those strappy heels on!

Yeah, the girl I stole the idea from (who knows I have stolen it, BTW) posted a before/after. In the after pix, her arms look a little... um.... beefy. I don't want that.

I've read that if you want strength, do them fast. If you want tone and definition, do them slow.

Is that right?

the only bad thing about Push Ups is the little cardboard type thing and plastic pusher upper left at the end

But just think - by the end of the year, you will be able to suck those bad boys down like a pro!

Yes, I would definitely agree with that. Slow will do a lot more for the rest of your core, as well as helping ensure you maintain proper form, which helps prevent injury as well.

Thanks, Matt.

Good info.

Another thing for everyone to keep in mind is that you have up days and down days. Physically as well as mentally. You may do 35 pushups on one day with no problem, then the next struggle with 20. Its normal, dont be discouraged. Just push on through and get them done, a few at a time if you have to. Its all good!

*giggles*

I see what you did there.....

Also, the wider your arms, the more mass you build across the back of your shoulders, etc. My ex-wife joined the army and went from petite with baby fat to a little butch until she figured out how to do them for toning rather than building. Then she got to be pretty darn hot.

So, BoBa, to avoid mass, keep your hands under your shoulders? Is that right?

I am in! I need to gain strength before the Warrior Dash in June. This should definitely help with that.

I absolutely despise weight training, so I think I may do this too. This makes it fun!

I'm in - I need to do something - anything to start building up strength. Will start with the wall pushups.

I am just so excited that so many of you are going to do this. I knew I was going to do it anyway, but it just makes my heart happy to know that we can each provide support and tips and advice.

Thank you.

You started a really great thing here Kit, so THANK YOU!

Which Warrior Dash? Have you done one yet?

That is my understanding. The cardio freaks in her unit could do pushups non-stop and they did them with their hands directly under their shoulders, and they did them quickly. The muscle freaks did them with a wider stance, moving more slowly, especially on the way down.

You can also mix-up your positioning to focus on different areas, can do some great tricep isolation and shift focus off of other parts that might be sore or fatigued from previous days. There are probably a dozen+ positions you can do to mix things up and keep it fresh.

I would say hands aligned with shoulders will be your best bet for toning specifically.

So, if we put our hands under our shoulders and did them slowly, we could build both strength and tone a little without bulk? I do need to strengthen my core. It's been a year since my surgery and I should be able to do this without hurting myself.

Wide hands in front of shoulders = more upper chest
Wide hands even with shoulders = more lower chest
Narrow hands behind or lower than shoulders = more triceps

The shoulders, triceps and anterior head of the Deltoid (shoulder) will be involved in all of the them, but you can move the hands for emphasis on given area. Your core should also be involved and taught always.
For those that dont regularly do them, Matt is dead on. Start off aligned.

Slow is a little more bulking, but women will not start looking like guys (nor vice versa). Slow and steady is the way to go, but not super slow. just nice even counts, its not a race.

This is really great!

I'm considering upping the ante for myself too, and adding in some sort of plank challenge too.

I haven't worked it out completely, but I'm thinking something like start with 10 seconds (or 30 or 1 min, whatever) and then adding 1 second (or 5 or 10) every day after.

It's still rattling around upstairs for now.

While you will definitely get core strengthening from pushups, they are primarily designed to work your arms and chest. I think for core strengthening, there are other (and better) things to add to your workout. I've heard a lot about the yoga balls and how they are used to build your core. I might recommend checking that out.

So, I think my New Year's Resolution this year (I've never really done one) will have to do with my overall fitness. I'm 5'10" and about 215-220. In high school, I was 5'10" and about 120 (wrestled 103 half my senior year). From a weight perspective, I truly think that 175-180 is where I'd prefer to be. From a fitness perspective, I can no longer run...at all. Coming from a running background (High School Cross Country and Track, sub 5 minute mile, 17 minute 5k, 39:30 10k), I'm embarassed by my current fitness.

I will ride in the HHH in Wichita Falls this year and will be pushing myself to ride in the 50 miler. Happy will be there riding in the 100 miler, and he'll owe me a case of beer after our football bet comes to light....or I'll owe him a case. Either way, we'll be seeing each other then, and I really want to be ready for a good ride.

Thanks, Kitt for one more dash of inspiration.

Thats a great goal Bob... err...Mr Barker!

I'm also an ex wrestler. Between that and football, not much left in the knees, huh? But you have set great goals.
17:00 5K is killer to have ever been able to claim! I'm happy with everything under 28:00 now!

This was me, about a year ago. Almost literally, same height/build, didn't wrestle but did track/CC at similar paces. Started working out, got on the treadmill, hit the weights, did my first 5k in about 8 years this past June, (30ish mins, made me sad), did another in Sept. and had it down to 23. A ways to go, but good progress. Floating around 180 now, aiming for another 10 in the coming months. All you have to do is start, and don't compare yourself now to yourself then or you'll get really discouraged fast. I'm up to 8-10 mile runs and signed up for a Tough Mudder in May, so hopefully I can use that as motivation to work through the winter and put on some solid muscle!

17:16, actually. That was enough for 49th at State. Sub 14:00 was required to win it. THAT was killer.

Remember that I was 100 pounds and could run for hours at 18 years old. Not so much anymore.