Re: If you can't do 10 push ups, are you really aging health
Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 12:57 pm
A great side benefit of pushups for us older ladies is a lessening of the 'goodbye wave flap' of the triceps. Another quick way to improve pushup ability is to start off on the floor on hands and toes, straight as a board. The lower down v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y until the chest is on the floor. Get up any way you can and lower down again. We are stronger on the eccentric part of an exercise than the concentric. That concept becomes clear when you think of a dumbbell curl. Grabbing a dumbbell with your hand hanging down at your side, then raising it (without moving your elbow) is the curl (concentric). Lowering the dumbbell to your side is the eccentric portion of the curl. Same muscle used and worked, but you can lower slowly a heavier weight that is impossible to curl up. My DIL used that technique to increase he pushup repetitions rather successfully. And I used it for biceps by lowering a 20# weight slowly, then using both hands to get the dumbbell back up. Now I can actually get out some 20# dumbbell curls!
There are so many different exercises to work the same muscle group. It's whatever rocks your boat so it's the most fun. I can't figure out the logic in making a blanket statement about healthy aging based on one exercise.
There are so many different exercises to work the same muscle group. It's whatever rocks your boat so it's the most fun. I can't figure out the logic in making a blanket statement about healthy aging based on one exercise.