After much encouragement from FISO friends on my How to improve my upper body strength? thread I am going to use this thread to chart my first step to becoming fit again.

I am 34 and although enjoy walking, find any more physical exercise beyond my ability. I used to play five-a-side once a week until about eighteen months ago and since then I've fallen into a rut where I exercise very little and it's really starting to show on my general fitness. I was given a bike for my birthday on May although sadly I find very little time to get out on it even though I do enjoy popping out for a half hour cycle.

It would appear that I have no excuses not to begin a daily press up routine and will start today. I don't to become superhuman, I just don't want to turn into a superwimp who struggles to run around with Mini Ledge over the coming years.

If anyone would like to offer advice it will be taken onboard and much appreciated How should I begin? 10 press ups, 3 times a day, for a week? If no-one suggest otherwise this is how I'll begin...

The only advice I can give is that no matter how much or how little exercise you do you should always stretch before and after!

Need to allow those biceps time to recover. Work them hard but do it every other day. The recovery phase is just as important as the exercise itself.

Alternate days - press ups one day, sit up's the next. Should help to avoid injury plus leaving each muscle group to recover will actually make for faster results.

Best of luck mate. Get out on that bike as well. A half hour ride 3 times a week will do wonders.

Edit: try to work some of the other muscles as well - Tri Dips are good (and easy to set up). If you can rig up somewhere to do pull ups as well then that would be fantastic. Don't have to start off doing full bodyweight pull ups, you can start off supporting some weight off a chair (chair just behind you - bend your legs and put your toes on the chair - should give you just enough help to make sure you can do 6 - 10 reps).

Best thing of all would be to join a climbing wall - good fun and really good for all round upper body strength.

building on the alternate day point. Rather than 3 times a day, better IMO to do it all in one session with brief (couple of minutes) rests in between the sets. Once you can do 3 sets of 10 in a 10 minute session you've got a decent start point

Thanks for that advice folks

I have decided to begin a schedule which will start me on my road to supreme fitness. Before I begin though how best should I do sit ups, and how many reps* should I be looking at to get started?

Will begin a half hour cycle three times a week, as suggested by Bob_H, but as it's dark when I get home I'll have to get some lights for my bike.

* even getting into the jingo

I suggest you train for and run the Edinburgh marathon. If you like you can skip the training and just run it like one of your fellow countrymen did.

re sit up's - stick to straight ones at first, twisting can do in your lower back. Don't pull your head, just have your hands lightly on your temples.
Nice smooth movement, try and concentrate on contracting the abdominals. Keep your legs bent and definitely don't hook your feet under anything. That's the biggest no-no - you'll just be using your quads and hip flexors to pull you up, rather than your ab's.

Best of luck.

I'm starting doing the same thing after picking up a couple of injuries (twinge in my back and torn quad) so I'll be trying to keep up an injury free run up to Christmas.

I was reading this thread and thinking that Ledge was secretly starting to train to take me on in the marathon - then I saw your post CY

Several studies have shown that stretchng before exercise is of no benefit. On the contrary, it's dangerous because you can injure yourself stretching (as I have done in the past).



Edited cos I just realised I wrote the same thing on Ledge's other thread. I've been on this forum too long ...

Forget the sit-ups. They are murder on your back. yes, if you do them carefully you will be all right but why mess with an exercise that causes so many injuries?
Pressups and pullups are your best bet, assuming you have no easy access to exercise machines IMHO. I wish I had something handy I could use as a pullup bar. I am in your exact position except about five weeks on, and getting lower body exercise by regular running.
Good Luck.

I think The Ledge should do as many press ups as there are replies to this thread.

All those in favour.....

average bloke can do 30 press ups in one go. I read that the other day.

reckon I can manage 60, possibly 70.

It depends how old you are. According to this website, if you're in your 20s, 35-44 is average; if you're in your 50s, 15-24 is average, and so on.

Meanwhile this guy seems to be doing OK. I gave up counting once he got to 100.

Several studies have shown that stretchng before exercise is of no benefit. On the contrary, it's dangerous because you can injure yourself stretching (as I have done in the past).

If you stretch incorrectly then you can damage yourself.

A quick glance at any athlete will show the importance of stretching. Any footballer knows that if you don't stretch the big leg muscles then you run a serious risk of pulling hamstrings and calf muscles.

What does mater is warming up: any weights session should start with a 5-10 minute run.

Footballers always make a big thing of stretching but they still pull hamstrings. You also see them standing there moving their heads from side to side, stretching their neck muscles (especially when they're about to come on as a sub, for some reason). This is the absolute last thing you should do - especially the way they do it, in an uncontrolled, macho way.

The point about warming up is literally that - to warm up the muscles. Jogging up and down the touchline will do that far better than artificial stretches. Or even getting on a bike machine, which I saw on the touchline at one Premiership game recently - can't remember which one. Fulham? But that won't catch on because it doesn't look cool, does it?

It's simple. Stretch gently. Women get it, but guys virtually tear their muscles apart stretching. Just do simple , easy stretches, without strain. I do a gentle 2 minutes before runs and hold back a little for the first K. Works fine. Of course take more than 2 minutes and you will freeze your ass in Edmonton in November.

Someone’s PM’d me concerned that if I only weigh 10 stone I might be a midget. I can reassure you all that I am not a midget – I’m 5ft 9in (or 5ft 9-and-a-half after I’ve done my stretching ). It’s just that I’ve got no fat and hollow bones …

England rugby under SCW pioneered the "exercise bike warm-up" routine in England, if I remember rightly. If its macho enough for Dallaglio to do it, our namby-pamby footballers shouldn't have a problem.

The diary begins here:-

Week 1

Monday 12th November

3 sets of 10 press ups whilst bathing Mini Ledge (where it all began!).

Tuesday 13th November

3 set of 10 sit ups after work.

Wednesday 14th November

My first mega set as arranged by Robbielee. Just before dinner.

Thursday 15th November

Did a RL set before dinner.

Friday 16th November

Did a RL set before dinner.

Saturday 17th November

Did a RL set at lunchtime.

Sunday 18th November

Lazy day - no exercise.

How does that work then?

Mini Ledge sits in one of those standalone kiddie baths, which Mrs Ledge puts on Ledge's back. he then does his 30 press ups with Mini Ledge in the bath on his back.

Superhuman strength, I reckon.

I did them too, just so you wouldn't feel lonely. Didn't bathe your child though.

I find listening to music gets me into the mood.
You know something that pumps

Macho Man - Village People
Hit that perfect beat - Bronski Beat

You truly are the gayest man alive!

But he does have a point. Music can really help when exercising. More when you're doing a long session or CV work though, so not sure it'd help you get through the pain of 3 sets of 10 press-ups which I'm guessing will take you about 2 mins?? By the way, the slower you do your reps, the better it is, and don't forget to breathe!!!

May i suggest 300 press-ups on top of Mrs Ledge. Nightly.



But please straighten your knees- no cheating.

How are your arms today Ledge?

Arms are fine, 'twas my pecs which were sore for a couple of days after my exertions on Friday.

Anyway diary post above updated and I did sit ups last night as advised - changing between press ups and sit ups each day. Not sure if I was doing my sit ups correctly though as I don't feel any discomfort today I lay on my back (good start ) with my legs slightly apart and bent. Hands at the side of my head and used my (rather measly) abs to sit up, although probably only got a few inches off the floor at each rep.

Should I be looking to do 3 sets of 20 reps in future or is it more likely that I'm doing it wrong?

Ledge, try doing cruches instead of sit-ups. With crunches it's a smaller movement and you never let the muscles relax as you're never going back down to the floor. Basically they are like small sit ups but stop your upper body from touching back down and then go up again, also put your hands behind/at side of your head (but not actually touching it) and not at your side when doing crunches/sit-ups.

Also do leg raises. Lie flat on your back and raise your legs, do 3 sets of 20 again not allowing your legs to touch the floor in between sets. This works your lower abs that sit-ups do not work.

I guarantee if you do these exercises correctly then you'll feel the ache and the burn!

Cheers for that Robbie Should I be incorporating all of these into one workout or should I start a bit slower doing two short workouts a day and keep alternating the excercises daily as Bob_H advised?

Bob_H is right that you should definitely have a rest day between the exercises, as like he says, the recovery day is very important for the muscles to repair and actually grow stronger. But I would recommend doing both the sets of press-ups, crunches and leg raises all in one session. The fact that you're working different muscle groups, mainly pecs and abs, means that there is no need to alternate days. Doing it all in one session will also burn more calories and you will actually see quicker results by doing it all in one "super-set".

I'd recommend the following :

Start with 10 press-ups

No rest and straight onto :

10 crunches and 10 leg raises

No rest and straight onto :

10 press-ups

No rest back onto :

10 crunches and 10 leg raises

No rest, final set of :

10 press-ups

No rest, final set of :

10 crunches and 10 leg raises

So basically you're doing 3 sets of 10 press-ups and 3 sets of 10 crucnches with 3 sets of 10 leg raises.

Basically this is what is known as a "super-set". Although I've said "no rest" in between sets, in effect you will be resting your abs whilst you do the press-ups and resting your pecs whilst doing the sit-ups so you should be ready to get straight onto the next alternate set. You should feel and see real results quickly using this method.