papermachesatan

I'd like to grow stronger overall but I also need to increase my muscle's endurance as well. Basically I want to increase what I bench drastically while simulataneously increasing the number of pushups I can do within a given period.

How can I go about accomplishing this?

saltfish

Good question!

From experience you need to develop a workout program that will include a power-lifitng day for mass as well as a definition day for muscular endurance.

Your power day will include chest day that allows for very high weight and low reps, 5 sets / 5 reps or 3 sets / 3 reps. For the chest, I would recommend bench, two or three good tricep exercises as well as an overhead dumbell press.

Your definition day will include 3 sets of 10-15 reps followed by a 4th set of 20-25 reps. Make sure to vary the exercises so that various parts of the muscle group can get their specific attention. This day can be a little more difficult in terms of guaging the weight that you would need to use. With some practice, you can determine the amount of weight needed in order to barely be able to finish the last set.

Overall, remember that in order to see big gains you will need to push 100% and never give up.

Afterthought: Remember that your chest and arms do not like to be worked every day. It would be advantageous to work a power day followed by a day off, then a endurance day, then a day off. Couple that with proper nutrition, cardio and ample, daily stretching and you will notice a difference in only a few weeks.

Aro23

heavy weights for muscle mass and you would need lighter weights for definition with a higher amount of rep sets. oh yeah don't forget to eat some protein

Sun Tzu

Its going to be be difficult, not impossible. Really they are two seperate types of workouts. Its because of the type of muscle fibers that are coming into play for each type of performance.

For strength and size, the rest time is just as important as the workout. So doing pushups in between would be counter productive.

For strength and size--

Overall you will want to use the muscle confusion principal. That is go into it with the understanding that you will have to change your workout in about eight weeks, when you plateu or whichever comes first. The meaning of that is when you lift your muscles will eventually become efficent at the movement you are doing which means not as many fibers will be brought into it. Its like any other athlete that trains, they become better in their performance. You dont want your muscles to become accustom in that way. You always want to have the maximum amount of muscles fibers to be brought into play this is why the workout needs to be changed every so often; to keep them confused.

A good solid routine that will give a solid base of strength is the pyramid.
Example if your max bench is 240 then the workout would be-
8 reps 160
6 reps 175
4 reps 190
3 reps 205
2 reps 215
1 rep 225
4 reps 190

About 1 - 2 minutes rest between sets. Never without a spotter. Heres a chart--
---210 220 230 240 250 260 270 280 290 300 310 320 330 340
-----------------------------------------------------------
8 |140 145 150 160 165 170 180 185 190 200 205 210 215 225
6 |155 160 170 175 180 190 195 205 210 220 225 235 240 250
4 |170 175 185 190 200 210 215 225 230 240 250 255 265 270
3 |180 190 195 205 215 225 230 240 250 260 265 275 285 290
2 |190 200 205 215 225 235 245 250 260 270 280 290 295 305
1 |195 205 215 225 230 240 250 260 270 280 290 300 305 315
4 |170 175 185 190 200 210 215 225 230 240 250 255 265 270

If you cant do a full routine lower the weight by 10. Once you can do a whole routine with ease move it up to the next weight class.

I dont know exactly how accurate it is, but here something that may help with finding your max http://www.thepumpingstation.com/1repmax.html


Also it is good sometimes to either do your triceps another day orto do them first. If you do them before your bench it will decrease what you can bench. Its common for people to assume their triceps are getting a workout from benching. They of course do, but it is easy to neglect their potential. The tricep is not considered a primary muscle so focusing on it other than a few minor exercises after the chest or choulders have been worked is all many do. The tricep strength is what can make the deciding factor when your on that weight you just cant seem to get up. Spend an occasional workout focusing on lifting heavy with tricep exercises to increase their strength.

For pushup endurance--

I was in BUDS class 203. My roomate at the time had already been and was enrolled with me for that class so we trained for months preparing. I remember him telling me that get ready to do 5-6 hundred pushups in one setting and I thought there is no fuc**** way. Thats impossible. Somehow the instructors pulled it out of the students. The mental aspect is a whole other subject though.

Due to the fact those guys arre the experts on pushup Ill jsut provide a link
http://www.military.com/NewContent/0...082405,00.html

Good luck

__________________
To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.- Stephen Hawking

papermachesatan

Thanks for the info guys! Some other questions:

What's the best way to work on my lats? I've been overweight for most of my life but am losing weight/getting in shape in order to join the Army. I've never been able to do pull-ups as far as I remember due to my size and am trying to correct that. Any suggestions on how I can build up to being able to do pull-ups?

Also, would doing squats, etc. conflict with running? According to a SF preparation book written by the guy who supposedly put together the Special Operations Preparation Course (SOPC), doing squats, etc. negatively effected his running/marching performance. He felt that cardio exercises sufficiently took care of the legs.

Sun Tzu

So you are trying to get ready fitess readiness test. Dont lift weights, if so in moderation. Im a big advocate in lifting except in situations like these.

You best elements to help you get ready- push ups, pull ups, sit ups, dips, and running, lots of running.

Can you do any pull ups?

If you can only do 4 for example.

Do sets of 4 x 4 every other day

when that is easy add one rep, continue to add one

__________________
To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.- Stephen Hawking

papermachesatan

I can't do any pull ups. I figure that I will be able to do some as soon as I finish shedding all the excess weight I have though. I'd like to start building up those muscles before hand though.

To explain what my goals are:

I've got at least a year and a half before I plan on shipping off to basic. I'm in college right now and do not plan on joining up until I graduate which will probably happen Fall 2007. I was pretty sedentary throughout middle and highschool. I did not participate in sports or any other consistent exercise. The end result was that I am overweight and not nearly as strong as I'd like to be.

I am making good progress though; I am down to 204 from being 255+. I had also been running 5 miles @ an 8:30 pace on the treadmill up until the past few weeks when I became completely swamped with school and work. I'm still dropping weight though through diet and walking around everywhere on campus with a 20-30 pound backpack.

The only really thing I haven't seriously worked on is my strength / muscular endurance. While I want to be able to do alot of pushups/situps for the PFT, I also have the present concern of needing to be able to physically overpower someone. I have a security job, which I will probably have until I graduate and join the Army, that occasionally requires me to detain someone, physically if neccessary.