How do you do your push ups?

[Kaizen]

Yeah they are great, i aint benched for months now, i just use the rings instead, hang them from my power rack. What you were describing sounds like ''Blast Straps'' Basically the same thing...but i prefer the rings for obvious reasons, being a Ring shape its more ergonomic and can be used for more exercises. Bought mine from www.Ringtraining.com had them well over a year now i think, never had a problem with them, great build quality, strong as hell.

I'm sure you know why there harder, but incase you dont, its due to each hand being able to have free motion, this engages your core to balance you, and involves more stabilizing muscles than the bench press will. Obviously depending on your sport/goals the bench may be your preferd choice, but since im doing bouldering/climbing, rings it is for me.

[tassietaekwon]

I'm a martial artist, and I think for my goals these would be brilliant.

I know all about the individual hands having free motion! I was wobbling all over the place!

I myself haven't benched for a while now. I do weighted push-ups instead. Easier on the shoulders, closed chain, engages the core, more practical movement.

This would be a cool way to add a different element to them. Although I do have some plans for future training... I want to get some for more conditioning work rather than out-right strength training.

[Kaizen]

I'm a martial artist, and I think for my goals these would be brilliant.

I know all about the individual hands having free motion! I was wobbling all over the place!

I myself haven't benched for a while now. I do weighted push-ups instead. Easier on the shoulders, closed chain, engages the core, more practical movement.

This would be a cool way to add a different element to them. Although I do have some plans for future training... I want to get some for more conditioning work rather than out-right strength training.

Spot on mate, ideal for you then, before i got into bouldering i was doing weighted pushups on the rings 4 sets of 8, but now ive changed it to 5*15 for endurance, will add one rep when i max out on all 5, untill i hit 5x25, then i will microload weight on my back and keep it at 5x25

Its funny when your near failure on the pushups using rings, shaking all over, you look like a thunderbird puppet thats drank a crate of stimulants lol

[bolla]

The incline bench press, pushups and overhead press are much more sport-specific for almost all sports, so you could easily ditch the flat bench for good.

If you are training for strength you need your bench. BW pushups offers a resistance of perhaps 40 kgs depending on bodyweight of course. If you can bench > 60 kgs that's not strength training. You can add resistance - but there are limits to how much you can add (20 kgs perhaps) before the exercise becomes ridicoulous. 5s are essential to basic strength training - and you benefit from doing 1RM 3 RM and 5RMs from time to time too. This simply isn't practical do achieve with pushups.

[tassietaekwon]

If you are training for strength you need your bench. BW pushups offers a resistance of perhaps 40 kgs depending on bodyweight of course. If you can bench > 60 kgs that's not strength training. You can add resistance - but there are limits to how much you can add (20 kgs perhaps) before the exercise becomes ridicoulous. 5s are essential to basic strength training - and you benefit from doing 1RM 3 RM and 5RMs from time to time too. This simply isn't practical do achieve with pushups.

I really don't think this is true.

Many of the old time strong men, and bodybuilders, got brutally strong using the overhead press. The obsession with bench is a fairly recent development.
Yes, these guys probably could have gotten even stronger with the bench in their routines. But do many sports people truly NEED any more upper body strength than say, a 1.5-2xbw press would offer them? Many studies have shown that after a certain point the benefits from strength training for athletes have diminishing results. And considering that if you practice any kind of sport you have limited time to dedicate to strength training, it becomes even less and less of a priority. And especially considering the time taken to increase your lifts by small amounts as you get into this "advanced" level of strength training.

And if you are worried about more chest specific strength, rather than just general upper body strength, what about the other all-but-forgotten chest exercise, the dip? This is also a closed-chain exercise which could be considered to be much superior to the bench press. Also many of the weight-loading issues that you may experience with push-ups are much more easily dealt with.

[Kaizen]

Bench press will always be a popular lift, basically due to the ego boost it gives people by having a nice bench number. Yes the bench will allow for more total weight and is good for gaining strength, I aint denying it. But pushups do have their place for sure. I dont know where you got the magical 20kg ''limit'' from for adding resistance, ive done them with 40kgs on my back in the past. Though i will admit it wasnt great on the wrists, though i use gymnastic rings for pushups now, much more ergonomic, and the freedom of motion is great.

You can only stack so much on your back before it gets a little unpractical . But thats when you move into a more advanced pushup for example, planche pushups for instance, then weighted planche pushups will need a weighted vest for that though

[HCG]

I can do 3x15 normal push ups, this is with hands soulder apart and my chest almost touching the floor, and now I´m planning to do them of 2 diferent ways, with my feet elevated on a bench and dimond pus ups, I´ll do one type of push up every time, so let´s say this week I´ll do them mon and fri, this means I´ll do feet elevated mon and dimond fri.
What you think about this? I really love push ups and there are so many variations I´d like to do, so I think this is a good way to advance toward harder variations.

[Mazikins]

Oooh, pushups.

Here's some variations that I've tried so far:
- pushups on a medicinal ball - 6kg or 9 kg ones are a good size for my hands - place hands on either side of the ball and have fun.
- pushups on a stability (Swiss) ball. If it's a little deflated it's even harder.
- plyometric pushups on a weight plate (hot and cold) - really fast pace, alternate hand placement on and off the plate
- plyometric pushups between two stacks of weight plates (or blocks or anything else) - alternate hand placement on the stacks and on the ground, between the stacks
- T pushups (with or without dumbbells)
- pushups on kettlebells
- handstand pushups (and the easier version with your knees on a big stability ball, try keeping your torso vertical)
- pushups with weight plate on the upper back
- Spiderman pushups (as you go down, bring one knee to your elbow, alternate sides)
- one arm pushups

This I haven't tried yet:
- pushups on one upturned kettlebell (handle is resting on the floor, you grip the ball with both hands).

Pushups are awesome.

[TinyT]

Ive been doing weighted push ups using my buddys force on my upper back. He can change the force he is applying whenever he thinks you need it and kinda work with you. Keeps your body guessing, best type of press up ive ever done. Definatly easier than putting a 20kg disk on your back! And can be alot heavier too. Give em a try.