HundredPushups + some pullups without overtraining?

July 7, 2008 4:52 AM

How do I safely add other exercises to the 100 pushups workout on other days of the week?

I'm on week 2 of the 100pushups plan that's been floating around the net lately, and I wanted to add at least pull-ups 2-3 days a week to my exercises regimen, as it seems a little unwise to just work one muscle set for a 7 week period. Am I setting myself for overtraining if I just alternate pushup and pullup days? (that's 6 days a week of lifting) If so, what's a better solution?

I don't really want to do pushups AND pullups on the same days; one of the reasons I decided to do this 100pushup thing is because it's fast and simple and doesn't involve me needing to walk 15 minutes to the park to find something I can do pull-ups with. (Granted if i do pull-ups on alternating days, that's still 3 days a week of going to the park but for whatever reason it's less of a mental barrier to tell myself that I'm just going to do a pyramid of pull-ups and go home than a pyramid of pull-ups plus anything else.)

posted by sdis to sports, hobbies, & recreation (7 comments total)

You'll be fine.
posted by OmieWise at 5:18 AM on July 7, 2008

Yeah, you'll be fine. If your muscles aren't too sore after the pushups, you can try a few pullups on the next day. And since you're on week 2, you're probably building up enough stamina and recover well enough to not have a problem with it.
posted by cyanide at 5:52 AM on July 7, 2008

Although I'm not trying to do 100 pushups I alternate 20 (inclined) pushups and 20 pullups every day. You can get a home pullup bar for like $30.
posted by norabarnacl3 at 6:08 AM on July 7, 2008

Pushups will make you look good.
Crunches will make you feel good, and you can even do them on the same day if you want.
To compliment all the strength exercises perhaps add in some cardio on the days off.
posted by caddis at 7:16 AM on July 7, 2008

If you added bench presses, dips, deadlifts, rows, squats, overhead presses, cleans, and snatches to your routine and did that six days a week then I would definitely worry about overtraining. Alternating push-ups and pull-ups, though? Go for it. The more the merrier.
posted by Khalad at 9:23 AM on July 7, 2008

If avoiding a 15 minute walk to the park is part of your workout decision calculus (not to mention rainy weather) you might want to consider buying yourself a pull-up bar. They're cheap (some under $20) and if you're a renter and are concerned about damage, you can get one that doesn't require any mounting hardware.
posted by funkiwan at 11:28 AM on July 7, 2008

It's a good idea to do some pull-ups and other back exercises along with your push-ups. I went from 25 push-ups a day to 300 a day between 2005 and 2007. Now I'm dealing with some minor back problems that my doctor says are partly due to having an overdeveloped chest and shoulders, countered by a less-developed back.

I go to weekly meetings with a physiotherapist now, and I'll be visiting a good gymn next week for an appointment with their in-house doctor. I hope that he and the personal trainers will put together a plan that will help me even out my muscles and get me back into shape.

So yeah - great idea to try to work out the opposing muscle group.
posted by syzygy at 12:47 PM on July 8, 2008